Kardes, I have encountered some Kemalist before, and the Kemalist many of them are hardcore secularist to the point it seems they are anti-Islam. It seems like some do worship M.Kemal. I once questioned and presented an alternative view of Mustafa Kemal, I received many insults and very disgusting language (on website not personally, I doubt they would say such things in person)...I know the nature of some of these Kemalist type people and their words and actions reflect poorly on them.
So I understand where Ovarel is coming from, as I have been exposed to some of the Kemalist followers.
You will find many Turks to have great respect and admiration of Ataturk and as percentage wise small numbers being openly religious, for Turks religion is much more a private, personal thing (the "my choice of religion, my struggle to live by it's ideals is a personal matter for me only mentality of thinking)
The actions of some Turks who defend Ataturk is frankly at current times necessary (to a point) since even our current Western friends who supposedly respect Turkey and Ataturk also buy into the propaganda that is the so called genocide (which paints Ataturk as a mass murderer in the East of Turkey when historical documents clearly place him the West of Turkey at Gallipoli during the events described). The Turks who appear to be radicalized have been by far and large a result of the Western Turko bashing mentality, the demonizing of the Turk (a remnant propaganda from WW1 still utilized today to make the secular Turks evil (secular Muslims being the ultimate paradox to many Western "
scholars" (sic). ie: propaganda mouthpieces).
This policy is well documented in academia and it is known as Orientalism which is basically the Western view of the cultural other (Middle East, Islam, far East) and the results of such thinking is often portrayed in film such as 99 percent of the time when Arabs in American movies wearing face cover and brandishing a weapon.
So when Turks who defend Ataturk to the extreme it is important to understand that they are the result of the Western world that deliberately attempts to obfuscate the facts and diminish the proven victories & achievements the man has been credited for.
The concept of Orientalism can be applied to the Palestinian (evil Muslims who in Western eyes are wrong by default) - Israeli (civilized Westerners who can do no wrong by default) conflict.
1974 Cyprus conflict, ie: the painting of the Muslim Turks as evil vs the "
innocent" EOKA & Junta controlled Greek Christian Cypriots.
PKK Conflict: Evil Muslim (the cultural other) giant Turkey vs the European backed "
innocent" PKK "
freedom" fighters.
There are many more examples of this but the end results are always the same, the ignorance of the West in their understanding and views of religions (especially Islam (focus since 19th century awareness of the Ottoman Empire) and cultures (central focus is on the ME) they do not understand create the very people they fear, the ignorance creating enmity and bitterness for Western countries and cultures.
