Today’s Zaman, Turkey
July 11 2008

How patriotic are you?

Many Turks uphold links with the West and look for modernization at
every opportunity. First-time visitors to Turkey are always impressed
with many things they see.

They also will immediately notice Atatürk’s statue in every
public place, and may think that this is similar to former communist
countries. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk: the founder of the republic
and democracy in Turkey.
Visitors notice many different ways that you can show your support of
Atatürk — the first being by wearing a lapel pin of him; many
secularist Turks do! Another way support is shown for Atatürk
is by hanging his picture up. You’ll see his picture hanging in the
majority of workplaces, offices, schools and government buildings. On
holidays his portrait is draped from multistory office buildings and
on banners everywhere. Also many important places such as dams,
airports, roadways and others are named after him.

While in the US over the Independence Day holiday on July 4, I saw a
few flags hanging from skyscrapers, but nothing like the impressive
show of flags that I see in Turkey.

I didn’t see any pictures of any of our American founding fathers of
the great nation¦ Hmm¦ Maybe I was not in the right place at the
right time.

Many people of other nationalities often comment on how "American"
Americans are. I used to think this meant they thought we are very
patriotic, but being back in the US on July 4, the most patriotic
holiday of the nation, it did not seem folks were that patriotic!
Everyone was having a fun day and eating barbecue ribs, but it
certainly doesn’t compare to Turkish patriotism.

If you visit some of the immigrant neighborhoods in the United States
where Turks live, you would think you were in Turkey. The first influx
of Turks to America was to Ellis Island — it was seen as a beacon of
hope to those thousands of Muslim Turks of the Ottoman Empire who came
to the United States between 1900-21, according to historian John
Grabowski.

"Religion was the dominant identity for millions of immigrants who
came from countries in which national identity was nascent and
subordinate to ethnic and religious identity," Grabowski says. "This
official transformation had its most significant impact on immigrants
from the Ottoman Empire."

Turks and others from the old Ottoman Empire were considered subjects
of their sultan and, beyond that, were identified as Orthodox,
Maronite, Armenian, Catholic, Muslim or people of other faiths or
ethnicities. Upon entering the US, they were registered not by their
religious identities but usually as immigrants from Turkey in Asia or
Turkey in Europe.

The first Turkish Muslim immigrants to America were predominantly
male, from the poor rural class and primarily from Anatolia or the
Balkan region of present-day Bulgaria and Albania. Their intentions
were to eventually return to their home country after working for a
period of time in the United States. The immigrants primarily worked
and earned money in such places as the leather factories of
Massachusetts, the railroad companies around Chicago, the steel mills
of Gary, the auto plants of Detroit or dye factories in Cleveland.

Traveling and living in Europe for a period of time, I noticed that
Turks from Turkey in the late 1970s congregated together and formed a
mini-Turkey. We used to joke about Berlin being the fourth largest
city of Turkey! Similar to Turks in Germany and Holland, the Turks in
America clustered together in enclaves nearby work and sometimes
formed alliances or groups to provide assistance or support to one
another.

Two more waves of Turkish immigrants would arrive in America: students
and army officers in the 1950s after Turkey became a member of NATO,
and larger numbers after 1965 when America’s old restrictive
immigration laws changed.

"The stories of the early immigrants raise questions about religious
differences and the creation of the modern secular Turkish identity,"
Grabowski said. "Did their time in the US and the way this country
identified them in secular terms move them away from a primarily
religious identity?"

I wonder, when did Turks become so nationalistic and patriotic?

Could it be that there was already a sense of national identity and
after they immigrated the American (or whatever experience abroad
wherever) helped cement that identity?

Haven’t you ever noticed that some Westerners tend to become more
patriotic and nationalistic when away from their homeland?

Let’s explore this further next time¦drop me a note and tell me
what you think!

Please keep your questions and observations coming: I want to ensure
this column is a help to you, Today’s Zaman `s readers. Note:
Charlotte McPherson is the author of `Culture Smart: Turkey, 2005.’
Email: c.mcpherson@todayszaman.com