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From an anti-communist alliance to a domestic security issue: In his lecture, Prof. Dr Behlül Özkan speaks about the role of Political Islam in the struggle against communism in Turkey and West Germany and the various ties and networks that linked political actors from the two NATO allies. During the Cold war the so-called Turkish-islamic synthesis - not Kemalism was the main ideology in Turkey and the establishment considered islamism as an antidote to the rising left and communism. Both Intelligence agencies and security services tried to use Political Islam while also keeping it under close control - efforts that coincided also with the interests of West Germany.
Behlül Özkan's research project "Turkey and Germany in the Cold War: Anti-Communism and Political Islam" was funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation as part of the special programme Islam.