Saidazimova and laisizm

29 Mar, 2008Mektuplarım ve Yankılar

After reading your article on Turkey’s deepening divide, I would like to bring to your attention the followings:

1- So far Turkey is not secular but is laic. In secularism, both The State and the Church would co-exist in the public domain, but would be separate from each other and would not interfere with each other.That means that the Church would not get into politics, and the State would not interfere in religion.

In France the Revolution of 1789 broke the backbone of the Catholic Church. There was no settlement with the Church. The Church was simply totally excluded from the public domain. The public domain belonged completely to the State. That was called “Laicism”.

2- France and Turkey are laic. Most of the western countries are secular.

3- In the secular west countries, because of the make up of the Christian religion, state and the Church can coexist. Church does not have the necessity to inter fair in public affairs and in governing. There fore democracy is possible and has been working with Christianity and secularism.

4- Muslim religion accepts Prophet Mohammed’s writings, Koran, as the words of God. There for it can not and has never have been changed. The low of the religion is sharia. Sharia is the low to govern not only the religion but the people as well. Therefore since there can not be two sets of lows to govern in a democracy, where there is secularism and Sharia, there can be no democracy. They can not coexist.

5- For this reason when the new republic was established in 1922, Ataturk adopted laicism, taken the model from France.

6- If democracy need to exist in a Muslim country, it can only exist , if the country is laic.

7- Turkish constitution defined the republic of Turkey as being laic, not secular.

The main problem in Turkey today is the desire of some to dismantle laicism under the misconstrued disguise of secularism. It is a double ended sward to destroy Turkish democracy, and unity.
Accordingly, some of the western scholars are falling for the deception, while some others are knowingly happy, that it is happening.

Regards,

to me

Dear Mr. Karabekir,

Thank you so much for your letter. I am glad there are people reading my
articles with both interest and concern for Turkey’s current situation and
future.
You seem to know quite a lot on the subject and I would be glad to have an
opportunity to talk to you some time.
I am planning to cover the current situation in Turkey in coming days and weeks
as the stiory will be developing, therefore I would like to ask you for an
interview.
Could you please send me your phone numbers and indicate time when I could call
you.
I think it is important for us to highlight the difference between laicism and
secularism, and you explained it in an excellent way.
So maybe you could do it for our radio listeners and website visitors.

Thanks a lot once again. I await for your positive response,

Best regards,

Gulnoza

Dear Gulnoza Saidazimova:

Thank you. I am sure there are many peoples who knows much more then I do on this subject. May be the difference is that I am not a politision and I do not have to twist the facts.

Until May 17 I will be in Washington. My cel. No. is 301-793-4355

After May 18 I will be in Turkey. My cel. No. is 0532-738-4200

You can call me at US time between 9 AM and 10 PM.

Where are you located? Where are you broadcasting from?

Will the context be predetermined?

Regards,
Turgut

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