“... The principle of “secularism” was invented so that religion and politics could be separated by a proper line.
Yeah, yeah, yeah...
Religion and politics must be separated by a proper line.
Because if this is not done...
It will be as Prof. Şaban Şimşek, who writes in Yeni Akit Newspaper, says: “The sects will fight for a place in the state”.
So... Religion is used to gain political rent.”
The above lines are from Ahmet Hakan's column in 2010.
Explaining why secularism, which some people oppose by calling it ‘irreligion’, is indispensable, Ahmet Hakan, in his 2016 article, reacted to İsmail Kahraman, the then Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, who suggested that the principle of ’secularism‘ be removed from the constitution, “Will Adnan Hodja's Islam or Cübbeli Ahmet's Islam dominate the state and society?” He was asking.
And he continued his reaction as follows:
“In an environment where there is not an iota of oppression, not an iota of oppression, not an iota of victimization in the name of secularism...
Even and even...
In an environment where even the illegal houses of the Ensar Foundation are objected to not in the name of “LAW” but on the grounds that children are raped...
How can we explain Ismail Kahraman's anti-secularist outburst?”
This time those calling for secularism reacted
Hürriyet Editor-in-Chief Ahmet Hakan, who defended the principle of secularism in 2010 and 2016 and reacted against opponents of secularism, this time targeted 168 names who signed the ’Declaration on Secularism’.
He argued that the signatories of the declaration were ‘longing for the old Turkey’.
“Such declarations benefit the AK Party the most and the CHP is aware of this," Ahmet Hakan said, criticizing those who signed the declaration:
“The Ayşe Kulins, Melike Demirağs, Müjde Arları, Rutkay Azizs who signed the declaration have no interest in convincing the majority of the public.
The majority of the people hated it, distanced themselves from it, embraced the AK Party saying “Yandım Allah”, etc... They don't give a damn.
Why should I?
Erdoğan wins again, these intellectuals publish declarations again and life continues to flow like a breeze for them.”