The other day I met a group of politicians from Kosovo. The group included female representatives both from the local and national level, from the Justice Party. Labinotë Demi Murtez was one of two parliamentarians elected from the Justice Party in the last elections in Kosovo. It was an interesting conversation, we conversed about the glass ceiling that confronts women, in particular women who wear headscarves. Oh, yes, I forgot to mention Murtez wears a headscarf. At the end of the day, we came to the conclusion that while Turkey has made more progress in many areas, the challenges we face are pretty similar. To quote Murtez: "The thorny path that we are walking down is not unfamiliar to [the Turkish Justice and Development Party] AK Party. Indeed they have trod this path and turned the thorns into roses."The similarities do not stop there. The Justice Party in Kosovo openly acknowledges that it has modeled itself on the AK Party. To quote from the Wikipedia page of the Justice Party: "The party has been noted for breaking away from Kosovo's traditionally secular society, advocating for a ban on headscarves in schools in Kosovo to be overturned and for religion (on all major world beliefs) to be introduced and taught in schools."The party has followed the Turkish moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party, adopting several more liberal policies in economic terms and a more liberal interpretation of Islam, citing to style it around the AK Party and the Turkish model of democracy."This started me thinking. I had met representatives from the Justice and Development Party of Libya, another party that openly acknowledges being inspired by the AK Party. I also have had indirect contact with the Justice and Development Party of Morocco, another such party. So, how many parties in the world have been inspired by the 13-year old Turkish AK Party? And why?A quick Internet search reveals the following information: There are nearly a dozen countries that have parties carrying a name similar to the Turkish ruling party, and it can be assumed that the majority of these are modeled on the Turkish experience. But to be fair, probably not the Polish Justice Party, the American Justice Party nor the Indian Justice Party, which was established in 1917.These other "justice parties" include, but are not limited to the Justice and Development Party in Tunisia, Justice and Development Party in Libya, Justice and Development Party in Morocco, Movement for Justice and Development in Syria, Justice and Development Party in Pakistan and the Algerian Movement for Justice and Development.So what is the attraction of "justice and development"? True, these are great ideals, but a party name reflects more than mere ideals. Are these parties merely imitating the Turkish party that has been successful enough to be re-elected time and time again? In an article by Feriha Perekli, we read: "The 'Turkish model' – in the form of a marriage between moderate Islam and democracy, the AK Party's electoral success and the economic growth witnessed in the last decade – has become the ultimate allure to which … Islamists aspire. Because the AK Party … strengthened the democratic process during the 2000s, Arab Islamists can now face their critics and contend that they too can be part of the electoral process and actually reinforce democracy in their countries. … [I]n the event of being given full legal recognition, or full integration within the political system instead of 'restricted participation,' they … replicate the AK Party in striving to reinstate the main components of democracy. In this regard, Tunisian Islamist moderate Rashid al-Ghannoushi lauded the AK Party's feat of developing a way to reach out to the various sections of society, adopting a strategy promoting human rights, and extending political freedoms in line with European norms, to establish a modern democratic state." As an aside here, the word "Islamist" is not one that I personally feel can be applied to the AK Party, although it may be appropriate for the other justice and development parties. The party in Turkey has members who are Muslim and who pray, but there are also members who are Christian, Jewish or who are Muslim but not devout. It is a party that is open to all, but it is also a party that takes traditional Turkish values seriously. This is not enough to label it Islamist, and we should avoid making that error when talking specifically about the Turkish AK Party.But to return to our subject, what has led to this sudden crop of justice and development parties? The success of the AK Party lies in that it has been able to create a way in which Islamic values and democracy can mix, while still allowing room for those from other belief systems to maintain their rights. In addition, their economic success has led others to try to do the same in their own countries. It would be wrong to suggest that the justice and development parties have just "copy and pasted" the AK Party manifesto or AK Party policies to their own political sphere. Every country, naturally, has its own issues and problems.What is happening here is not a new phenomenon. Indeed, it can be seen in history after both the French and the American revolutions. The way France's neighbors reacted, from the British with the rejection of the revolution by the aristocracy to the Swiss and Germans, who at first enjoyed the new liberal way of thinking, picking up the ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity. This same phenomenon was also true a decade earlier, after the American Revolution. The American Revolution sparked the idea that it was possible to throw off the "yoke of oppression." Richard Price, a British philosopher wrote: "Be encouraged, all ye friends of freedom, and writers in its defense! The times are auspicious. Your labours have not been in vain. Behold kingdoms, admonished by you, starting from sleep, breaking their fetters, and claiming justice from their oppressors! Behold, the light you have struck out, after setting America free, reflected to France, and there kindled into a blaze that lays despotism in ashes, and warms and illuminates EUROPE!"Basically, what is happening today is that a political party has had success in a country where few political parties have been able to maintain power for an extended period of time. Other countries that have similar demographics, similar backgrounds, have seen that the system works, and thinking that the party in Turkey must have done something fairly remarkable, have adopted the name, if not the approach, to try to see if they can do the same. In Turkey, democracy has spread, more people have been mobilized and more people are taking part in politics. The same is true in a number of the other countries mentioned above, not least of all Tunisia, which has come a long way in the progress it has made since the beginning of the Arab Spring.As Turkish parties gear up for the general elections, a warming trend has appeared. More women than before are applying to be nominated as candidates for the political parties. Although still far from the ideal 50 percent, a figure that would more accurately represent the demographics of the country, the willingness of women to throw their hats, or scarves, into the ring can only be a good thing. However, per the conversation with Murtez from Kosovo, the road down which both the AK Party and the Justice Party in Kosovo are making their way is one full of thorns. One of the great thorns consists of the handicaps faced by women in the public sphere. What with the introduction of new policies to encourage women to pursue education, seek employment in the public sphere and to enter the political arena, it is likely that the number of women involved in public life will only grow in subsequent years.The AK Party phenomenon is not something that should worry us; rather it is something to applaud. Whether or not one thinks that AK party and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan are the answer to Turkey's problems, the combination of an Islamic stance – not Shariah, but a respect for Islam – with democracy seems to be the only reasonable answer not only in the Arab world, but in a number of other Muslim communities. The combination of an Islamic stance with democracy works in Malaysia and Indonesia. And it works in Turkey and looks like it will continue to work, no matter the grumblings of some discontented sectors. Perhaps we will see the creation of new parties along these lines, parties that will provide opposition to the AK Party. Indeed, this is the next logical step, and the first steps in this way can be seen. Instead of trying to destroy something that works, those who hold opposing political views are beginning to change their ways, including women with headscarves as members, adopting new policies that underpin traditional values. The hope in the justice and development movement, the thing that inspires is not the spread of the AK Party's name. It is the spread of an ideal – to combine one's faith with democratic freedoms and economic growth. Not such a bad thing really. We can only hope that such a movement, which has spread from North Africa to the Balkans, will continue to grow. The AK Party, as the trailblazer on this thorny path, is merely marking the way for other countries, and other parties, to remove the thorns and strew the path with roses.