100 years ago in Turkey

Submitted by Jason Pappas (United States), Aug 30, 2010 at 21:45

Jaladhi asks "Please tell us where and which country they were moderate???"

Ataturk's secularization of Turkey moderated the practice of Islam. Don't get me wrong. Ataturk was not a moderate person; he was a dictator in the interwar years that saw the rise of Mussolini, Franco, and worse. He was brutal.

However, he abolished the Caliphate. Can you imagine Mussolini abolishing the Catholic Church and eliminating the position of Pope? Muslims accepted the end of a tradition that went back to Mohammad. In Turkey, Islam was removed from politics. Many Turks became secular while the religious became privately pious.

This was a moderation of the religious practice. One might say it was less Islam, not moderate Islam, and I'd be inclined to agree. However, if one takes a sociological view, one might say the practice was moderated to a significant degree. No?

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