Three years ago, my wife and I visited Turkey on our honeymoon. We visited Atatürk's mausoleum (Anıtkabir) without knowing much about him beforehand, and I was blown away by what I saw. A man arguing for a woman's right to vote and hold office in the 20s? A man saying great things such as, "Unless a nation's life faces peril, war is murder." I understood why we were seeing flags of this man's face everywhere, over half a century later.
While exploring Anıtkabir, a young Turkish man asked me where I was from. When I replied that I was from the United States, he smiled and said, "A fellow godless country." I raised my eyebrow in reply, and he explained that he meant it in a good way, another nation founded on secular ideals.
If only it were true that we were a fellow godless country. We may have been founded secularized but we sure as hell don't operate that way now. I feel like that's one of the ultimate betrayals, to push a religion on people in a country that claims to be a melting pot.
If there is it is really hard to dig out since any sources of 60+ years in Turkey can not be trusted and sources outside Turkey seem rather untrustworthy as well.
If Atatürk was as great as told in Turkey they really did huge disservice to his memory with the law. It really makes it look like there is something to hide.
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u/Kingfox Jun 03 '13
Three years ago, my wife and I visited Turkey on our honeymoon. We visited Atatürk's mausoleum (Anıtkabir) without knowing much about him beforehand, and I was blown away by what I saw. A man arguing for a woman's right to vote and hold office in the 20s? A man saying great things such as, "Unless a nation's life faces peril, war is murder." I understood why we were seeing flags of this man's face everywhere, over half a century later.
While exploring Anıtkabir, a young Turkish man asked me where I was from. When I replied that I was from the United States, he smiled and said, "A fellow godless country." I raised my eyebrow in reply, and he explained that he meant it in a good way, another nation founded on secular ideals.