Turkey may take Ataturk out of parliamentary oath

[Hammer-fist]

During the decline of the Ottoman Empire, A Kurdish scholar actively worked to save the ailing state. This activist was Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, who is largely lost in history and relatively unknown outside of Turkey. But what he advocated during the late 19th and early 20th century may be surprising to those in the West who are not familiar with his life. A devout Muslim, Said Nursi pursued a course that advocated for a republic based upon Constitutional democracy as well as an educational system that embraced science and technology. Oppressed and often jailed by the Ataturk government, it was through his force of will that the religious community, which was under attack during his life, was held together, helping to lay the foundations for the current Turkish state.

As the Ottoman Empire was collapsing during the 19th century, Said Nursi pointed the finger inward and blamed the educational system, run by religious scholars, for failing to recognize the importance of science as well as eschewing modern technology. To Nursi, this was leading to a disastrous lag behind the European states. Chastised by the religious establishment, Nursi’s concerns would prove correct as the European states would eventually defeat the Ottoman Empire during World War One.

During the period leading up to the war, Nursi not only challenged the traditional establishment about the educational system, but he also strongly advocated for an Ottoman Republic based upon constitutional democracy, but not with the intention of eliminating the position of the caliphate in Istanbul. Instead, his hopes lay in giving the subjects of the Empire freedom and a guaranteed voice in the system

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi and Manevi Jihad | The Jasmine PlanetThe Jasmine Planet

Thomas Sorlie.

 

[Hammer-fist]

The picture on the left is taken from a film showing Nursi and Ataturk arguing in a room.