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Now Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who won a new mandate for his Islamic-rooted government in Sunday's elections, will be scrutinized more closely than ever for any signs that he is straying from that pledge.

. . .

But the 53-year-old leader is still struggling to shake off an Islamist image, and many secular Turks fear his party — an offshoot of an openly Islamic party banned by the courts — harbors an Islamic agenda.

They cite Erdogan's failed effort to secure the election in Parliament of his close ally, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, as president. With Gul in office, secularists feared the ruling party would have free rein to introduce laws challenging secularism.

Opponents also cite Erdogan's past:

_ He once described democracy as a tram: "You ride it until you arrive at your destination and then you step off." He also was quoted as saying, "Democracy is not an aim, but a means to an end."

_ In 1999, Erdogan was jailed for four months for reading a poem that was considered inflammatory. It said: "The minarets are our bayonets, domes are our helmets, mosques are our barracks, believers are our soldiers."

...

Born in the working-class district of Kasimpasa, in Istanbul, Erdogan became attracted to the Islamic movement in his youth.

He played soccer for a local team and attended religious schools that train imams, where he learned the Quran and became involved in the youth branch of the Islamic National Salvation Party.

He rose to lead the youth branch of the party and was elected mayor of Istanbul in 1994. He angered secularists by banning alcohol in city cafes.

His Welfare Party promoted ties with Iran and Syria and tried to adjust working hours to accommodate Islamic prayer times. It was forced from government in 1997 under pressure from the military and was later outlawed by the courts.

Erdogan moderated his position in 2001, stressing that he saw Muslim Turkey as a bridge between East and West, and between the Islamic world and the Christian West.

He made entry into the EU a priority, and reinforced an image of Turkey as a key player in anti-terrorism efforts and a role model of a Muslim country that is secular and democratic.

A powerful orator, Erdogan traveled to a record 55 provinces in the two months leading to Sunday's elections, and said he lost 18 pounds in the process, raising concerns about his health.

. . .

On the campaign trail, Erdogan made no mention of religion in his speeches, or of the Islamic headscarf, a politically charged symbol that is banned in schools and government offices. Instead, he focused on economic achievements: 7% growth rate, lower inflation and a stronger currency.

Find this article at:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-07-22-turkey-pm_N.htm