Turkey's Religious Upheaval

Amid the turbulent religious waters of the West, we often pass over the astonishing progress, and lapses, visible in the religious atmosphere of the Eastern hemisphere. We’re numb to news of religious extremism in countries like Pakistan and Iran, while we’ve become accustomed to the strength of atheism in Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands. Spanning both Europe and Asia, Turkey has become a fusion of both these worlds, demonstrating a peculiar mix of secular headway and alarming religious upheaval.

During the 7^th and 8^th centuries, Arab armies established the Islamic Empire, and through their conquests created a strong Islamic foundation in Turkey, which has remained, unattested, to this day. As the most religious country in Europe, Turkey boasts approximately a 98% Islamic following. It is astounding, then, to consider how secularism was quite literally (and successfully) thrown upon Turkey overnight. This was largely, if not exclusively, due to the incredible leadership of Mustafa Kemal – now affectionately called Atatürk, meaning “Father of the Turks”. After leading the Turkish War of Independence, Atatürk became President of Turkey in 1923. At the declaration, crowds shouted “We are returning to the days of the first caliphs!” – precisely the opposite of what was to come.

Atatürk believed Islam was a barrier to the country's progress, and immediately began fighting to minimize the religion’s role in Turkey. On March 3^rd, 1924, Atatürk abolished the caliphate, claiming that there was no religious or political justification for the caliph’s power, which included a personal military and treasury. The equivalent of suddenly abolishing the role of the Pope and the Vatican, this had widespread effects in the Muslim world. Other Islamic nations convened in Cairo on May 1926, and declared that the caliphate was a necessity in Islam, yet no new caliph was ever appointed, or has been since.

Atatürk next abolished the Sharia legal system, replacing it with a system mirroring those of Switzerland and Italy. Then, he changed the weekly day of rest from Friday (the Islamic holy day) to Sunday, to match the West. It should also be mentioned that he changed the written language of Turkey from Arabic to Latin, despite the implications this held for the Koran, which is only considered the Koran when in Arabic. To finish off this list of achievements, I’ll mention that in 1934, Atatürk gave women the right to vote, long before much of the civilized world.

Remarkably, people accepted his radical secular position because he was still viewed as a hero from his leadership in the War of Independence. However, the government’s power could only solidify such hasty social changes in urban areas. Atatürk believed that rapid secularization in the cities would spread outward to rural Turkey. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and by the time Atatürk’s Republican People’s Party lost power, the secularization of Turkey was not universal, and still held much opposition.

The way in which the Republican People’s Party lost power was as intriguing as any of Atatürk’s religious policies. In 1945, (seven years after Atatürk’s death), Atatürk’s successor İsmet İnönü formally invited the formation of opposing political parties – ending the Turkish one party system. There had been no demonstrations in the streets and no political unrest; İnönü thrust democracy upon a complacent nation. I recently traveled to Turkey, and I had the opportunity to meet Professor Sabri Sayarı, who teaches political science at Sabancı University – one of the top three universities in Turkey. He had interviewed İnönü shortly before his death. At the time, some of his colleagues thought İnönü had given Turkey democracy because of implicit pressure from the growing middle class, while others thought that there was rising pressure from other nations for Turkey to abolish its single party system in order to join the UN. However, İnönü told him that “From the very beginning, we [İnönü and Atatürk] believed Turkey should be a free country…” but that they had needed to establish power before founding democracy.

Despite the secular progress Atatürk brought to Turkey, many still ignorantly consider him a Muslim. However, he was openly – even fiercely - an atheist. The following quotes best exemplify his personal thoughts on religion.

“I have no religion, and at times I wish all religions at the bottom of the sea. He is a weak ruler who needs religion to uphold his government; it is as if he would catch his people in a trap. My people are going to learn the teachings of science.... Let them worship as they will; every man can follow his own conscience, provided it does not interfere with sane reason or bid him act against the liberty of his fellow man.”

“For nearly five hundred years, these rules and theories of an Arab Shaikh and the interpretations of generations of lazy and good-for-nothing priests have decided the civil and criminal law of Turkey. They have decided the form of the Constitution, the details of the lives of each Turk, his food, his hours of rising and sleeping the shape of his clothes, the routine of the midwife who produced his children, what he learned in his schools, his customs, his thoughts-even his most intimate habits. This theology of an immoral Arab [presented as Islam] is a dead thing. Possibly it might have suited tribes in the desert. It is no good for modern, progressive state. God's revelation! There is no God! These are only the chains by which the priests and bad rulers bound the people down. A ruler who needs religion is a weaklings. No weaklings should rule!”

