The Debates On Religious Reform Under The Rule Of National Unity Committee

Abstract

On May 27, 1960, the army overthrew the Democratic Party government, which had been in power since 1950, with a military coup and established a 38-member National Unity Committee. The National Unity Committee started running the country on June 24, 1960, and remained in power until October 25, 1961. During this period, the National Unity Committee had to deal with various political, economic, social, and cultural issues, one of which was the topic of religious reform. In the early stages of the May 27 regime, the debate on religious reform primarily focused on nationalizing the language of religion, sparking discussions around translating the azan and the Quran into Turkish. Over time, the content of the religious reform debate expanded and took on a more radical form, aiming to change the tenets, practices, and concepts of Islam. The debate on religious reform became one of the most important topics on the country’s agenda with the “Religion Reform Bill” presented to the National Unity Committee and the House of Representatives in April 1961 by Osman Nuri Cerman, who had made his name known to the public especially in the 1950s. Although the National Unity Committee initially adopted rhetoric supportive of nationalizing the language of religion, it eventually refrained from supporting demands for religious reform. This study primarily aims to reveal the National Unity Committee’s perspective on religious reform, which reflected a fragmented structure, based on memoirs, national press, and archival documents from the period. It then evaluates the National Unity Committee’s stance on both the Turkification of the azan and the Quran, and on Osman Nuri Cerman’s religious reform proposal. Finally, it attempts to analyze the reasons behind the National Unity Committee’s change in attitude regarding religious reform.