Atatürk and Bangabandhu

7/31/2019 Atatrk and Bangabandhu

1/11

ATATURK AND BANGABANDHU

When one visits Turkey one cannot fail to miss the fact that Atatrk is everywhere.

You will probably arrive in Atatrk Airport in Istanbul. Your bus or taxi into the

town will pass along the Atatrk Avenue. You may attend a performance or a

concert at the Atatrk Cultural Centre. Or an international football game at the

Atatrk Stadium. In every town in every school, or every establishment of any

kind, all offices, many shops, you will see pictures and busts of Atatrk.

This is puzzling for many visitors, especially those from western countries. We are

often faced with the question: Why Turks admire Ataturk so much? Why still?

More than 70 years after his death

But Bangladeshi friends would never ask this question, because they know why.

The Bengali Nation knows what Atatrk means for us Turks, because of the fact

that there is someone that is dear to them for the same reasons that Ataturk is dear

to us. This person is the great Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who is the

founder of the Bengali nation state and thus the father of the Bengalis.

There are some leaders that come exactly at a critical juncture of the history of

nations. They lead their nation through trying times into peace and freedom. Those

who have provided leadership in the task of the creation of nations or nation-states

have fondly been called by their peoples as founding fathers and have been placed

on the high on national pride and history. Such is the reason why Mustafa Kemal

Ataturk is cherished as the creator of modern Turkey. And that is why that Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman is the founder of the Bengali nation state: Bangladesh.

This fact was once more accentuated during the visit of Turkish President

Abdullah Gl visited Bangladesh in February this year. When President Gl met

with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina two leaders recalled the contribution of Father

of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to achieving independence of


2/11

Bangladesh and of Kemal Ataturk to building today's modern Turkey. President

Gul said Turkey and Bangladeshi bear mutual bonds of affection for each other

which cannot be easily comprehended by other friendly nations. He went on

saying that: "Kazi Nazrul Islam, the Bangladesh's prominent poet, and our great

leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, can better understand the substance and qualities ofTurkish- Bangladeshi friendship which has a long history of centuries." President

Gul referred that every Bangladeshi is cognizant of the "Kemal Pasha" saga which

was written by Kazi Nazrul Islam at the military barracks in Karachi as early as in

1921 while Turkish National War of Liberation was continuing. He praised the

heroic spirits of the Turks for its independence under the leadership of Kemal

Ataturk. Poet Nazrul Islam's verse: "Kemal tune Kemal Kiya Bhai-Oh brother

Kemal, what a wonder you have achieved" demonstrates the admiration for the

Turkish leader.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in return appreciated that Turkey is a development

partner of Bangladesh since its independence in 1971 under the leadership of

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Indeed, Kemal Ataturk's reforms, which emancipated Turkish women, had a

profound influence on the educated Muslim women in Bengal. His policy of

separation of religion from state attracted Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib, the founder

of Bangladesh.

To this day, Turks admire Mustafa Kemal Atatrk because of his vision, courage

and leadership. He eventually saved the country from invasion and demolition as a

nation. Atatrk's life long dedication and service for his country have allowed

Turkey to develop into the modern nation it is today.

"There are two Mustafa Kemals. One the flesh-and-blood Mustafa Kemal

who now stands before you and who will pass away. the other is you, all of you

here who will go to the far corners of our land to spread the ideals which must

be defended with your lives if necessary. I stand for the nation's dreams, and

my life's work is to make them come true."


3/11

Atatrk stands as one of the world's few historic figures who dedicated their livestotally to their nations.

The founder of the Turkish Republic and its first President, stands as a towering figure of the

20th Century. Among the great leaders of history, few have achieved so much in so short period,

transformed the life of a nation as decisively, and given such profound inspiration to the world atlarge.

Today Turkish and Bengali Nations have excellent relations. Both countries share

a common heritage, traditions, faith and culture. People of both countries have a

deep commitment to democracy and other liberal traditions. Both people fought to

achieve their independence.

