Ümit Özdağ calls for a historical reckoning with Yusuf Tekin: 'Would you have stood with Vahdettin?'

Zafer Party Chairman Ümit Özdağ reacted on his social media account to Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin's statement that "we need to reconcile the Ottoman Empire with the Republic."

In his post, Özdağ stated that the Republic of Turkey has no issues with the Ottoman legacy, saying, "The Republic of Turkey is already at peace with the Ottoman Empire. The Republic of Turkey has transformed the 16 Turkish states into a national historical consciousness with the 16 stars on the Presidential Seal. There is no fight between the Republic and the Ottoman Empire. The fight is your fight with the Republic. Your belief that the War of Independence was about getting rid of the Ottoman Empire."

Criticizing Tekin over his approach to the War of Independence, Özdağ described the Minister of National Education as "Yusuf Tekin, the anti-national minister of uneducation, who believes 104 years later that the War of Independence was fought to get rid of the great Ottoman Empire."

In his post, Özdağ also posed questions regarding which side Tekin would have taken between 1918 and 1923. The Zafer Party leader asked, "Would Yusuf Tekin have remained loyal to Sultan Vahdettin in Istanbul between 1918 and 1923, become the minister of education in the Damat Ferit government, supported Anzavur's forces, and applauded the Nemrut Mustafa Tribunal? What do you say? Which side would Yusuf Tekin have taken? Vahdettin's or Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's?"

WHAT HAPPENED?

The debate arose following Minister Tekin's remarks regarding the history curriculum. Tekin had stated that children should know the Ottoman Empire as their ancestors and embrace it, and therefore, changes should be made to the history curriculum.