White Turks

In one corner are “white Turks,” who revere the republic’s founder, Kemal Atatürk, and his mission to remake Turkey in Europe’s image — secular, republican, purged of its Ottoman legacies.

[5] Ertuğrul Özkök of Hürriyet considers himself a white Turk and generalizes the group as follows: They live mainly in coastal regions, are sensitive when it comes to secularism, they drink alcohol, have a high purchasing power, a Western lifestyle and the women do not wear hijabs.

The term "white Turks" was meant to be analogous to the American WASP,[citation needed] and was used to describe an old elite who opposed the then-Prime Minister Turgut Özal because of his Kurdish origin, religiousness and lack of military service.

Some observers, such as Ayşe Sözen and Nilüfer Narlı, also note the emergence of a third group of "Grey Turks", who are urbanized, well-educated and enjoy Western music and films, but are pious Muslims.

Some use the term to refer to the aspiring black Turks that climbed the socio-economic ladder during the Turgut Özal era and gained momentum during the AKP's current rule.