TURKEY AND THE SECULAR CARD, MYTH OR REALITY?
By Lee Jay Walker
The Seoul Times
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Oct 29 2008
South Korea
Turkey is often praised for being secular and a future role model
for other mainly Islamic societies because of its rich history
of secularism. America and the United Kingdom, and other nations,
often claim that Turkey is a beacon of hope and that it is evidence
that democracy and secularism can exist within a mainly Muslim nation
state. However, during this so-called "golden age" of secularism it
is clear that religious and ethnic minorities have suffered greatly
in modern day Turkey. So how true is it that Turkey is secular?
If we look at the founding father of modern day Turkey, Ataturk, then
it is clear that he himself supported the destruction of Christianity
via the Armenian and Assyrian Christian genocide of 1915. Therefore,
it is clear that Turkish nationalism and secularism is tainted by its
anti-Christian nature and also its anti-Kurdish nature. After all, the
nation state of Turkey was about Turkish nationalism and secularism did
not protect the religious or ethnic minorities of this diverse nation.
In spite of this, the myth of modernity and secularism based on the
founding father prevails and Western nations are very optimistic about
Turkey. Yes, Ataturk faced many difficulties and from a Turkish point
of view he was very astute because he preserved a Turkish state when
it was threatened by others. Yet in order to do this he crushed others
and therefore the "bedrock" from the start was frail because it was
based on Turkish nationalism.
Ataturk did implement many reforms in order to modernize Turkey and
he did lay the foundation stone for a secular based state. In this
sense he crushed Islamist hopes of a Sharia Islamic state and he
gave more rights to females which did not exist in the old Ottoman
Empire. But his legacy of modernity and secularism is tainted by the
overt nationalism of old Turkey and this nationalism is still strong
in modern day Turkey.
So if secularism means having the right to crush Christian minorities,
moderate Muslim minorities like the Alevi, and ethnic minorities
like the Assyrians, Syriacs, Armenians, and, most notably, the
Kurds in modern day Turkey; then it is not the secularism which I
support. So surely modernization and secularism is tainted by this
overtly nationalist state and of course the Sunni orthodox mindset
means that religious inequality is the norm?
In the 1990s the Alevi Muslims witnessed an upsurge in attacks
against them. For example, David Zieden, who wrote an article called
The Alevi of Anatolia, states that "Renewed inter-communal violence
is sadly on the rise. In July 1993, at an Alevi cultural festival
in Sivas, a Sunni fundamentalist mob set fire to a hotel where
many Alevi participants had taken refuge, killing 35 of them. State
security services did not interfere and prosecution against leaders
of the riot was not energetically pursued. (41) In 1994, Istanbul
municipal leaders from the Refah Islamic political party tried to
raze an Alevi tekke (monastery) and close the Ezgi cafe where young
Alevis frequently gathered."
Meanwhile, if we focus on recent times then it is clear that
persecution is still continuing. After all, in 2007 three Christians
had their throats slit. Two of the victims had converted from Islam
to Christianity, therefore, Necati Aydia, 36, and Ugur Yuksel, 32,
were killed by Islamic fanatics on the grounds of merely leaving
Islam. While the other murdered Christian, Tilmann Geske, 46, was a
German citizen. One of the killers stated in the Hurriyet newspaper,
that "We didn’t do this for ourselves. We did it for our religion. May
this be a lesson to the enemies of religion."
Before concluding it is important to state that you have many positive
elements within Turkish society who desire change and who support a
genuine democratic Turkey, which is inclusive. Also, if we view this
nation from its past history and from a Turkish point of view, then
clearly this nation faced many obstacles. For Ataturk, the infancy of
Turkey was about survival and many Turks also suffered greatly. Given
this, it is apparent that you have many positive elements within
modern day Turkey and this nation does desire to join the European
Union. Also, for America, Turkey is a vital strategic ally and a
valued member of NATO.
Despite this, if we look at the rights of Alevi Muslims and Christians
in modern day Turkey, and the persecution of Kurds; it is clear
that orthodox Sunni Islam and nationalism is still being used by
conservative elites. These elites still desire to crush both religious
minorities and ethnic minorities. So are minorities equal in modern
day Turkey? I think their treatment is the answer to this question and
in recent times we have heard about several Christian murders. Also,
for the more numerous Alevi Muslims and Kurds, then it is also clear
that they face huge discrimination. Therefore, I believe that secular
Turkey is a myth because in reality this nation state is focused on
nationalism and clamping down on all minority faiths.
Lee Jay Walker serves as Tokyo Corrsepondent of The Seoul Times. He
specializes in int’l relations and geopolitics. He is also involved
in analyst work and research on business. After finishing BA degree
in East European Studies at the University of London, He earned MA
degree in Asia Pacific Studies in Nottingham Trent University. He
also studied business at London Institute.