DEBATES ON TURKEY’S SOFT POWER IN THE AUSTRIAN PUBLIC DISCOURSE

Ružica Čubela Bajramović, Sule Dursun-Akdeniz

Abstract


This paper provides a brief overview of Turkey’s soft power in
Austria through the example of the faith-based public diplomacy institution ATİB (Avusturya Türkiye İslam Birliği‚ Türkisch-Islamische Union
in Österreich), a branch of the Presidency of Religious Affairs of Turkey
(Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı). It addresses the significance of ATİB with regard to the religious and cultural needs of the Turkish Muslim community
in Austria and the negative perceptions of Turkey’s soft power strategy
in this country. The paper also focuses on the current challenges faced by
the ATİB, as well as by Austria’s Muslim community in general, as a result of the Law on Islam that was adopted in 2015 (Islamgesetz 2015) and
the accompanying discussions around Muslim associations financed from
abroad. The research design is primarily based on a critical discourse analysis of political and academic debates about the ATİB, the 2015 Islam Law, and their catalyzing effect on Islamophobia in Austria.

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.21533/epiphany.v14i1.370

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