Countries sometimes outgrow their founders. In my native country of India, for example, the "father of the country," Mahatma Gandhi, believed that each village should be economically self-sufficient, spinning its own cloth by hand and growing its own food. The other leading figure, India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, was a socialist who admired the Soviet Union's five-year plans. These two men defined the main choices facing India for a generation.
But eventually the Indians figured out that neither rural self-sufficiency nor Soviet-style state planning was the way to go. Watching the success of China, Indians opted for something else, in this case free market capitalism. Today free market capitalism offers the best hope for India to realize Gandhi's dream of wiping a tear off every Indian face.
Turkey has been in the clutches of Kemal Ataturk's militant secularism for two generations now. Ataturk abolished the Muslim religious courts in favor of the Swiss legal code, ended religious education in schools, legalized gambling and alcohol, replaced existing commercial laws with the German commercial law, outlawed Islamic dress in public buildings, abolished the Islamic calendar, changed the alphabet, and converted the great mosque of the Hagia Sophia into museum. Basically Ataturk tried to convert his country virtually overnight from a Muslim country into a secular European country.
Many in the West have long held Ataturk's Turkey to be a model for the Muslim world. But today no Muslim country is going the way of Turkey, and even Turkey has stopped going the way of Turkey.
Turks today are finding militant secularism to be a problem. Volkan Aytar of the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation tells the New York Times, "This narrow shirt of secularism has become a little too tight and choking for Turkish society." Why should women be barred from wearing veils in government buildings? Why should only secular values be permitted in the public square? Why can't Turkey be modern and Muslim at the same time? Not only is Turkish secularism inconsistent with the religious values held by most people--Muslim as well as Christian--but secularism is also a threat to democracy. Every time religious parties stand to gain politically, the Turkish army warns that it is ready to subvert the democratic process through a military takeover.
On Sunday, Turks will have an opportunity to say farewell to Ataturk, to rebuke the generals, and to give extreme secularism a swift kick in the rear end. I predict it will happen, and that the traditional Muslim AK party headed by Recep Tayyip Erdogan will win a big victory. Shouldn't Muslim countries be able to live according to Muslim values? Isn't democracy preferable to rule by the generals? In finally laying Ataturk to rest, Turkey could yet provide a model for the rest of the Muslim world.
Reader Comments ( Page 4 of 5)
46. The "great mosque" of Hagia Sophia is actually supposed to be a Christian church. It was disgracefully changed after the Turks invaded the Byzantine Empire and finally took control of Constantinople in 1453. It's probably better off as a museum if it's not going to be a church as it was for at least 8-9 centuries before the Turks.
Terri at 7:20PM on Jul 23rd 2007
47. Poltical commentators like Mr. D'Souza would be outlawed in a Turkey which abandons western values and becomes an Islamic theocracy. That is to say he would be outlawed if he were lucky, if he were unlucky, his hands would be cut off so that he could never again type offending thoughts on his word processor. Any further dissent from the Imams' dictates would result in the loss of his head.
Jim at 12:03AM on Jul 22nd 2007
48. Once again Sousa, having trolled the mines of stupidity and sank about as low as he could go, suddenly finds a new vein to dig deeper into his own self-involved, self-important stupidity. His blog really doesn't merit a response. It is just too moronic to even bother.
britnmia at 12:07AM on Jul 22nd 2007
49. Turkey wants to join the European Union. The European Union is made up of European countries, which are very comfortable with their European culture. If Turkey doesn't at least pretend to be European in a convincing manner, they will not be allowed to join the E.U. [duh]. Turkey has a choice: to keep their secular government patterned after Europe, and thereby improve their chances of joining the E.U., or ditch their secular government and adopt the more misogynistic traditional Islamic ways. The choice is theirs. They are (or should be) fully aware of the terrorist bombings in Spain and London, as well as the riots in France and the outbursts against free speech after the Danish cartoon. It will be interesting to see how this all ends up; perhaps then will we know what they really want. I am certain Europe won't let them have their cake and eat it too.
Nona at 12:49AM on Jul 22nd 2007
50. Adam,
Thanks for commenting. When I reread what I posted, I realize that it did read the way you interpreted it. Oops. I did not mean it that way. I realize that it was the Islamist groups who stirred the pot against the Christians. But this persecution of Christians has been going on for easily a century.
Turkey claims it has religous freedom, but it does not.
And yes, there was a time when Christian Jews and Muslims got along, or so we are told. I have to wonder though. Were they all treated as equal, or did one group " tolerate" the others?
It is pretty difficult if your religion tells you you are right and everyone is wrong. Look the Pope just came out with that statement recently, and he was speaking among Christian groups!!!
People sure do like to feel superior.
cdnbirch at 2:22AM on Jul 22nd 2007
51. To Rob Zinneman, Comment One: I have an idea! Think of Indonesia, a new and thriving democracy and the largest Islamic country in the world by population. It even extends full political rights to its Hindu population on Bali, something our puppet states of Egypt and Saudi Arabia extend to none of their citizens and something Israel(can-never-do-no- wrong Israel)deprives its Arab citizens of in part and its occupied peoples in toto. Many independent human rights groups have praised Indonesia's democracy, as has, very recently, the highly authoritative Economist magazine.