But in more ways than one, Sheikh Mujib has been a more successful founding

father than either Ataturk or Gandhi. Turkey existed even during the period of the

Ottoman Empire. Once the empire fell, Ataturk took control of Turkey and had it

veer away from western exploitation through giving shape to a democratic nation

state. In Gandhis case, India and Indians did not lose their national status either

before or after him.

Feb 2010

Turkey will provide support for power generation, transport, information and

communication technology, road infrastructure and other development sectors of

Bangladesh.

The assurance came when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called on visiting Turkish

President Abdullah Gul at his hotel suite here yesterday.

During the meeting, they discussed different bilateral issues, including expansion

of trade and business between the two countries and increasing Turkish investment

in Bangladesh.


4/11

Terming Turkey as a development partner of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina called for

Turkish investment, especially in railway and waterway sectors of Bangladesh in a

large scale, the Prime Minister's Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad told journalists.

who left here for home yesterday evening after a two-day state visit to Bangladeshwas conferred Doctor of Laws degree by the Dhaka University.

Both the Turkish president and the Bangladesh premier underscored the need for

expediting activities and inter-country relationship in the United Nations, NAM,

OIC and other international and regional forums to this end

The Turkish President was speaking at a state banquet hosted in his honour by

President Zillur Rahman at Bangabhaban in the city on Friday.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also attended the function with her cabinet

colleagues and advisers.

Turkish

"We also know that three months after Ataturk's passing away, a school was given

the name Kemal Ataturk and a boulevard in Dhaka and another boulevard in

Chittagong were also named after Kemal Ataturk," he said.

"Likewise we have a boulevard in our capital city Ankara named after the Great

Leader Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who made Bangladesh independent.

He wholeheartedly congratulate the people and government of Bangladesh who

have been working day and night as a whole nation altogether, including all thesons and daughters of this country and materialized exemplary accomplishments in

agriculture and industry.

"You have also set targets which are not at all impossible to achieve by 2021, the

50th anniversary of the independence. We will continue to stand by our


5/11

Bangladeshi sisters and brothers," he said.

The Turkish President said that there is not a single political problem that exists

between our two countries. He, however, said the present level of our economic

and commercial relations are unfortunately far from reflecting the potentials of ourcountries and peoples.

"We can not approach our desired targets through a trade mechanism based on just

a few items," Gul said, mentioning that high level representatives of prominent

companies of the Turkish private sector are accompanying him at this visit.

"I will start my programme tomorrow morning with a meeting which will bring

together Turkish and Bangladeshi businessmen. I will convey our expectations tothem and ask them to intensify their contacts and diversify our trade relations," he

said.

The Turkish President said the first concrete step in this sphere will be the

implementation of the decision taken by the Turkish Airlines to start direct flights

between Istanbul and Dhaka as of the summer schedule of 2010.

Gul thanked Zillur Rahman and the people of Bangladesh for the warm hospitality

and kindness extended to him, his wife and delegation.

"I wish to propose a toast for ever-lasting robust friendship and brotherhood of our

two nations," he added.

President Zillur Rahman said Bangladesh and Turkey need to take concerted

efforts to enhance cooperation for the mutual benefit of the peoples of both the

countries.

"We can face the challenges of the millennium forging ahead with close

cooperation, sharing and harnessing each other's experiences and expertise," he

said while speaking at the state banquet.

The President said the people of Turkey may import world-class Bangladesh-made


6/11

pharmaceuticals, jute and leather goods, garments at competitive prices.

"We welcome Turkey's cooperation and assistance in the areas of river dredging,

energy and ICT to help materialize our development programmes," he said.

Terming the visit of the Turkish President as an advent of new chapter in the

bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Turkey, Zillur Rahman said the visit

would add new dimension and take the bilateral relations to a new height.

"The momentum being created by your visit today will take the bilateral relations

to the pinnacle and surely bring far- reaching benefits for our two peoples in the

days ahead," he said. The President said people of Bangladesh cherish the historic

and time- tested friendship and brotherhood that exist between the peoples of twobrotherly countries.

