Kemalism is Cesaro Papism no Secularist

Although their self proclaim

By Ricardo Gustavo Espeja

Response to Gema Martín Muñoz article Turkey a laic Islamism?

Confused perhaps by the appearances and the cries of Kemalist prattle , élite who’s hegemonic in Turkish State and didn’t analyse their essence thus her note , I have no doubts that it was done with the best intentions , have had an unwillingness consequence add more confusion than clearness in the contradiction between the bureaucratic prebendarism that detain as social group the Turkish State as their patrimonial and the new bourgeoisie with a Muslim ethic of capitalism (M. Rodinson 1973) that try challenge this hegemony , but in appearances without changes in the colonialist and exclusionist (cesaro Papism is a fundamental tool of it) that made the Turkish State a Prison of Peoples and no the space whiter their multinational richness bright, with cultural dialogue and a genuine religious pluralism.

Cesaro Papism is defined by the subordination of a religious belief to the state system. Their origin could be fixed with Constancio II religious politics (337-360 Common Era), this politics persisted in Byzantine Empire even the emperors had between another the title of king saviour (basileoz sotep) .

However this politics practice was extensively wide in the history that it was need thousand of pages for quoted examples, but it was systematised in XVIII century by Justus Henning Böhmer .

Why Kemalism took this political theory in 20^th century ?

Because the main source of Kemalism was basically the Committee Union and Progress (CUP) also known as Young Turks (Mustafa Kemal Atatürk belonged to it and was a distinguished member ) so in that organisation the Sunni Muslim have had a strong sign through Muslim Nationalism.

Hans – Lukas Kieser described this phenomenon “ The “Muslim Nationalism”* (Erik Jan Zürcer quoted by H. L. Kieser) of the Young Turks’ Committee Union and Progress (CUP) had a clear Sunni stance. Their ethnopolitics** (concept that can be defined as “the role of ethnic identity in developing political institutions, and the role ethnic identity plays in the struggle for political dominance in a state” Stoll, Heather M. Quoted by H. L. Kieser) served the restoration of central and imperial power in behalf of existing dominant Sunni group (millet-i hakime) .

After triumphant victory of Muslim Nationalism an d the eviction of most of Christian remnants in provincial Asia Minor (1919-23) (so it must be added that between 1916-21 and 1935-38 were bloodiest repression against Kurds Alevi rebellions in Dersim region. With massive killings and deportations in a grade superlative perhaps, than the supported by Armenians in 1915 . Kemalist extermination goal was so extreme that the Dersim region changed their name for Tünceli by a decree minted in 1938. Also it should mention another nationalist Kurdish rebellions such Sheikh Said - with a strong Sunni Muslim stance – and the Liberation Movement named Khoyboon - Independence in Kurd - the last was more representative if we thought in the groups that formed Kurdish Nationhood, as example the Yezidi Mir Ismail Beg Chol . Note by R.G. E.) the Kemalists, themselves Young Turks integrated Islam into the secular republic via Directorate of Religion (Diyanet Işleri Başkanliği). This phenomenon is wrongly called laicism (laiklik) .In the self – understanding of a large majority of Turkish nationalists , Sunni identity was and remained a crucial element of Turkishness.

Thus we were confronted with a paradox: modernity deepened traditional rifts . But this is in fact generally true for socio – political landscapes shaped by modern right – wing movements, with ethno – nationalist reference, like that of the Young Turks. Right wing actors use modernist weapons of social and ethnical “technology”, but essentially react against the universalism and cosmopolitanism claimed by Enlightenment’s modernity” (Hans – Lukas Kieser 2002).

