The Great Secular Experiment: How Turkey Reclaimed its Religious Identity

Cultures · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In the 1920s, Turkey underwent a radical transformation, abolishing the Caliphate and replacing Sharia with European legal codes. Yet, despite decades of state-imposed restrictions on Islamic attire and education, a profound religious revival eventually reshaped the nation's political and social landscape.

Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk implemented a sweeping secularization program known as 'laiklik'. This was not a gradual separation of church and state, but a decisive restructuring of society. The reforms abolished the Caliphate in 1924, stripped religious authorities of their political power, and even attempted to 'Turkify' Islam by replacing the Arabic 'Allah' with the Turkish 'Tanrı' in devotions. The state even converted the Hagia Sophia into a museum in 1935 to signal this new era.

The state's efforts to move religion into the private sphere faced significant friction. While the government sought to promote a rationalist, science-based culture, religious grievances fueled uprisings, such as the 1925 Şeyh Sait rebellion which claimed up to 30,000 lives. Over time, the political landscape shifted. By the 1950s, leaders began to realize the political utility of appealing to the religiously inclined, leading to the gradual reintroduction of religious instruction in schools.

This tension created a lasting polarization. While some intellectuals, like those in the 'Intellectuals' Hearth', argued for a synthesis of pre-Islamic Turkish traditions and Islam to foster obedient citizenship, others emerged to challenge the secular elite. By the 1980s, a new generation of religiously motivated leaders had risen. This resurgence was bolstered by the proliferation of private religious institutions, from health centers to television stations like Kanal 7, which began broadcasting in 1994, proving that the religious identity of Turkey remained a potent, unextinguishable force.

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