Page 113 - Menelisik Pemikiran Islam

After a century of Westernization, Turkey has undergone
immense changes-greater than any outside observe had
thought possible. But the deepest Islamic roots of
Turkish life and culture are still alive, and the ultimate
identity of Turk and Muslim in Turkey is still
unchallenged. (Bernard Lewis, 1961)
It has often been thought that this secularism signified
the separation of state and religion somewhat along the
lines of French laicism and the involved and anti-
religious policy seeking to eliminate Islamic faith.

These assumptions are no correct. In fact, the new
Turkish Republican regime tried to implement its
constitutional mandate of freedom of concience by
setting up goverment agencies charged with helping
citizens to approach Islam through reason rather than
tradition. (Howard A. Reed, 1981)
The revitalization of Islam in this country is partly due to
the success of the campaign to universalize education
which was the foundation stone of the secular Turkish
Republic and partly to economic achievements in the
period 1950-1980. (Syerif Mardin, 1989)

Pada 29 Oktober 1923 secara resmi Republik Turki
diproklamirkan oleh sidang parlemen dimana Mustafa
Kemal terpilih sebagai Presiden pada umurnya yang ke-42
tahun. Gerakan republiken ini sekaligus menghadapi dua
musuh, yaitu kekuatan Sekutu yang hendak menguasai
Turki, dan kekuatan tradisional yang berpihak pada
ideologi teokratik Osmani.
Bila kita telaah bunyi ke-6 sila ideologi Kemalisme,
akan terlihat begitu jelas bahwa setiap silanya merupakan

106 | Asep Solikin