Ataturk’s reformist revolution behind Bengalis’ dream of freedom

Desk Report: Gono Bishwabidyalay (Gono University) lecturer Md Mahady Hasan on Saturday said that once the Bengali people’s dream had to own an independent land and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s reformist revolution was behind the dream.

“In the twentieth century, the Turks had shown the whole world that the countries could survive independently by defeating imperialist forces, their arms and ammos,” he echoed.

Md Mahady Hasan, popularly known as Soroj Mehedi, and also former Türkiye Bursları Scholarship Fellow, came up with the comments while addressing a seminar titled, “The influence of the Turkish Revolution among Bengalis” held in the university’s academic hall room on Saturday morning.

Soroj Mehedi in his hour-long speech also said: “The people of the then Indian subcontinent, especially Muslims, dreamed of building an independent state which would be a modern and humanistic country one. But there was no model in front of them. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s reformist revolution then became a model of them.”

Gono Bishwabidyalay Professor Dr Iqbal Joberi; Professor Karm Newaz; Dr Krishna Bhadra, Dr Fuad Hossain and Poet and Kalerdhoni Editor Emran Mahfuz also spoke, among others, in the seminar.

On June 29, Soroj Mehedi, who is also well-known for his writings, also opined that Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s reformist revolution shook the Bengali people in the sub-continent during his time.

Soroj Mehedi also said, “Rebellious poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, Kazi Abdul Wadud, Ismail Hossain Siraji, Qazi Motahar Husain and writer Abul Fazal were among the people, who supported the Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s reformist revolution.”

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk is the founder of the Republic of Turkey and he was an iconic leader of some reformist movement in the world and he has great impacts on some revolution in social political and economic spheres. The abolition of Khilafat by Kamal Ataturk in Turkey was a serious blow on Khilafat movement in the sub-continent.
 

risingbd/Dhaka/July 29, 2018/A K Azad