An Example of Noble Character

MERCY TO THE WORLDS emerged during the European Renaissance. Secularism was a movement that prioritized this worldly, material life over the life of the Hereafter: “...a movement in society directed away from other-worldliness to this-worldliness.” (Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. 10, p. 19) The theory of secularism came to dominate modern society as a powerful social and political ideology. In theory, it meant that the collective policy of a nation should be based on non-interference in religious matters. But in practice, it turned into a strong anti-religious force. It began to appear that the wave of secularism would first push religion to the margins of life, and then eventually eliminate it completely as an obsolete belief system. But once again, the Quran’s prophecy proved decisive. It became evident that divine religion is rooted in the eternal nature of human beings. The awareness of religion in a person is just as unchangeable as the sensation of thirst. Even the largest institutions and most powerful governments founded on secular principles could not succeed in making human beings abandon divine religion in favour of secularism. A particularly instructive example of this can be found in Turkey. After gaining political power, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk officially abolished the Islamic Caliphate in 1924. He declared an aggressive secularism as the state policy of Turkey. Using state authority, he abruptly shut down all religious schools and institutions. Through new legislation, he restructured the entire Turkish system on the basis of