Despite all the bumps along the road since its inception in 1946, democracy in Turkey has now managed to survive for more than half a century. In a Muslim setting, this democracy has owed its longevity to its secular underpinnings—the separation of state and religion. Today, though, this system faces its most serious challenge yet from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its leadership. Our country is quickly drifting away from a functioning democratic regime toward a manifestly authoritarian and intrusive one built around the whims of a single individual in power.

The...