KEMAL ATATURK DAN PEMBAHARUAN DI TURKI: POLEMIK DALAM AKHBAR DAN MAJALAH MELAYU PADA TAHUN 1920-AN DAN 1930-AN

Abstract

The rise of Kemal Ataturk (1881-1938) as President of the Republic of Turkey in 1924 resulted in him being regarded as a highly respected political leader among the Malays. This is clear from the extensive coverage on him given by Malay newspapers and magazines. This article will focus on the polemics evident in the Malay newspapers and magazines of the period revolving around Kemal's modernisation plans. In the early stages, most of the Malay newspapers and magazines supported Kemal's establishment of the Republic of Turkey and his modernisation programmes. However, support for Kemal's modernisation plans reduced considerably when it became obvious that the modernisation programmes began to marginalize Islam and the elements of secularism became clear. Several controversial issues related to the modernisation programmes that were clearly against Islamic teachings eventually gave rise to polemical discussions in the Malay newspapers and journals.