Yeah, Turkey is right on the cusp between the ME and the West. Attaturk came in to power & did a massive secularization of Turkish society. But I have no idea what it's like there, now. Saddam was trying to secularize Iraq but I think all of that is gone now.
Iraq has pretty much been secular since the time it was a kingdom right until the 90s when Saddam had a mass campaign to spread religion. That aside, he has always been an atheist hiding behind Islam.
I stand corrected. I thought Saddam and the Ba'athists were attempting to secularize Iraq. My bad. Thanks for the correction. I had gotten the impression Saddam was brutal against any kind of religious extremism and would stamp out any kind of uprising.
You are partially correct Saddam was against religion most of his rule. After Gulf War I & his invasion of Kuwait he began the religious campaign in the 90s where religion was taught in schools (but of course it was Sunni Islam), Shias were still suppressed.
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