*Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's mother was of Jewish descent. Kemal Ataturk, influenced by the anti-Islamic teachings of Jews and Christians, caused irreparable damage to Islam and abolished the Ottoman Caliphate.*
*Abolition of the Caliphate (1924)*
*Ataturk abolished the Caliphate in 1924, which eliminated the religious influence of the Ottoman Empire. After the abolition of the Caliphate, the institution of the Caliphate and its religious powers also ended. The aim of this move was to transform Turkey into a secular state.*
*2. Reforms of religious institutions*
*Ataturk took religious institutions under the supervision of the state:*
*Reforms of religious schools: Religious schools, which were part of the state system during the Ottoman era, were restricted in their activities.*
*Establishment of the Diyanet: In 1924, an institution called Diyanet was established at the state level with the aim of supervising religious matters but under the influence of the state.*
*3. The call to prayer being in Turkish*
*Ataturk allowed the call to prayer to be given in Turkish in 1932, before that the call to prayer was given in Arabic.*
*4. Restrictions on Mosque Activities*
*Religious ceremonies and gatherings in mosques were banned.*
*Religious organizations were banned from political activities.*
*Some mosques were converted into museums, such as the Hagia Sophia in 1935.*
*5. Separation of Religion from Education*
*Religious education was excluded from schools and modern scientific education was promoted.*
*Several steps were taken to separate religion from politics and religious figures no longer had any authority in the government.*
*6. Low official importance of the two Eids (Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha)*
*Ataturk did not celebrate the two Eids as state holidays, but rather declared them minor holidays. This reduced the religious importance of these Eids to the public.*
*7. Change in dress*
*Atatürk encouraged the people to adopt Western-style clothing*
*Abolition of the Fez: In 1925, Atatürk abolished the ban on the Fez, which was a religious garment of the Ottoman era, and encouraged the use of Western-style hats instead.*
*Adoption of Western-style suits and ties was made mandatory, so that people's clothing would be free from religious symbols.*
*8. Abolition of the Arabic script in Turkey*
*In 1928, the Arabic script was abandoned and the Latin script was introduced. This eliminated the religious identity of the language and made it more modern and secular.*
*9. Opposition to religious education*
*Atatürk limited the religious curriculum of madrasas and universities along with religious education*
*The separate madrasa system was abolished* .
*Recruitment of religious officials was completely controlled by the government*.
*10. Ban on religious symbols*
*Ataturk banned the public display of religious symbols in Turkey*
*Men were not free to wear Islamic clothing such as the headscarf (faiz) and beard.*
*Ataturk introduced Western-style reforms in women's clothing*
*Under this, an attempt was made to free women from the traditions of veiling and covering their faces*.
*Adoption of Western clothing was encouraged, so that women's choice of clothing would reflect their personal freedom*.
*11. Subordinating religion to nationalism*
*Ataturk tried to subordinate Islam to nationalism. The aim was to separate religion from political and social life so that the influence of religion on the path of unity and development of the Turkish nation would be minimized.*
*Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's anti-religious measures are criticized by various individuals, groups and historians and their criticism is based on different reasons. Some individuals and groups consider his measures to be a violation of religious freedom, while others consider these measures to be necessary and essential for the development of Turkey.*
*The aim was to separate religion from political and social life so that the influence of religion on the path of unity and development of the Turkish nation would be minimized.*
*Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's anti-religious measures are criticized by various individuals, groups and historians and their criticism is based on different reasons. Some individuals and groups consider his measures to be a violation of religious freedom, while others consider these measures to be necessary and essential for the development of Turkey.*
*1. Religious groups and scholars*
*Religious groups and scholars strongly criticize Ataturk's anti-religious actions. According to them:*
*The end of the Caliphate was the destruction of a historical and religious institution, which was a symbol of the spirituality and global unity of Muslims.*
*Bannings on madrasas and religious education are considered an attack on religious freedom.*
*Such as the end of Fez, the call to prayer in Turkey, and restrictions on religious gatherings were in their view a ban on the expression of religion.*
*The religious freedom of Muslims was restricted in the name of separating religion from politics.*
*Anti-Islamic measures severely damaged the beliefs of Muslims and ignored Turkey's Islamic history and heritage.*
*They consider Ataturk's secular policies a "conspiracy against religion."*
These religious groups believe that *Ataturk reduced the importance of religion in Turkey and imposed a Western-style life instead because Islam does not command this*
*Short story by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk With the blessing of Jews and Christians, the anti-Islamic measures were unleashed, which caused irreparable damage to the unity of Muslims.
