Editorial- Voice of Ataturk - by M.Orhan Tarhan - "Turkish guarantees for secularism should be key issue for EU membership"

Editorial- Voice of Ataturk by Orhan Tarhan

"All through my secondary education, I sat in class rooms in which the major decorations were a large picture of Atatürk and his address to the Turkish youth printed in large letters, both hanging on walls. We had learned that text by heart by looking at it all the time. You will find it translated into English and reprinted in this first issue of our new ASA NEWS. We are not doing this because it would be proper to have the address in any publication bearing Atatürk's name, but because some of the grievous conditions enumerated in this address are unfortunately happening today in Turkey. Of course, there are no foreign military invaders, Heavens forbid! The fortresses and shipyards of the nation are still in proper hands. But, most of the people who have been holding power since 1950 have been utterly in-competent. They have permitted repeated trespasses of the constitution by dark forces, they have placed their personal interests above the national interest, and they have permitted a foreign theology and ideology that are absolutely anathema to the Turkish constitution to slowly invade the country. We think that these are plenty of reasons for reminding the present Turkish generation of its duties as defined in Atatürk's address. Yes, it is for times like this that this address has been written!" Note EU-Digest: In reviewing Turkish EU admission requirements, a large number of issues being discussed seem irrelevant when compared with the issue of guaranteeing secularism in Turkey. This not only to guarantee the separation of religion and government for future generations of Turks, but also as a safeguard to avoid Turkey becoming a slowly ticking radical religious time bomb when it joins the EU.