What is Atatürk's understanding of secularism? Secularism is a country's insurance

My friend, leave aside the academic or sociological definitions of secularism.

What is secularism? Let us explain it in its simplest definition; in short, secularism is keeping religion away from evils. 

When I say religion, I do not mean only Islam. Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and so on. All of them.

A principal played "Pilgrims at the Kaaba" music as a school bell. That is not acceptable.

What will happen if another principal comes tomorrow and plays a Christian hymn or a Jewish religious melody?

Look, Hindus worship a cow, a cow. What will happen if they bring that into your school and sit the cow in the middle of your classroom?

Will you accept it? No.

Do not say, "Sir, what does Islam have to do with Hinduism?"

My friend, that is also a religion. The other one is also a religion. And that one is also a religion. 

I would not accept it if a Jewish rabbi came to my child's school and distributed kippahs. But it is also unacceptable if an imam comes and distributes prayer beads or prayer caps. Remnants of sects or cults cannot distribute arms or hair either. Do not say, "Would that happen?" It is happening. They make people kiss a prosthetic arm, claiming it is the arm of some "Master." They make people circle around something, claiming it is the hair of some "saint." Since the country is ignorant. 

It just happens.

Secularism protects religions from cults, sects, religious merchants, and religious exploiters.

You seem as if you are asking why we should protect them from sects and cults. But the answer is very simple. For example, like the FETÖ members, or like the Adnanists who trade in religion by featuring women on television, religions need to be protected from all kinds of sects. Or Islam. Or they must be protected from cult leaders who place themselves in the position of a prophet. There were no sects or cults during the time of the Prophet anyway.

They emerged later.

Atatürk made a very beautiful statement on this subject. Clear and precise.

"Since secularism is never irreligion, it has paved the way for the development of true piety by fighting against false piety and sorcery. Those who want to confuse secularism with irreligion are none other than the enemies of progress and vitality, and the fanatics of Eastern nations whose eyes have not been cleared of the veil."

Who does he mean by the fanatics of Eastern nations? Of course, the sects and cults.

And he continues; "Those who liken secularism to irreligion are those who do not want the progress of societies, and they are none other than the sects and cults whose eyes are veiled," he says.

He said these things nearly a century ago, in 1930.

Atatürk also says, "A pure emotion like religion cannot be used as a tool for dirty games like politics. Religion should be lived where it belongs, on the stage of a clean conscience." This is exactly what is meant by secularism.

You might say, "What is wrong with religious scholars being with the government, being with politicians, or being close to the government? Sitting side by side with the president in the protocol?" Let us say it is fine, for example, let us put the President of Religious Affairs on a pedestal, or let us allow any sect or cult to enter areas where they can make decisions or issue fatwas on state affairs. 

Fine, but my friend, it is not just soldiers who carry out coups.

Tomorrow, the President of Religious Affairs or a sect or cult leader close to the government will try to impose their will on the government. And when they cannot, they will try to stage a coup. How quickly you forgot the July 15th uprising. Were they not the ones who held "International Turkish Olympiads" with students they collected from schools? Were they not the ones who forced students to read the Zaman newspaper in schools? Were they not the ones who forced students to go to prayer in schools?

How quickly you forgot?

Let us move past 'July 15th'.

Were they not the imams, sects, and cults who dropped the Sheikh-ul-Islam's fatwa and the Sultan's decree, which read "surrender," onto the Turkish fronts via Greek planes during the War of Independence? Were they not the ones who slandered the Turkish Nation, which was fighting for the liberation of this country, by calling them "Hurucu Aleysselam," meaning they had "left the religion," my friend?

I ask you. Was it not the turbaned Delibaş in Konya who raided the military recruitment office and murdered soldiers and officers?

Was it not the "Black Imam" (Kara İmam) who raided the Akbaş arsenal in the hands of the French and tortured to death Köprülü Hamdi Bey, the district governor of Edremit, who was transporting ammunition and weapons to the Turkish Nation?

Was the person known as the Arab Hodja, the imam of the Orhan Mosque in Adapazarı, who preached against the Turkish soldiers who fell as martyrs on these lands with their warm blood, calling them irreligious, not a traitor?

Let us move past the War of Independence and the National Struggle.

Was it not the Blind Imam named Ali who started the March 31st uprising that led to the overthrow of Abdulhamid?

Remove the sheikhs, hodjas, imams, hafizes, and cult leaders from the state level and the school level, my friend.

Their place is not there; their place is in the mosques.

My friend, 131 Sheikh-ul-Islams served in the Ottoman Empire. About 100 of them were dismissed due to reasons such as pressuring the Sultan, getting involved in rebellions, taking bribes, and obstructing the Sultan's decisions. In other words, they were dismissed for interfering in the Sultan's business, staging coups against the Sultan, and rebelling.

Why? Because the Sheikh-ul-Islams were interfering in state affairs. Secularism is the principle that state institutions do not interfere in each other's business. In this sense, secularism is protecting the state. It is protecting society. Secularism is protecting religion. Secularism is essentially protecting Islam.

Secularism is neither wine nor raki. Secularism is neither a miniskirt nor a headscarf. Secularism has nothing to do with dressing openly or modestly. Secularism should not be confined to the idea of "separation of religion and state affairs." Secularism is not letting Islam fall into the hands of politicians, exploiters, and opportunists.

In this respect, secularism is also the insurance of Islam.

If there is no secularism, Hanafism, Shafi'ism, Alevism, and Sunnism cannot survive either. If you now stand up and impose Saudi-ism, Salafism, or Wahhabism on other sects, it will not work. It will clash. It will even clash with Sunnism. Secularism prevents this conflict. Secularism is the common cement of all religions and sects. Secularism is not imposing a certain religion or sect on others. Secularism is freedom of religion. Do you know what happens if there is no secularism?

God forbid, Turkey would begin sectarian wars like in Medieval Europe. 

Therefore, let us remember Atatürk's words once again; "...religion and sect are matters left to everyone's conscience. No one can force anyone to accept a religion or a sect. Religion and sect can never be used as a tool for politics."

Period.

When did Atatürk say this magnificent quote? 115 years before the 2015 FETÖ coup. He warned us. It is as if he foretold it.

My friend, even the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, one of the most advanced and modern laws and declarations in the world, could only say similar things in 1948.

When? 18 years after Atatürk.

Therefore, do not do it. Atatürk is the foundation of this country, and secularism is the guarantee of this country. Above all, it is the coexistence of religions and beliefs freely.

Secularism is a country's insurance...