Secularism and minority rights in Turkey

By Ahmet Abidin Ozbek:

In general, if religion is in good hands it can be good medicine but in bad hands it can be disastrous for millions. This is often an unfortunate reality of the practice of Islam – and often likewise of Christianity, Judaism and other organized religions. Most Muslim leaders, groups, organizations and even states commonly articulate that Islam means peace and that it is also promoting human rights, equality and democratic values. But in reality there is no peace in Islam or between the Muslim people because of the corrupt leaders and institutions of the Islamic countries. We know that the reason is not Islam itself, but rather the long-terms tyrannies and delayed reforms in these lands.

In their internal world for hundred of years these regimes terrorized their own brothers. Sometimes this is because of ethnic differences (for example, against the Kurds), sometimes for sectarian reasons (against Shias in Iraq, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia or Sunnis in Syria or Alevis during the Ottoman period and in today’s Turkey), or else political differences can play a vital role in the oppression of other Muslims and non-Muslims. Thousands of people who are secular, socialist, democrat or reformist have been killed by Muslim regimes. If Muslim countries could really help the Kurdish or Palestine people maybe they would be in a better situation.

The example of the Kurdish tragedy could explain how Muslim states were never friendly with their own people. Also, they tried to overthrow any form of dictatorial (Iran, Libya, Tunisia) or democratic (Afghanistan, Pakistan) regime by replacing these with radical Islamic systems. Every crime they committed was done in the name of religion. As Salman Rushdie has written, there was high crime committed against secular, democratic, or non-Muslim people from Morocco to Turkey, from Turkey to Indonesia and in almost all Muslim countries.

In this context, Turkey is also one of the controversial countries, which is supposed to be secular Muslim but is not. It is supposed to be democratic but it is authoritarian. Mr. Mustafa Kemal – or the man called Ataturk and father of Turkish people – established the modern Turkish State. Even though he was politically incorrect about minority rights (especially concerning Kurdish people) and opposition groups, he was the only truly secular leader of the modern Turkish state. Ataturk’s republican state was not as democratic as the Western countries, but he carefully tried to eliminate Islamic domination through radical reforms. That’s why he was a strong supporter of ‘Islam and State’ (like ‘church and state’). Of course this cannot be called democratic reform but for this purpose he eliminated the Arabic alphabet, translated the Koran into Turkish, changed dress codes to western style and passed other major reforms. Almost all the sects and political Islamic groups were banned. For the first time other religious minorities – such as Christians, Jews and Alevis – apparently felt safer due to Ataturk’s reforms . That’s why even though Ataturk and the Kemalist regime had nationalistic policies, the Alevis of Turkey supported him.

However, we also know that, because of the nationalist character of the Turkish state, it quickly turned against the peoples of Turkey (for example, after the Dersim and Seyh Saiy Kurdish revolts, the exchange of the Greek population in Turkey, the occupation of non-Muslims’ properties, etc.) Possibly Ataturk was agnostic or atheist, according to some documents, but he couldn’t act fast with his reforms because his close circle was in favor of a more Islamic Turkey. For example, Enver Pasa and Cemal Pasa were openly supporting a Turkish-Islamic state before the revolution and during the Ittihak and Terraki period. After he had completed the revolution, most of his cadets were close to Turkish-Islamic ideology – for example, Ismet Inonu, Celal Bayar, Kazim Karabekir, Circassian Ethem and some others.

I am not defending the Kemalist regime and its practices, but the state’s practices on secularism and minorities got worse after him. Since Ataturk died almost all the leaders, political organizations, parties, government even the military have continued to promote religious institutions and practices. In fact, secularism has never been truly applied in Turkish history. They continued to abuse secularism and democracy and they promoted Islamic ideology and fascist ideologies. Each of them has become a worse leader than the previous one because of their Islamization of Turkey’s society. From the second leader, Ismet Inonu, up to today’s Abdullah Gul and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has become an undeclared Islamic country. Each president, prime minister or even military leader has been worse than the one before. For example, Adnan Menderes, Erbakan, Ecevit, Demirel, Kenan Evren were only some of them. Each leader has used Islam (Sunni Islam) as a tool against secularism, democracy and free society. So, there can be no surprise as to why Turkey has become an Islamic State today.

