PDF Dosyası - Ankara Üniversitesi Kitaplar Veritabanı

And yet, this self confıdence of the Turkish secularist elite has notprevented political leaders from voicing their concerns and worries överthe threat of fundamentalism. This might sound contradictory but is explainable,first, in terms of the political battle between parties and politiciansand, secondly, in terms of the common fear that even though fundamentalistswere perhaps not going to win the war, they might stili winsome battles along the way. There have been two main sins which Islamistgroups have been accused of by the secularists: For one, the Islamistsvvished to return Turkey to a medieval order, with its outdated notionsand rules. In Kenan Evren's speeches, for example, we can fındstrong attacks on reactionaries on this account. In his view the old beliefsand practices of the Islamists did not befıt modern nations and just asthey vvere the reason for the decline of the Ottoman Empire in the pastand threateen Turkey's progress in the present 1 . The other sin attributedby the secularist leaders to the Islamists, has been their exploitation of religionfor political purposes. Secularists have argued that the goal of thesegroups vvas not at ali religion but to gain political povver for themselvesand in this sense these movements vvere political not religious. In the processthey have not only mixed religion vvith politics -a grave matter in itself-but helped enhance division and strife vvithin Turkish society. Theyhave also committed a serious offense against religion itself vvhich by naturepreached love and brotherhood.With ali their attacks on fundamentalism and reaction, secularistleaders have alvvays stressed that their criticism had nothing to do vvithislam itself. Secularism did not mean being anti religious or atheist andthe fact vvas that in Turkey, vvhile the state vvas secular, the people vverenot vvithout religion-they vvere by and large Muslims. Moreover, for thepeople of Turkey, islam vvas not just a mark of identity but, as many leadersvvould say, a living and practiced religion. As Süleyman Demirel oncedescribed them the Turks vvere, in fact, the "best Muslims" 2 . Turkishleaders vvould often describe themselves, too, as actual believers. In thevvords of Erdal inönü, for example, "Our religious sentiments are ourmost lofty and sensitive ones" 3 and as Evren recalled, even Atatürk vvasnot a man vvithout religion (dinsiz). His sole purpose vvas to separate religionfrom politics and save religion from fanaticism (yobazlık) 4 .The concept of islam that emerges in the pronouncements of Turkishleaders is then of a religion vvhich is totaly devoid of extremism and fa-1. Speech in Kastamonu, 13 August 1983, Cumhurbaşkanı Kenan Evren'in Söylev veDemeçleri, 1982-1983, (Ankara, 1983), p. 382.2. Turkish TV, 22 April 1992, quoted in BBC, Summary of World Broadcasts (SWB),Central Europe and the Balkans, 24 April 1992.3. Anatolia in Turkish, 3 July 1993, quoted in FBIS, Daily Report-West Europe (DR-WE), 6 July 1993.4. Speech in Kahramanmaraş, 17 January 1981, Cumhurbaşkanı Kenan Evren'in Söylevve Demeçleri, 1980-1981, (Ankara 1981), p. 164.198