مرکز منطقه ای اطلاع رساني علوم و فناوري - THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE GOVERNING ELITE FROM THE CLERGYMEN AND THE ATTITUDE OF THE CLERGYMEN AGAINST THE ATATURK REFORMS IN THE EARLY REPUBLICAN ERA

Abstract :

The relation between the state and the religion is an important issue in Turkish political life. Hence, this relation both in Republican and the Ottoman periods needs to be studied in detail. The motive leading us to this study is to understand how clergymenrepublican regime relations were during the first years of Turkish Republic.Westernization and modernization in the Ottoman Empire have begun in the institutions and state organizations since Tanzimat period. The transition problems that appeared in the administrations and military have also been faced in the bureaucracy of religion and religious institutions. During the Turkish War of Independence, there were not any problems in clergymen / religious official relationships. It is known that there were many muftis and clergymen that supported the National Struggle in Anatolia. Having come to different point after the foundation of the Republic and especially after the abolition of the Caliphate, relationships between clerics and government continued during the one party rule. In the first years of the Republic, the government s primary expectations from clerics was not to involve in politics or make comment on political issues, even if on the religious issues. This is evidenced by current documents. Another expectations from the clergymen was to give a hand to the ruling party in disseminating the the vision and the mission of the newly founded Republic.