Not Erdoğan (2)

Mustafa_Kemal_Atatürk_With Islamist Turkish president Erdoğan continuing to take advantage of the failed coup that  he has described as a “gift from God”, here’s another quote from an infinitely greater Turk, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk:

Religion is an important institution. A nation without religion cannot survive. Yet it is also very important to note that religion is a link between Allah and the individual believer. The brokerage of the pious cannot be permitted. Those who use religion for their own benefit are detestable. We are against such a situation and will not allow it. Those who use religion in such a manner have fooled our people; it is against just such people that we have fought and will continue to fight…

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2 Responses to Not Erdoğan (2)

  1. Michael R says:

    The fingers are pointing at the Gulen movement as being behind the coup. So it’s now two Islamist factions fighting, rather than the traditional secular coup. Go figure:

    http://rodrik.typepad.com/dani_rodriks_weblog/2016/07/is-fethullah-g%C3%BClen-behind-turkeys-coup.html

    I presumed the coup was faked by Erdogan as a pretense to crack down. But maybe not. The secularists seemed to have been purged from the military in fake trials several years ago.

  2. Andrew Stuttaford says:

    Something to that, perhaps. But Erdogan is clearly clamping down on secularists too.

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