Mustafa Akyol

Mustafa Akyol is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, where he focuses on the intersection of public policy, Islam, and modernity.

Stories by Mustafa Akyol

Ekrem Imamoglu, the newly elected mayor of Istanbul, speaks to supporters after taking the mayoral mandate in front of the Istanbul municipality building on June 27.

Love Will Set You Free From Populism

Argument |

July 1, 2019, 5:05 PM

A woman walks behind a campaign posters of the far-right Swiss People's Party depicting a woman wearing a burqa against a background of a Swiss flag on Nov. 23, 2009 in Corseaux near Vevey. (Fabrice Cofrini/AFP/Getty Images)

The Prophet Mohammed Doesn’t Need Courts to Protect Him

Argument |

November 1, 2018, 9:29 AM

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi King Salman during the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Summit at the Istanbul Congress Center on April 14, 2016. (Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images)

Khashoggi’s Death Is Highlighting the Ottoman-Saudi Islamic Rift

Argument |

October 17, 2018, 6:26 AM

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gestures as he delivers a speech on December 20, 2016 in Istanbul, during the opening cerenomy of the Avrasya (Eurasia) Tunnel, the first ever road tunnel underneath the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul from Europe to Asia and the latest project in the Erdogan's plan of transforming Turkey's infrastructure.
Turkey in October 2013 opened the Marmaray rail tunnel underneath the iconic waterway, the first link beneath the waters that divide Europe and Asia. But the new Avrasya (Eurasia) Tunnel is the first tunnel for cars underneath the Bosphorus and aims to relieve congestion in the traffic-clogged Turkish megacity. Other schemes, which Erdogan boasts are his "crazy projects", include a gigantic third airport for Istanbul, the first ever bridge across the Dardanelles straits and even a Suez-style shipping canal for Istanbul. / AFP / OZAN KOSE (Photo credit should read OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images)

Stop Victim-Blaming Erdogan for ISIS

Argument |

January 10, 2017, 3:10 PM

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan looks on during a ceremony at the Ataturk Mausoleum to mark 94th anniversary of Turkeys Victory Day in Ankara on August 30, 2016.
Turkish authorities arrested an editor from the leading Hurriyet daily on August 30, continuing a sweep of the media triggered by last month's failed coup, the newspaper said. / AFP / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

The Tin-Foil Hats Are Out in Turkey

Argument |

September 12, 2016, 2:35 PM

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