Secularization Quotes
Commencement Address, Harvard University, June 8, 1978
This quotation illustrated the extreme polarization between the current fundamentalist Muslims, and the Muslim modernists and the West. Kamal Ataturk, the great leader and stateman who is the father of modern Turkey, is castigated by the author for leading the new Turkish parliament to depose the Caliph – the civil and religious autocrat, one of whom reigned from after the death of Muhammad till his abolishment in 1924. Most of the rest of the world credits Ataturk with being one of the great leaders of all time—one who led a democratic revolution which transformed Turkey into the only Muslim secular democracy, requiring pubic secular European type education for all children, giving women the right to vote (before the U. S. even), adopting a European alphabet and dress, and outlook on life—creating most remarkably a total cultural revolution with virtually no loss of life. No revolutionary leader, before or since has led so extensive a political and cultural revolution, and it was a bloodless revolution. Turkey, into the 21st century, was by far the most powerful, industrialized, scientific and modern nation of Muslims in the world and others were far behind. Yet many Islamic theologian still castigate Atatork for his great achievements as being against the will of God.
There are other religious groups that also fear modern secular invasion, so they tend to wall themselves off as do the Amish or have their own schools as many Catholics do. However, the Muslims believe that the danger calls for a jihad and the killing and intimidation of those who advocate, create, defend or spread the secularism. Notice also that Al-Qaradhawi refers to Communism as having destroyed “Muslim countries in Asia and Eurupe.” Many countries of Europe and Asia were fought over by Christians and Ottoman Turks with one side or the other gaining control, only to be displaced by the other in subsequent years. Fundamentalist Muslims therefore think of Albania, Yugoslavia, Crimea, Croatia, and Azerbaijan, for example as Islamic countries because at one point in history they were controlled by a Muslim empire. But that was years ago. When they were invaded by the Russians, Christians, Jews, Muslims, atheists all suffered and not a single country was then controlled by Islam.
In the Western World, The Roman Catholic Church was the government for many years and theology and political philosophy were thereby conflated.
Kamal Attaturk had radically reformed Turkey into a secular state with many modern European elements. To this day Turkey is the only predominantly Muslim populated state which is a modern, industrial democracy.