The massacres of Greeks, Jewish people in Istanbul in the 1950s, Alevis and secular people in Maras (1978) or Sivas (1993) and Christian missionaries in Malatya (2007) were not accidents. They were the results of long-term Islamic projects, just as the Ottomans massacred Armenians in Anatolia a century ago. Even the conflict of the Turkish government with the Kurdish people is partly caused by religion.

This is an extremely emotional issue for me because I lost my relatives and friends in the Maras and Sivas massacres. 99 per cent of the killers were Muslims and right wingers who were carrying the Koran in their hands and believed in killing because they could then go to their bloody heaven. They especially enjoyed killing the Alevis during the Sivas and Maras events. If we look closely at the Alevi people, they are not very connected to Islamic society. In general, the Alevis of Turkey are secular, democratic, defenders of human rights and against Sharia law.

Most of the killers were Muslims, member of various fascist or Islamist parties and the organizers of these events were released from prison or never charged with anything – just as all the terrorist Hizbullah members were freed by today’s AKP and Erdogan government. The violent group Hizbullah was one of the state’s promoted projects for the Kurdish areas.

So Turkey’s short experience of secularism has already died. It is very clear that Turkey is not a secular country any more. The Islamization of the state has been totally completed by the AKP, Mr. Gul and Mr. Erdogan. There were some secular military leaders opposed to the government but Mr.Erdogan has ordered the arrest of almost all of them. Most of trade or financial support coming (or going) is from other Islamic States or Islamic supportive groups such as the Fettullah Gulen movement. The Gulen is one of the most especially dangerous elements for democracy and secularism. His charismatic (fascistic) personality makes a great show about democracy, dialogue or peace in the western countries. Do you believe that Mr. Gulen is a promoter of peace? Personally, I don’t. But the modern democratic and secular society knows that his multi-billion dollar empire wants to undermine secularism in Turkey and in other countries. Did you ever hear of the fugitive leader Mr. Gulen (almost a prophet) talking about human rights, racism, corruption, invasion, pogrom, theocracy, execution or any other essential problems in most Muslim countries? These issues do not interest him. In the past, Mr. Gulen was very friendly with Mr. Alparlan Turkes (leader of the right wing MHP), Mr. Erbakan (leader of the Sunni Islamic party MSP) and Mr. Ecevit (ex-CHP and leader of nationalist party DSP). Despite Mr. Gulen’s talk about dialogue among the civilizations he is doing nothing for Turkey’s democracy.

There is a slight difference between the AKP government and previous states/governments in Turkey. Mr. Gul and Mr. Erdogan are fully cooperating to destroy the last remnants of secularism and democracy. Or let’s put it this way: before the AKP government the country was wounded, but now the Islamic fanatics will kill it. They are at the top of the hill and ready to transition the system, whether this can be done peacefully or bloodily. Anyone – including military personnel, journalists and politicians – who is against them is seen as a big threat to their Islamic project. Finally, Mr. Erdogan’s proclaimed interest in democracy, reform and constitutional change is not about what the country wants but rather about enhancing his authority and dream of a new Empire. Nothing else could be more important to this man.

Finally, it is clear that there has been continual right-wing politics in Turkey, especially since the 1940s. Most of the reforms have been made by right wing, Sunni-Islamic and capitalistic groups and they have proved disastrous . Only a truly popular politics will resolve Turkey’s democratic and minority problems and advance social and economic reforms through class struggle. Personally, I believe that humanitarian, secular and socialist perspectives will help Turkey and Kurdistan progress to a democratic future.

Ahmet Abidin Ozbek was born in Ankara, Turkey and resides in Florida, USA. He is Kurdish and Alevi, has a Masters Degree in rural planning, agriculture and ecology from Turkey and Spain and was an active member of the Student Associations. He writes for www.sercavan.com and has written for the Kurdistan Observer and www.nasname.com He is also a freelance photographer and is writing a novel.