Freemason Atatürk kills Ottoman empire, secularises Turkey

[TonyGosling]

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk himself was active in Salonica’s Lodge Veritas

Freemasonry in the Ottoman Empire
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/opinion/william-armstrong/freemasonry -in-the-ottoman-empire-85485



July 16 2015 By WILLIAM ARMSTRONG william.armstrong@hdn.com.tr
William Armstrong - william.armstrong@hdn.com.tr

Freemasonry in the Ottoman Empire
‘Freemasonry in the Ottoman Empire: A History of the Fraternity and its Influence in Syria and the Levant’ by Dorothe Sommer (IB Tauris, 317 pages, £62)

The June 2015 edition of popular history magazine “Derin Tarih” (Deep History) claimed to expose the “hidden history” of how Freemasonry played a key role in bringing down the Ottoman Empire. The magazine is published by the same company that owns pro-Justice and Development Party (AKP) newspaper Yeni Şafak, and it is always full of similarly bombastic stories, revealing “historical documents” of dubious veracity. Freemasons may not be the AKP’s number one enemy, but residual paranoia about Freemasonry still lingers on at the fringes of Turkish politics. (Back in the 1970s, current President Erdoğan wrote and performed in a theater play titled “Mas-Kom-Ya,” or Mason-Communist-Jew.)

Freemasonry in the Ottoman Empire This book by historian Dorothe Sommers looks at the development of Freemasonry in Ottoman territory through the 19th and early 20th century. Sommers particularly focuses on masonic lodges in Syria, but she also refers to their general situation around the empire. To some extent this is virgin territory, little researched up to now, and the book can only really scratch the surface. But there is still plenty to learn from it.

A secretive brotherhood largely made up of cosmopolitan elites emphasizing the “welfare of mankind” and partaking in arcane semi-religious rituals - it shouldn’t be surprising that so many conspiracy theories arose about global Freemasonry. There was another layer of intrigue in the Ottoman Empire, as Freemasonry was a European phenomenon that spread east with explicitly colonial structures through the 19th century. But masonic lodges in Ottoman territory quickly “went native” and adapted to local conditions. As elsewhere, the cadres who later filled the ranks of lodges in the Ottoman Empire generally belonged to the cosmopolitan middle and upper classes, often the vanguards of modernization in the eastern Mediterranean world. Lodges became a kind of guild system or social club for the local elites, who cultivated ideas of brotherhood, equality, toleration and reason, as well as less high-minded patronage networks of business and trade.

What makes Ottoman Freemasonry particularly intriguing is that it was an explicitly non-sectarian institution at a time when religious and national affiliations were becoming increasingly politicized. Ottoman Freemasons attempted to achieve what politics and religion were not able to manage: Uniting otherwise disparate minds, producing interreligious sociability, promoting social and moral emancipation. Through a non-religious community of men they sought to override political or religious cleavages, establishing a common denominator for communication and cooperation. The Bible was as welcome as the Quran. In the words of WS Nelson, a non-mason and former missionary in Syria at the end of the 19th century: “[Freemasonry] supplied to Syria a unifying principle, an organization in which all creeds and sects, Christian and Mohammedan alike, can find common ground and meet together as men and brothers whatever their religious differences.”

While many native Muslims were members of masonic lodges, many others were suspicious of an elite club with European origins preaching “civilization and fraternity.” Indeed, Freemasonry earned the opprobrium of religious leaders across the spectrum: Christian, Jewish and Muslim. Conspiracy theories flourished, with accusations about masons plotting to usurp world power resembling those about Jews in the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion.” As Sommer writes, “it was seen by many as a sinister, destructive sect that tried to govern the world in order to attack religious morality and to implement anarchy.”

The three central sections of Sommer’s book focus on lodges in Damascus, Beirut and Tripoli. While the depth of research is impressive, it might have been more rewarding to consider Freemasonry in the Ottoman Empire’s major cities further west like Istanbul, İzmir and Salonica. Some conspiracy theories today darkly claim that the young Mustafa Kemal Atatürk himself was active in Salonica’s Lodge Veritas, overseen by the French Grand Orient. Whatever the truth, it is certainly true that masonic lodges in Salonica played an active role in the city through the 19th and early 20th century.

