The Atatürkist Thought Association ( tr, Atatürkçü Düşünce Derneği; ADD) is a

secularist Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on secular, naturalistic considerations. Secularism is most commonly defined as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state, and may be broadened to a sim ...

organization that espouses the ideas of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

. It was founded by Hıfzı Veldet Velidedeoğlu, Muammer Aksoy, Hüsnü A. Göksel and

Bahriye Üçok Bahriye Üçok (1919 – October 6, 1990) was a Turkish academic of theology, left-wing politician, writer, columnist, and women's rights activist whose assassination in 1990 remains unresolved. Early life and education Born in Trabzon, Bahriye ...

. The association is opposed to the Islamist tenets enacted by

Ayatollah Ayatollah ( ; fa, آیت‌الله, āyatollāh) is an honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy in Iran and Iraq that came into widespread usage in the 20th century. Etymology The title is originally derived from Arabic word p ...

Ruhollah Khomeini in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

and wants to ensure that religion and state remain separate in Turkey. The organization is known for initiating court cases against web sites which insult Atatürk, or with links to sites that insult Atatürk. It is credited with organising the 2007 Republic Protests. People associated with ADD include former President of the

Constitutional Court of Turkey The Constitutional Court of Turkey ( tr, , sometimes abbreviated as ''AYM'') is the highest legal body for constitutional review in Turkey. It "examines the constitutionality, in respect of both form and substance, of laws, decrees having the for ...

Yekta Güngör Özden Yekta Güngör Özden (born 1932) is a Turkish judge, and former president of the Constitutional Court of Turkey. He was born in Niksar, a town in Tokat province of Turkey, in 1932. He was the president of the Constitutional Court of Turkey, from ...

, former General

Şener Eruygur Mehmet Şener Eruygur (born 17 June 1941, in Erzurum) is a former Turkish general. He was General Commander of the Gendarmerie of Turkey from 2002 to 2004, and was later head of the Atatürk Thought Association. Eruygur was one of those charge ...

(its head in 2009) Today's Zaman, 13 January 2009
Atatürkist Thought Association decries Kurdish-language TV
/ref> and Tansel Çölaşan (its head since 2010).

Gallery

Image:Protect Your Republic Protest - 2 (2007-04-14).jpg , Anıtkabir Image:Protect Your Republic Protest İzmir5.JPG ,

İzmir İzmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban aggl ...

meeting Image:İst. Miting.JPG, Çağlayan, Istanbul meeting Image:Republic_protest_Manisa2.jpg,

Manisa Manisa (), historically known as Magnesia, is a city in Turkey's Aegean Region and the administrative seat of Manisa Province. Modern Manisa is a booming center of industry and services, advantaged by its closeness to the international port ci ...

meeting

References and notes

External links

Association's official website
Organizations based in Ankara Organizations established in 1989 Church–state separation advocacy organizations 1989 establishments in Turkey Secularism in Turkey Secularist organizations Skeptic organizations in Turkey {{Turkey-org-stub

Gallery

See also

References and notes

External links