The Kurds make up about 10% of Turkey's population & a possible/probable attempt to seceed (due a lot to an old promise by the west, of the creation of an independant Kurdistan after WWI) by Turkey's Kurdish population played a major part in Turkey's concerns during the early, active days of Iraqi Freedom. Turkey's military build up on Iraq's border & their need for assurances by the US to prevent the Kurds from gaining control of northeren oil fields had to do with Turkey's fear of one it's own minority communities having a supporting state with resources right across their border.
Meanwhile, over in Iraq, the Kurds seem to be grabbing up Assyrian's land, destroying or converting churches to mosqes The Assyrian community were also protected by Operation Northern Watch, but now seem to have been put at risk from their freedom loving brothern, the Kurds. Further south, Christians have owned liquor stores, but some are being killed & others threatened by those who are acting against them citing Islamic law.
Turkey's kind of democacy seems to have a poor record in protecting their minorities rights, so I wouldn't use them as any sort of model. Also too, their military seems to be more than a little bit too independant from government control. When the military can override the government & negotiate seperately with foreign powers, I worry.
You make some good points I wasn't aware of. My friend, being from there originally, always puts a very positive spin on Turkey.
But maybe compared to the other Moslem nations it has come a long way because Islam is not the state religion. But of course it falls short of what we expect in a democray.