MUSLIM WORLD

Pan-Turkism, Pan-Islamism or Secular Nationalism in Central Asia?

Turkkaya Ataov, Professor of International Relations in Ankara University in Turkey

Introduction

The disintegration of the former Soviet Union resulted in the entry of five Turkic republics into the community of sovereign nations as new independent states, whose peoples, nevertheless, have been part of Asian history for many centuries. The Turkic-speaking multitudes, scattered in a number of places in the former Soviet territory, including that of the present Russian Federation, constitute many more communities, large and small. In fact, the Turkic family of languages is the most numerous in what was the USSR. It includes about twentyfive closely related dialects. Those whose mother tongue is a Turkic language inhabit a vast territory extending from the Caucasus to the most eastern corners of Siberia. However, most of them live just across Turkey's border in the east, in Central Asia, which is the "original homeland" of the Turkish people

The dispersal of the Turkic-speaking peoples in a number of directions from the Central Asiatic mainland is a historical truth. This is only a matter of undeniable cultural affinity. Although the extent of relationship may vary in each case, there is no doubt that the Turkic languages have a common core. Some dialects may be loaded with Russians, Arabic and Persian words but the construction, the grammar and most of the vocabulary are identical or similar.

Turkey is developing relations with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

On the other hand, the Soviet demise created a "vacuum" in the Caucasus and Central Asia, where the new republics are experimenting with nationalism, pluralism, religion and market economy. Turkey considers its role in both areas as a duty and responsibility, as well as a matter of interest. The Muslim Turkic republics look at Turkey as an advanced political model with a developed economy and technology.

One of the reasons for Turkey's interest, weight and hold over these areas is the fact of a basically common language.

Conclusions

There is an obvious cultural affinity among all Turkic-speaking peoples. This fact and the inevitable development of close relations between the Turkic peoples is not going to whip up "Pan-Turkism" or "Pan- Islamism". The Turkish perception of a new Turkic world coming forth is different from that of some foreign circles. It is important to remember that the nineteenth century ideas of a Turkic world did not originate in the "home country", that is, the Ottoman state and the Turkish Republic, but in the diaspora. In this way, it differed from Pan-Germanism or Pan-Hellenism. Secondly, their inception unfolded on the cultural plane with emphasis on unity or similarity in language, literature, folklore and history. Thirdly, its propagators felt themselves justified because they had more than their share of competitors or opponents in the form of Pan- Slavism of Czarist Russia and the similar irredentism of some other neighbors. Other nations usually had one "opponent image", but Turkey had more than one.

Fourthly, no matter where and how the ideas concerning a Turkic world might have originated or developed, the governments of the Republic of Turkey have never committed themselves to "Pan-Turkism" and never went beyond acknowledging cultural affinity. "Pan-Turkism" never became a government policy. Kemalist patriotism was Turkey centred. Turkey faces the mammoth task of assisting its "distant cousins" to stand on their own feet. This position may indirectly increase Turkey's influence, prestige and weight in the new arena of international politics, but it is a by-product.

It is true that if there is one centre of the "Turkic world", the heart happens to be contemporary modern Turkey. It is also important to underline that the "Turkish model" is a secular one. Islam is on the rise, not only in the periphery, but also in the very new republics, a phenomenon easily judged by the construction of mosques and the printing of the Koran, there are some neighboring countries which send religious leaders to all the Central Asia republics and Azerbaijan and invite hundreds of young students as part of their efforts to bolster Islamic fundamentalism. Kemalis is the ideology of the Turkish Revolution of the 1920s, on the other hand, placed secular thinking as a cornerstone of the new Constitution and tried to free the polity from religious considerations. Since then, secularism is a constitutional principle with the Turks of Turkey.

The competition connected with Islam's place in the society is ranging around the choice of an alphabet to replace the Cyrillic. While some neighbors recommend a return to the old Arabic script. Turkey suggests the Latin. Kazakhstan, with a large Russian minority, may be content with Cyrillic but other Turkic peoples are more open to adopt the Latin used by most of them until the Russification campaign of the Stalin era.

(Source: The Mainstream, 22 June, 1996)