Sommer admits that there is much more to research on the subject. But her book is still a worthy read. Of course it won’t attract the same attention as “Derin Tarih,” but it is definitely more informative.

[TonyGosling]

Court arrests Turkish soldier for calling Atatürk a ‘freemason’
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/court-arrests-turkish-soldier-for-cal ling-ataturk-a-freemason-117087

ISTANBUL

Court arrests Turkish soldier for calling Atatürk a ‘freemason’
An Istanbul court ordered the arrest of a soldier on Aug. 23 on charges of “insulting the legacy of Atatürk” through his social media posts.

The Kumburgaz Gendarmerie Private Training Center Commandship informed the local prosecutor’s office about one of its soldiers, identified as specialized sergeant Erdal Kaya, who had allegedly insulted Atatürk via his social media account.

He was later detained and referred to court for arrest.

According to the prosecutor’s office, Kaya claimed that Atatürk was a “freemason” in a picture he shared on social media on Dec. 16, 2016, drawing attention to the hand gesture of the leader.

In a separate social media post on April 16, Kaya also reportedly claimed that Atatürk was intended to be shown as “presenting the Turkish women to the Iranian Shah” in a picture showing the leader and his guests.

“I am not surprised; you will be [surprised],” he reportedly wrote in the caption.

The Büyükçekmece Second Criminal Court of Peace subsequently ordered Kaya’s arrest on charges of “openly insulting the legacy of Atatürk.”

[TonyGosling]

The founder of Turkey Mustafa Kemal Atatürk surrounded himself with Masons
http://uk.businessinsider.com/powerful-masons-2011-9/#nston-churchill- contributed-to-freemasonry-his-entire-life-6
The reformer and creator of the Republic of Turkey, Ataturk surrounded himself with Freemasons throughout his career.
During the fight for independence, six of his seven high ranking military staff officers were Freemasons. He was a part of Lodge Veritas in Salonica, which was overseen by the French Grand Orient.
Initiated: 1907


Mustafa Kemal, later known as Ataturk, President of the Republic of Turkey 1923–38, died on this day in 1938.
https://www.facebook.com/FederalLodge/photos/a.528389760512512.122020. 516480475036774/682671661750987
He was the leader of the Turkish War of Independence and crafted the modern Turkish state, emphasizing complete independence and insisting that the country be based on secularism, rather than becoming a theocracy. The Turkish Parliament granted him the special surname Ataturk—"father of the Turks"—in 1934.
His Masonic history is somewhat more unclear and circumstantial. He is said to have been made a Mason in 1907 in Lodge Veritas in Salonica, under the auspices of the Grand Orient of France (which is considered to be irregular by most Anglo-American grand lodges). Other sources say he was a member of Macedonia Risorta Lodge No. 80, Thessaloniki, and Dr. S. Brent Morris, in his Complete Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry, Second Edition, says he was a member of Macedonia Risorta e Veritus Lodge in Italy.
The Turkish government may, however, challenge the veracity of his putative Masonic membership. In 1951, the Turkish Parliament passed a law barring insults to the memory of Ataturk. In 2007, the YouTube internet site was blocked in Turkey for 30 months under this law, due to four videos on the site "insulting" Ataturk, one of which alleged that he was a Freemason. The video in question showed photographs of Ataturk allegedly making "Masonic" signs, and is of the conspiracy theorist ilk.

[TonyGosling]

YouTube was banned in Turkey over this video.......
PROOF: Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was a Freemason

Link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O1MwQMCWMM

PROOF: Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was a Freemason
113,562 views
Published on 27 Jul 2007

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When Islam completely forbids Freemasonry, why did Mustafa Kemal join it? This video attempts to answer this question while shedding some light on the role of Israelites/Sabbateans/Doenmehs/Crypto-Masons in destroying Turkey. Their past and present role is examined.