Yet “weaklings” gained power in 2002, and have controlled the government ever since. The AKP, a socially conservative, religious political party, has been unraveling Atatürk’s progress for the past ten years. The fact that this government firmly claims to be secular is laughable. Children are forced to learn prayers and Sunni practices in public schools, and while "religious institutions" are banned, the government controls an explicitly Sunni private school. There are plenty more examples of how religion and government are intertwined, but  the most overt are the calls to prayer broadcast by loudspeaker five times a day across Turkey. In the cities where I stayed during my visit, the calls were just background noise, ignored by all.


It's hard to imagine how rapidly Turkey has turned away from Atatürk’s reforms, but it comes down to simple demographics and population density. Turkey has seen extensive migration from rural to urban areas, and these migrants bring conservatism with them. Even today, Istanbul’s population increases by 2,000 per month, as people continue to move from Anatolia into the city. The AKP currently holds nearly 50% of votes, mainly due to Turkey’s economic success in the decade accompanying their governmental control. According to Professor Sayarı, the less educated population gives the greatest support to the AKP, while college educated Turks oppose the party. Still, Sayarı suspects that many educated Turks still vote for the AKP simply because of the economic success of the past years. Although this success is quite evident, the social changes the party endorses represent a dangerous backlash against Atatürk’s reforms. The AKP objects to “immoral” television shows, supports women wearing headscarves, and is pushing for more religion in education (even though children are already required to learn prayers and Sunni practices in public schools).

My friend Orhan Taşkiran, who lives in Istanbul, calls the AKP, “The perfect government”. This is, at least in part, due to his 19 year old sister, who wears a headscarf. She told me that in the city she’s looked down upon, especially considering the university she attends has a Western mindset. Strangely, women who work in the public sector in Turkey are banned from wearing headscarves - due to a law meant to curtail discrimination. (I still can't understand how this was upheld by the European Court of Human Rights). It’s hard to grasp how Atatürk created such a secular atmosphere in one of the most religious countries in the world – to the extent that openly devout Muslims face discrimination. After speaking with her, it was easy to see why she supports the AKP. Although the previous secular government never hindered the rights of those who wore headscarves, the westernized urban culture has, quite disappointingly, tended toward discrimination rather than openness towards this minority.

May 19^th was the Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day – a national holiday in Turkey marking the beginning of the War of Independence. I was in İzmir at the time, and had the incredible experience of joining a youth protest against AKP controlled government and the merging of religion and politics. While carrying a block-long Turkish banner through the streets of Selçuk, and chanting what roughly translates to “Atatürk is the soldier of the people” in lousy Turkish, it was clear to me that Turkey still has hope of becoming a secular leader in the Middle East. Although this protest remained peaceful, others weren’t as fortunate.

Like this ... except with one banner and less people

Despite the heavy Islamic presence, a minority Christian influence is still visible in Turkey – largely due to Paul’s supposed influence in the area. One of the more laughable incarnations of this influence is the so called “House of the Virgin Mary.” In short, a 19^th century Catholic nun reportedly had a vision of the house where Mary died, and over half a century later a French priest interpreted a building on Mt. Koressos to fit the description. Now, it serves as a Christian pilgrimage site and holy water money machine.

Holy water mud

Representin'

Another historically questionable attraction is the Basilica of Saint John. However, I was rather impressed by the humble nature of the location. It cost 8 TL (about $4) to enter the ruins, but there was no gift shop, vendors, or general pomp that I had come to expect. Even the supposed grave of John was simple and unadorned (perhaps because it’s known that there’s no body within). This is how religious sites should be – quiet, unassuming, and out of your pocket. Thankfully the location’s tradition of selling dust to pilgrims seems to have died out.

The most interesting Christian site in Turkey was, of course, the Hagia Sophia, the famous basilica-turned-mosque in Istanbul. When the Ottomans conquered Constantinople in 1453, the building was converted into a mosque, but much of the Christian mosaics and artifacts have been restored, despite the extensive looting and Islamic refurbishing. It’s interesting to think that when we picture the typical mosque, such as the Sultan Ahmed (pictured below), the architecture was heavily influenced by this Christian basilica. Nowadays the site is a museum, thanks to Atatürk, no less.

Women are required to cover their heads and  ankles inside the mosques

Turkey is a country where women are judged for their headwear, where calls to prayer are blasted five times a day on loudspeaker, where the government forces Islam to be taught in schools, and where only two percent of the population speaks English but everyone knows the word “secular”. This eastern nation will undoubtedly lead its neighbors in the coming years, and let us not pray, but write, speak, and act – so that Atatürk’s secular vision can be realized.