Davutoglu says secularism will be in new constitution

ANKARA (Reuters) – The principle of secularism will be in Turkey’s new constitution, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Wednesday, after the speaker of parliament sparked a public uproar by calling for a religious constitution.

Davutoglu made the statement in a speech to his ruling AK Party in parliament. Speaker Ismail Kahraman said this week that overwhelmingly Muslim Turkey needed a religious constitution, a proposal that contradicts the modern republic’s founding principles.

Kahraman later said his comments were “personal views” and that the new charter should guarantee religious freedoms.