Kemal and cartoons

Submitted by Ianus (Poland), Apr 6, 2009 at 18:39

Hi, RRSmith !

You wrote :

> I can't imagine Ataturk, in his day, insisting on a free society (like Denmark) curbing its freedom because one of its artist/satirists produced 'Muhammad cartoons' or 'Motoons' as they have become known.<

I wouldn't be so sure of that, dear friend.

In his excellent biography of Mustafa Kemal ( Mustafa Kémal ou la mort d'un empire , Paris 1954) Jacques Benoist-Méchin describes a curious incident. But let me give first some context to make understandable.

As we know Kemal wanted to imitate the West. In the West there exists political opposition. So Kemal appointed a number of his subordinates to be in 'opposition'. In the West there is freedom of press. So he decreed this had to apply to Turkey too. A journalist understood it rather literally. He observed that Kemal used to invite children and young people to different political activities. The journalist wrote as a joke that in view of that soon "young Turks" would come back to power. [ Young Turks had ruled before Kemal's takeover and their leader Enver Pasha was Kemal's bitter enemy ]. Kemal was informed about the joke and the journalist. He had the journalist killed.

Sorry for not giving the page number for this bloody detail. I haven't got the book at home and I read it a few years ago. But the incident was so horrible I can't forget it until now. It shows how today's Turkey's semi-god reacted to public criticism, even of the most inncoent nature, concealed as a joke.

By the way , Kemal also exterminated in show trials all members of the "opposition" who had taken their roles too literally and dared to upbraid their infallible leader. As a true Turk he was unable to stand any honest criticism. And until now any jokes, cartoons, improper handlings of Kemal's images, symbols etc. remain criminal offences in Turkey. The very name "Ataturk" is taboo. No one can bear it.

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