"I feel proud that the people from Bengal supported Turkey in the Turkish War of

Independence and our National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam composed many poems

being inspired by the Father of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Pasha," he said.

Recalling with deep respect Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman for his unique and extraordinary contribution in achieving country's

independence, the President said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of

Bangabandhu, has declared 'Vision 2021' to build a digitized prosperous

Bangladesh.

"Our Prime Minister has also made utmost efforts to address the global climate

change at different international forums and I am confident her endeavours would

be materialized for the greater interest of entire humanity," Zillur Rahman said.

Referring to his visit to Turkey November last to participate in the COMSEC

Summit, the Bangladesh President said "I was greeted with exceptional warmth

and hospitality which would be tuned in my memory for ever."

Mentioning former Turkish President Suleyman Demiral's visits to Bangladesh in

1997 and 1999 and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's tour of Turkey in


7/11

1997, the President said said, "It is very significant for the bilateral relations that

some high-level visits from both sides have been made over the years.

The ties of the Bangladeshi people to Turkey are deep, and the people of

Bangladesh have great respect for the Turkish leader Kemal Ataturk (father of the

Turks), the founder of modern Turkey.

Bangladesh's national poet late Kazi Nazrul Islam (25 May, 189929 August,

1976) was a Bengali poet, musician, revolutionary, and philosopher who pioneered

in the 1920s and 1930s wrote many poems in which he lauded the leadership of

Kemal Ataturk.

The visit of the Turkish president has opened up a new horizon of economic and

commercial cooperation between the two countries. Turkey is now the 6th largest

economy in Europe and 16th in the world and Bangladesh is conveniently located

between China and India.

Today, October 29th, the day which commemorates the foundation of the Republic of Turkey in1923, the brass bands are practicing for the parades, and bunting and banners , pictures ofAtatrk, and the red flag with the white star and crescent are flying from houses, apartments,

office building, often covering the whole side of a twenty-storey building, all over Turkey,

especially here in Etiler, middle-class Republican district of Istanbul par excellence.

There is an exhibition of photos of Atatrk in the nearby Akmerkez Shopping Centre; Atatrkyoung at cadet school in Salonika with twirling moustaches, Atatrk in uniform, smart in tails,

plus-fours, a natty cap; Atatrk with the King of Afghanistan, the Shah of Iran, Edward VIII and

Mrs Simpson; Atatrk swimming; Atatrk with his adopted daughters or groups of women,

unveiled, of course; Atatrk looking up, Atatrk looking down; a paunchy Atatrk a year or sobefore his death through liver cirrhosis on Nov 10 1938, aged 58; and, inexplicably, Atatrk

leaning out of a train window fingering a set of Islamic prayer beads. Well, maybe he was

traveling through a particularly religious area. Many of these are on permanent exhibition on thewalls opposite the Dolmabahe Palace.

The Atatrk foundation has been active on the streets and in the shopping malls selling magnets,bookmarks, paperweights, mirrors, heart-shaped pill boxes, calendars, cigarette cases, jewellry


8/11

boxes. Atatrk has become a symbol, an icon. Liberal Turks I have met, especially women,

university teachers, have on their desk or walls small framed pictures of Atatrk.

But wait a minute, you tell me, wasnt Atatrk a dictator: Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini and

Atatrk? How can this possibly come about?

I am told: if it had not been for Atatrk, we would still be in the Dark Ages. We would still be

wearing the veil; we might not have the chance to work; Turkey might be like, well, Iran. Andbecause of Atatrk we can work, wear what we like and live much as women do in the West.

And they may quote Atatrk: Human kind is made up of two sexes, women and men. Is it

possible that a mass is improved by the improvement of only one part and the other part isignored? Is it possible that if half of a mass is tied to earth with chains and the other half can soar

into skies?