Obviously between former Turkish President Sezer stiffness and the well known economist Gül actual President of Turkey, modernity is nearest of the last, but for intellectual laziness that use idioms and slogans with non sense the first is shown as “laic” (sic) and with pro western policies and the second because is leader of a party whose political philosophy has a religious inspiration (such as Christian Democracy , but in this case is Islamic) appeared as a presumptive obscurantist , although the politic party that he belong (Justice and Development – AKP in Turkish) try for all means obtain integration of Turkey in European Community and , in theory at least , displayed more impartiality with another religious belief (laicism is essentially impartiality of the State respect all kind of religious faiths that belong to the sphere of personal privacy , example Uruguay and Brazil note R.G.E) .

Is evident that in your article you tried to communicate with these kind of persons , the uncountable number of women and men with intellectually lazy , but , in my very humble opinion you missed the aim and I attempted to put in clear some concepts that drive to confusion.

Madam, in Turkey there’s not laicism , is a manner of Cesaro Papismus , a laic fundamentalism is impossible ( in Plutarco Elias Calles style in Mexico in the half ’20 and first ‘30 of XX century . Or in the years of Second Spanish Republic note R.G.E) in Middle East nor in the former Democratic Republic of Yemen that put the scientific socialism as state ideology .

Really as wrote Bekim Agai (2004) “Following eighteen months of AKP rule the Turkish political system is more European than ever before . In accordance with requirements of EU, many laws have been passed which affect core elements of Kemalistic political philosophy”***

In spite of those facts , such as in times of Sultan Abdul Hamid II mosques were builds in villages whither the population is Alevi and that is an insult for believers of this Religion , Sunni Muslim doctrine teaches in public schools and is an obligatory matter in the curricula , in Turkish passports is identified the religious belief of a person (paradoxical in “laic” state note R.G. E.) but if the bearer belong to religion Yezidi in this place were three x and it means that the person is unbeliever for any religion . Although Kurdish language in theory is allowed in personal names , in label for shops in reality their regulation annul these possibilities. Mayor of Sur area where is the city of Diyarbakir have had an obliged resign and also has trials against him , the reason was tried bring multilinguistic municipal services , in this area Kurdish tongue is predominant (is the mother tongue of more 70% of population) .

So, to those it should added the judicial harassment and censorship suffered by editors and writers , example A. Önal director of Peri Publishing House had 60 trials against him and has some more yet , because are current the articles 125 and 131 an inheritance of former Turkish Penal Code whose source of inspiration was Benito Mussolini Penal Code for fascist Italy .

Also the impunity for killers of Sivas massacre in 1993 during an Alevi festival and the most recent mass killings in the Istanbul’s district of Gazi their residents were mainly Alevis.

AKP and Kemalists were in coincidence about Kurdish question , declarations and statements on the point are traced . T. Erdogan Turkish Prime Minister , gave a negative to the President of Kurdish Region in Iraq Massoud Barzani , is curious but before raised the interview Massoud Barzani said “ solution for Kurdish question in Turkey is politics no military “, all these does not let cherish hopes, perhaps their pragmatics forces to them to evolve but it will be necessary to see.

Respect organizations such as Muslim Brotherhood search in the AKP experience an inspiration supply is the self evolution of social realities in Jordan , Egypt or another in Middle East would have the last world , but a bourgeoisie independent from the Rentistic States only in Lebanon , Turkey and partially in Egypt . It should study with more attention the role of Islamic Banking in the waking up of this bourgeoisie with an Islamic Ethic , thought that’s principally for the self dynamics of Islamic Banking because their financial instruments ‘re directly invested in productive sector.

Hans Lukas Kieser The Alevis Ambivalent Encounter with Modernity. Islam , Reform and Ethnopolitics in Turkey 19^th-20^th cc

Paper presented in Congress of Anthropology, Archaelogy and Heritage in Balkans and Anatolia or The Life and Times of HaHasLUck

(1878-1920) Nov. 3th 6^th 2001. Gregynog University of Wales

Bekim Agai Islam and Kemalism in Turkey – Qantara 2004

Maxime Rodinson Islam y Capitalismo – Siglo XXI ed. 2002

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