A Lesson from Turkey

A Lesson from Turkey

1990 2 February 4-5 A Lesson from Turkey (372) “I find it hard to believe what I see around me. We made as many attempts as possible to root out Islam from the hearts of the Turks and replace it with western culture. But, astonishingly, the very reverse has happened. We sowed the seed of secularism, but the crop it yielded was Islam.”

Ismat Inunu (1884-1973), a Turkish military officer who supported Kamal Ataturk, was elected President of Turkey on the latter’s death on November 10, 1938, and became permanent chairman of the Republican People’s Party.

Throughout his rule, the aggressive secularism which had characterized Ataturk’s reign continued to be enforced. Secularism, which was one of the famous six principles formulated by Kamal Ataturk, did not, as either ruler saw it, mean simply non-religion. Yet, even with full government machinery being employed to eradicate Islam from Turkey, religion continued to flourish. All measures taken to root it out failed miserably, and Ismat Inuna had ultimately to lift many curbs on religious practices on the occasion of his election, as he feared that without public support he would not be elected.

When Ismat Inunu was upon his death bed, he talked briefly of his experiences. The gist of this account was later published in Arabic by the journal ai-Waie ai-Isiami in Kuwait. (Dhul Qada, 1408 Hijra, p. 27). Speaking of repressive measures in Turkey, he said, “I find it hard to believe what I see around me. We made as many attempts as possible to root out Islam from the hearts of the Turks and replace it with western culture. But, astonishingly, the very reverse has happened. We sowed the seed of secularism, but the crop it yielded was Islam.”

The roots of Islam are deeply embedded in human nature: just as nature cannot be stamped out in man, so Islam cannot be stamped out in the human psyche.

Muslims all over the world have devoted their energies to the safeguarding of Islam, but because it has its basis in human nature, this is really unnecessary effort. All those who really wish to serve Islam should expend their energy in the field of da’wah. So far as the safeguarding of Islam is concerned, that is a task which has already been accomplished.