Friday, May 30, 2008 | Mehmet Ali Birand
One of the most frequently asked questions during recent times is “What's happened to our secular system?”
The system is ailing. It looks as if it's about to collapse and is being kept alive through intravenous feeding. Kemalism is ill. There are many, who give out the impression of having turned their backs on Kemalism as if they couldn't care less about the secular system.
That's how many people feel.
They hold the AKP responsible for this situation.
If the AKP hadn't been in government, and especially if the AKP hadn't won the 2007 elections with such a difference, the secular system would not have been jeopardized in this way. The AKP is turning us into a religious society with speed and is tearing down all the "fortresses" of the secular way of life.
Is all this really true?
Should the AKP and the other preceding Islamist parties really be made to shoulder the whole blame?
According to what Professor Şerif Mardin said during his recent conference, “No, the Islamist sector is not the only one to blame for the present situation.”
Well, who else is to blame?
Mardin says that there are many other reasons that have brought us to this point. In his opinion, the most important one among them is, “the failure of the Kemalist sector to really understand Atatürk, as well as its failure to introduce Kemalism to the whole society as it should have, in order to get the people to embrace its principles.”
Let's stop to consider.
Were we ever taught at high school, never mind primary school, about the importance of the secular system to our country and how it turned Turkey into a different and attractive country?
No.
We were only taught how anti-secularism would be punished.
We did not learn about Atatürk's qualities or his interesting personality. Better said, we never found out about his human side, only his principles. Instead of getting us to think, they had us memorize Atatürk. People who thought otherwise were always punished.
Let's not fool each other. We never made a serious effort to get this society to love Atatürk or to embrace the secular system.
It would be wrong to conclude from all these facts that the religious sector has no responsibility in the matter. They did everything they could to erode the secular system.
Well, that is how we got to where we are now...
Let's not put the whole blame on the other side. It's time we did some self-criticism.
I don't get it:
Are Muslims under pressure?
As he answered a question during the speech he made at the European Parliament, Foreign Minister Babacan pointed out that “the majority was deprived of religious freedom.” He said that Muslims as well as foreigners and minorities faced constant restrictions. Come on....that's preposterous! If what Babacan means is that people are not free to walk around wherever they please wearing religious symbols, he is right. There is some restriction.If he means that not everyone is free to found a religious sect or that no religious sect or association is free to do whatever they like in this country, he's right. There is some restriction. However, let's please consider the facts. In today's Turkey, everybody and especially the religious and the pious are free to go anywhere and to do whatever they like. Be fair. To say that “Muslims have no freedom” despite all that is nothing other than distorting the truth. That attitude does not suit Foreign Minister Babacan at all.
Tied to military apron strings for 48 years
It's impossible not to marvel at it.It's been 48 years since the revolution of May 27, 1960, and I've noticed how all TV channels and newspapers still donate valuable time and pages to that military coup. They recall it in detail and very few of them express any criticism. They still act as if the May 27 coup had been a normal event. It seems to be generally accepted that staging a coup were among the regular duties of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), despite the well known fact that the May 27 coup had been a very unfortunate and harmful development.We still bear the evident shame of the execution of the Menderes- Zorlu- Polatkan trio. That's not all, either. Monuments are erected in their honor and squares and airports are being named after them. Nevertheless, we still fail to criticize ourselves as we should. It's not because we fear the TSK, but because most of us don't feel like doing it. There are still discussions going on behind closed doors in Ankara about the possibility of a new intervention. We are still unable to get together and say, “Enough, that period has reached an end. We can solve our own problems. Let go of the military apron strings.” Somewhere in our heads, the idea of using the military still lingers. We try to shift to them our responsibility to oppose. Come on...Let the military go.Let's settle our scores with the AKP at the poles. Let's form a strong opposition instead of provoking the military into action. Let's fill the squares.Let's finally bury the May 27 and all the other coups... Let's forget...Let's learn at least a little from history. Let's do no more harm to our military and to ourselves...