Turkish dailies wrote on Friday that İstanbul’s historic mosques will be bedecked with lights strung between their minarets, called mahyas, on Oct. 29, Republic Day, and on Nov. 10, on the anniversary of the death of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic.
The mahyas will carry nationalist messages, giving a boost to militarism and racism. “The objective of those mahyas is clear: to axe the democratization process and ultimately topple a democratically-elected government. There is a group in our country which awaits the return of a military regime. We see all those nationalist messages as parts of a plan to hinder the government’s ongoing efforts for a more democratic Turkey,” stated Kenan Alpay, the vice president of the Freedom Association (Özgür-Der).
The atmosphere in Turkey was rather tense after the display of nationalist messages on five historic mosques in İstanbul on Oct. 5 and 6. The messages were spelled out on the occasion of the anniversary of the liberation of İstanbul from occupation by foreign powers following the War of Independence.
Among the messages were “We owe our gratitude to the army,” “How happy is he who calls himself a Turk,” “The country comes first” and “National unity is a must.” Analysts interpreted the move as an attempt to “provoke,” as the messages ignored the existence of other ethnicities in the country and are seen as a show of military power.
Though no one claimed responsibility for the nationalist messages at the beginning, a Religious Affairs Directorate official said a committee organizing commemorative events in İstanbul was responsible. The committee reportedly has members from around 40 associations and foundations, including Lions Clubs International, Rotary Clubs and the Support for Modern Life Association (ÇYDD).
“What is the relationship between the liberation of İstanbul and gratitude to the military or national unity? Mosques belong to God. Official ideology, racism and nationalism have no place in mosques. Those nationalist mahyas are a pollution of law and belief. We denounce the inclusion of our mosques in such pollution,” Alpay added.
According to claims, the committee is now planning to light up more nationalist messages between the minarets of İstanbul’s Sultanahmet, Süleymaniye, Eminönü, Üsküdar and Eyüp mosques on Oct. 29 and on Nov. 10. Among the planned messages are “Long live the republic,” “Republic equals virtue,” and “National unity is a must.”
“They are trying to make mosques a toy of politics. We call this ‘the final point of militarism.’ We find the display of nationalist messages between the minarets of mosques pretty foolish,” said Tansel Parlak, a representative from the Young Civilians, a civil society group known for its use of sarcasm in protests.
In a demonstration they staged to protest the nationalist mahyas on Oct. 6, the group made fun of the military and politicians and suggested that the mosques display such messages as “The gains of the republic are in jeopardy; are you aware of the danger?” “The mosque is secular and it will remain so,” “Make a coup, stay healthy,” and “Dear soldiers, protect us.”
Parlak also recalled that Turkey witnessed similar attempts in the past to use mosques as a tool for politics. During the period when Turkey was under the control of a single party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), mahyas were generally politics-related and primarily dedicated to politicians. Among the examples were “Atatürk,” “Long live İnönü,” and “Happy 20th anniversary of the republic.” They also included advice to the population to save money, use Turkish-made goods and make donations to the Red Crescent.
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