Greg in Eugene, OR
GREG BADER at 5:29AM on Jul 22nd 2007
52. I have always thought Dinesh to be thoughtful and circumspect, but this blog makes no sense. Both the Koran and Sharia (Islamic law) entirely antithetical to democratic principles. According to the 4th Sura of the Koran, when a woman disagrees or is disobedient to a man, she is to be beaten in her bed! Reconcile that.
ED at 7:25AM on Jul 22nd 2007
53. The blogger who referred to Israel as a religious state, implying that there was no freedom of expression for other than Jews, should know his facts better. Not only are there non-Jewish Moslem Arabs in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, but people of all persuasions may walk freely in the streets, dressed in whatever garb they desire. Religious schools function for Moslems, Christians and Jews alike, and all young people are equally admitted to the public school system. Newspapers express whatever sentiment they wish. There are no attacks on the streets by one group against another. And all this in the light of continued non-stop attacks from the other side of the borders; virulent hatred directed against the Jews and their Jewish country. Israel is tiny, really tiny. You can drive from the sea to the truce line in the center of the country, when there is no traffic at all, in about 10 minutes. That would cut the country in half, at the point with the highest concentration of people. Yet, democracy reigns. So, get your facts straight. Israel is incredible, to accomplish so much with so much hostility constantly swirling around it.
Lawrence Kuznick at 7:20AM on Jul 22nd 2007
54. Mr. D'Souza:
Your comments are very interesting for someone who I would presume resides in Palo Alto, at Stanford in the USA where you are free to do as you please. Secularism can be too radical but we have often seen the crescendo of militant Muslim tendencies as the harshness of the religious based values envelopes governmental systems.... then the radical groups come into a country whether Al Queida, Hamas, etc..... the latter does some good for the people but then the harshness gets to a fever pitch.
I just find it a little interesting you talk about Muslim values and Turkey turning their back on secularism..... why not practice what you preach and return to Turkey under the new system and see how you acclamate under it???
E Schuyler at 7:35AM on Jul 22nd 2007
55. I think there is a big misunderstanding among Americans...After this elections and with the leadership of Erdogan Turkey is not gonna be an Islamic Theocracy...Nobody want this in Turkey...Contrarily, Turkey has got the Candidacy to EU with the leadership of Erdogan...So our route is European Union, i.e., spreading the application of Copenhagen Polictical Criteria to all parts of Turkey...Therefore, be careful when commenting on this sensitive issues...
Turkey is a republic and I hope it stands forever...
Atilla at 8:16AM on Jul 22nd 2007
56. Dinesh, Thank You for Writing Fine Article On Turkey Ready to Bury Ataturk for Ever, God willing Ataturk likes Be Bureied for Ever and Ever, People like Ataturks are a Shame in the Name of Secularism and Democracy where there is Freedom for Nudity, Pronography, Child Rape, Daylight Murders, Heist, Selfish Corruption for Survival with Ever Ending Excuses of Greed. Expression of Views Should Be Open and Respected like Exposing Onself to Broad Dailylight Nudity in The Modern Moral less World.
Mr. Farooq Khan at 8:30PM on Jul 22nd 2007
57. Dear Mr. D'Souza
Whether Turkey turns into a supposed European state(basis on why they are tryng to join the EU) or return to their Muslim origin. I feel they still need to apologize for their harsh actions PUBLICLY pertaining to the ARMENIAN GENOCIDE!! Recognize it!
Vero at 11:46AM on Jul 22nd 2007
58. TURKEY WILL STAY SECULAR TO GAIN ENTRANCE IN THAT FORBIDDEN FRUIT" EUROPEAN UNION" AND THE GREAT MOSQUE HAGIA SOPHIA WAS A BYZANTINE CHRISTIAN CHURCH FIRST AND FOREMOST AND ATATURK UNDERSTOOD THAT BY MAKING INTO A MUSUEM HE WOULD BE APPEASING THE CHRISTIAN POPULATION AND TAKING PRESSURE OFF OF THE CLAIMS OF HUMAN RIGHTS OFFENSES THAT TURKEY HAS A HISTORY OF COMMITTING.
JANET at 2:04PM on Jul 22nd 2007
59. Turkey do not have to apologize for a so-called Genocide...Because it was not a genocide...This issue is the only little political arguement of Armenian Diaspora...
The fact was that Armenians allied with Russians in World War I...Therefore, Ottoman Pashas forced them to immigrate to Syria...Those were the years of war, so most of the Armenians died because of hunger..Actually, on the way to Syria, they attacked to Muslim villages to vandalize the food...So Muslims reacted to Armenians and killed some of them...But this was a mutual fight...If you look only from one side, you cannot see the reality..
Yes, we accept that most of the Armenians were died like the other Anatolians, but this was not a Genocide...This was because of the war and accordingly hunger...
Atilla at 12:28PM on Jul 22nd 2007
60. Mr. D'Souza,
I would tend to agree with you. Perhaps a strong democracy will come out of a truly Islamic country.
Why impose western culture on other people?
The Turks can best decide what has worked under the secular state and what they believe will work within a Muslim country.
Kevin Measimer at 12:30PM on Jul 22nd 2007