Mustafa Kemal, who took the name of Atatrk, Father of the Turks in 1934, when, through hisown decision, all Turks had to take surnames, gained fame as the Ottoman colonel at Gallipoli in

1915 who held back and prevented the British and ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand ArmyCorps) landing. Then on the Syrian border in 1917 he managed to hold onto as much territory as

possible before the inevitable defeat of the flailing Ottoman Empire, allied to Germany, before

the Anglo-French forces. The Ottoman Empire had crumbled. With the Treaty of Sevres in 1920

the European powers gave themselves slices of the cake of Turkey. Greece was to administer thewest, Italy the south, Britain the south, France the Syrian border, Armenia got the far east, and

only a rump Turkey in the north and east of Anatolia was to be maintained.

The defeated Sultan Mehmed VI, Vehideddin, sent Kemal as an army inspector to eastern

Turkey, to inspect the troops. A piece of luck, as he raised the call to get rid of the foreign

invaders. He organized the Erzurum and Sivas congresses of 1919 and called for a Turkish state.

He was elected Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. The task was arduous. Equipmentand supplies were lacking. Brigandage was rife. A Kurdish uprising was put down. Agreements

were made with the French and Italians, and eventually the English, but the Greeks wanted to

hold on to territory which had been part of the Ancient Greek Empire. Defeats were suffered.But, playing on patriotism, the desire for a Turkish nation, a new sense of patriotism, Kemalsown enormous prestige and charisma, the Greeks were eventually defeated and left Syrrna,

Izmir, in 1923. Atrocities took place on both sides. The Armenians were forced back, and nowthe killings of the Armenians by Turks in 1920 has become the greatest problem for Turkey to

enter the EU. The Turkish Republic was proclaimed on 29th

October 1923. Kemal was elected

President. The country was unified at last. Borders were just about fixed, to include an

apparently unified Turkish speaking population.

Differently to Stalin, Hitler and Mussolini, Kemal did not embark on any attempt to conquerother territories. Despite opposition from those who thought he wanted to become another

Sultan, he, with the support of the armed forces, managed to hold onto power through the 1920s

and 1930s. An opposition party was attempted in 1924-5, but when it was looking too successful

it was withdrawn. Its leaders were linked to an unsuccessful assignation attempt in 1926, andsome were hanged.


9/11

Kemalism became established with its distinctive traits: republicanism, nationalism, populism,

statism, secularism and reformism. And Turkey never became a Stalinist state with the dark

menace of the concentration camp (Volkan and Itzkowitz inAtatrk, A.L. Macfie, p.190).

Socially, Kemalism brought about great changes. The Caliphate and religious courts were

abolished in 1924. Religious symbols were outlawed: the fez was banned in 1925. Men wereordered to wear European headwear: European companies dumped their unsold stock of pink

bowler hats in Turkey.

The Swiss legal system was adopted in 1926. Atatrk encouraged de-veiling, held mixed dances

and dinners, and may even have been the first ever Turk to have danced (the foxtrot) with awoman, at least in public. Polygamy and repudiation of wives became illegal in 1931, though,

ironically, this was how Atatrk had divorced his wife, Latife, Hanim, in 1925, after just two

years of marriage. Women were given the right to vote and could stand for elections in the same

year.

Almost overnight, the alphabet was changed. Few, less than 10%, could read the Ottoman script,which mixed Turkish, Persian and Arabic. On 3 November 1928 Turkey began to use the Roman

alphabet. Illiteracy improved almost immediately, and, where possible, Turkish words were

introduced in place of Arabic and Persian, and future generations would be unable to read

anything written before 1928. Indeed, today, very very few can, even at Boazii University.

And Turkish gained the status of a national language. The Koran was translated into Turkish in

1931. The Turkish Historical Society emphasized that Turks were citizens linked together by a

community of language, culture and ideals; and in 1932 the Turkish Linguistic Society

identified Turkish as the sun-language, the original language, from which Semitic and Indo-

European languages had evolved.

In the middle-class suburbs of Istanbul and Ankara the flags are waving, but there will be much

less celebration in the working-class Islamic suburbs.

