Sinan Isik

Sinan Isik is a Turkish national born in 1962 and a public library worker from Western Turkey. He is a member of the Alevi religious community, a branch of Islam (some argue Alevi is a separate religion with pre-Islamic tenets). In February of 2010, Isik won a landmark case recorded as "Sinan Isik vs. Turkey," in which Isik argued his human rights were violated by a requirement that he divulge his religious affiliation on a national identification card. The case was decided by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, and because Turkey is a member of the Council of Europe, the country was required to abide by the court decision. The regulations had changed in 2006, before which it was possible to elect to leave the field blank, but after which point declaration of religious affiliation was required. Initially, Isik only wished to indicate "Alevi" rather than "Islam," but later adapted the appeal to remove the requirement altogether, claiming it was in violation of the ECHR Convention and Constitution.

The decision marked a movement within Turkey toward greater democratization, bottom-up modernization, and freedom as the country attempts to gain membership in the European Union. The case was argued in relation to a similar decision which refused a requirement that Kurds use Kurdish names on the same card.