Fast-paced neoliberal restructuring of the economy as well as a growing political authoritarianism during the last decade of AKP rule have been considerably transforming the state-civil society relationship and producing complex configurations of power, agency, and co-optation among Turkey’s non-state actors. Islamic voluntary associations, which constitute one of the fastest growing segments of civil society in this period, are assigned key roles in mediating, translating, and legitimizing the AKP government’s social and economic policies. Islamic civil society organizations partner with the state in offering protection of social rights and the delivery of services, promoting a patriarchal gender contract which considers family as the desired unit of women’s economic and social existence, and brokering business relationships to create alternative export markets. In return, the organizations enjoy privilege and favoritism in accessing political leadership channels, public funds, and tax exemptions. This complex chain of interdependencies results in a clientelistic relationship between the state, civil society, and the public. This paper analyzes the symbiotic relationship between the state and Islamic civil society organizations in Turkey. Civil society activism is typically considered a precursor for democratic change and diminished state power in the literature. Drawing from a year-long qualitative fieldwork on Islamic non-state actors in Turkey, I argue that non-governmental actors whose mere presence hinges on the availability of state funds and political opportunities do not necessarily facilitate democratic consolidation, but may reproduce non-democratic norms, values, and practices instead.