Atatrk was unquestionably one of the greatest political figures of the last century. He

brought Turkish society into the modern age, and introduced a Western way of life. He was

one of the greatest thinkers, powerful statesmen and political men of the century.

Many aspects of the revolution were the introduction of Western legal codes, the abolition of

the Arabic alphabet in favour of the Latin, introduction of formal surnames (in 1934

Mustapha Kemal selected "Atatrk" meaning "Father of the Turks", The Parliament passed it

as uniquely his own), the creation of a party of new nationalism, the compulsory adoption of

Western clothing styles instead of the traditional Turkish dress (doing away with the veil

and introducing the European hat in place of the fez), had a massive impact on Turkish life.

The declaration of "Kemalism" was also abolishing the Caliphate (so that the religious and

government affaires were ruled by the same person), the Shariat (secularising education),

adopting the Christian calendar, and granting equality to women. Few leaders have so

modernized an ancient society, religion, government, and education. Atatrk also abolished

the monarchy.


10/11

Atatrk was able to build a new government, and used intelligent diplomacy to divide the

Allies, and to reorganize the Army. Under his leadership, the Turkish Army reconquered

large parts of occupied eastern and western Turkey, causing vital losses on the uprising

Armenians and the better-equipped Greek army. He became the first president of the new

republic in 1923. The Treaty of Lausanne in 1923 was a personal triumph for Atatrk. (Itmeant that Turkey was allowed to keep all purely Turkish lands).

Emerging as a military hero at the Dardanelles in 1915, he became the charismatic leader of theTurkish national liberation struggle in 1919. He blazed across the world scene in the early 1920sas a triumphant commander who crushed the invaders of his country. Following a series of

impressive victories against all odds, he led his nation to full independence. He put an end to the

antiquated Ottoman dynasty whose tale had lasted more than six centuries - and created the

Republic of Turkey in 1923, establishing a new government truly representative of the nation's

will.

As President for 15 years, until his death in 1938, Mustafa Kemal Atatrk introduced a broad

range of swift and sweeping reforms - in the political, social, legal, economic, and cultural

spheres - virtually unparalleled in any other country.

His achievements in Turkey are an enduring monument to Atatrk. Emerging nations admire him

as a pioneer of national liberation. The world honors his memory as a foremost peacemaker whoupheld the principles of humanism and the vision of a united humanity. Tributes have been

offered to him through the decades by such world statesmen as lloyd George, Churchill,

Roosevelt, Nehru, de Gaulle, Adenauer, Bourguiba, Nasser, Kennedy, and countless others. A

White House statement, issued on the occasion of "The Atatrk Centennial" in 1981, payshomage to him as "a great leader in times of war and peace". It is fitting that there should be

high praise for Atatrk, an extraordinary leader of modern times, who said in 1933: "I look to theworld with an open heart full of pure feelings and friendship".

Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives. You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore

rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side now

here in this country of ours.. you, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away your tears;

your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land. They have become

our sons as well. Mustapha Kemal. 1934

By its form of government and lifestyle, Turkey continues to demonstrate that

Western and Eastern values are able to co-exist. Our experience shows that

democracy, human rights and the rule of law can thrive in a predominantly

Muslim country. Turkey is also home to Christian and Jewish minorities who live


11/11

side by side with the Muslims, proving that it is possible for people from different

faiths to unite around the same ideals and lead peaceful lives together.

It is also worth mentioning that Turkey has the advantage of enjoying a history

free from being colonized. This helps the Turkish common conscience, free from

the burden of any feeling of resentment against past foreign rulers which is often

found deeply engraved in the self-cognition of former colonies, to be able to

embrace practically everything. Cleavages

Turkeys case provides a strong counter-argument to the doomsday theories

concerning the inevitability of a clash of civilizations. We actually managed to

reconcile traditional values, including religious ones, with modernity in law, in

science, in social and economic liveliness Turkey has this tradition of reconciling

differences and enabling different elements to co-exist side by side in harmony.

Documents

Atatürk and Bangabandhu