Moreover, I think we can't do that unless we engage in a mutually respectful dialogue. That's why, as a concerned citizen, I wanted to share with you my humble views about the role of your institution in our country.

Don't Be A Player In Politics

First of all I should say that, like virtually all Turks, I am proud to have a strong military that supports our nation against potential threats. We live in a dangerous neighborhood, and it is a must to have a stalwart, well disciplined and brave Armed Forces like the one you command. There is no question about that. However there are some questions about your role in Turkey's internal politics. There is a widespread opinion in this country, and in the world, that you are a player in our nation's political matters, and that you take sides between different political views and parties. The prevalent rumor is that you especially don't like the incumbent Justice and Development Party (AKP), and our new president, Mr. Abdullah Gül.

With all due respect, I think that perception – whether it corresponds to reality or not – is very harmful to our nation. Because when you are perceived to take sides between different political views and parties, you also unavoidably seem to favor some citizens against others – and not just their political lines, but their beliefs and lifestyles. For example, when you don't allow the citizens who wear the headscarf to enter your buildings and zones, or when you avoid welcoming our new first lady who wears the headscarf, you seem to be discriminating against a particular segment of our society. Forgive me to use the “D” word, but this simply looks divisive.

Please note that you are the Armed Forces of all citizens of Turkey, and all of them need to trust you. And, despite all the troubles, they actually do. They all pay taxes, and that's the basic financial support for our army, navy and air force. They all send their sons to serve in the military, and, if necessary, to die for the defense of the homeland. When their children are killed in combat, they all say, “Let the homeland be safe.” Wouldn't it be bad to make these people think that they are deemed as second-class citizens by the very state for which they sacrifice their sons.

Principles and Interpretations

I know that you actually don't want to interfere with politics, but you only want to preserve the founding principles of our republic, such as secularism or nationalism. That's what you repeatedly emphasize. But please let me point to a crucial nuance here. The founding principles of our republic have different interpretations, and what you do is, unfortunately, is support only one version among these, which most of the time roughly corresponds to the ideology of the Republican People's Party, the CHP.

Take secularism, for example. This is something that we imported from the West, and there are different versions of it. The secularism of the United States, for example, places much more emphasis on religious freedom than ours does. That's why a headscarf ban would be unthinkable in America. So, it is wrong to think that wider religious freedoms – something demanded by the AKP electorate – will diminish our secularism. It might even embolden it by making it more acceptable to observant believers.

Different interpretations of nationalism are possible, too. Atatürk's nationalism is based on his famous motto, “How happy is the one who says ‘I am a Turk,'” right? Good. But does this mean that the citizens are not supposed to speak Kurdish although that might be their mother tongue? We have thought so since the ‘20s, and thus have banned Kurdish language and culture for so many decades. (And it is no secret that your predecessors have been strong supporters of that “no Kurdish allowed” policy.) However, suppression did not bring the assimilation that we hoped for. It rather created a backlash among the Kurdish citizens, and that's where the PKK terrorism arose from.

Drawing Lessons from Our Mistakes

So, don't you think that we should draw some lessons from our mistakes on the Kurdish question? I do draw one, and it is this: Turkish society is much more diverse than our official rhetoric has traditionally acknowledged, and it is getting even more colorful as Turkey modernizes. The only way to avoid internal conflicts is to appreciate our diversity. Some citizens wear headscarves, others prefer mini skirts. Some are Kurds who are proud of their identity, some are Turkish nationalists who cherish their ethnic roots in Central Asia. If we don't accept a live-and-let-live approach, we will never find peace of mind. And we will never be able to nurture that approach, if you and other state institutions seem to favor some citizens at the expense of others.

Excuse me if I am sounding a bit prig with all this, but I think I am not too unreasonable, and I was recently heartened by a brilliant speech given by one of yours, Gen. Faruk Cömert, the commander of the Air Force. “When we try to understand each other instead of suspecting, and when we mobilize our dynamism that comes from the diversity of our ideas,” Gen. Cömert said, “we will overcome our problems.” He added that our goal should be “the strengthening of our democratic maturity.” That was the best message I have heard these days.

I very much hope that this democratic vision will be the guide for our military in the years to come. Atatürk's hope was to build a modern nation, and if there is one single cornerstone of modernity, that is democracy. Democracy means that ideas and lifestyles that we don't like should have their valid space in public life. And if their representatives are democratically elected, all civil servants should accept their authority.

That's why I hope to see gestures from you nowadays which will show that you genuinely accept and respect our new president and the first lady. I know that there are many undemocratic-minded politicians and pundits who call on you to do otherwise, and constantly try to drag you into politics to support their side. Please ignore them. It is time for them to grow up and learn to defend their views without leaning on the barrels of your guns. And, alas, it is time for our country to become a real democracy.

Mustafa Akyol

A citizen