As it must be disclaimed, the book ‘A revolutionary Approach to The Religion Problem’ is in its undeveloped, primitive form as self-criticized by the Peoples Leader, himself. These writings are not completely representative of the current stand of the PKK regarding the revolutionary approach to religion. There have been many developments released as part of defense writings ever since, due to constraints. Overall, the writings should be taken with a pinch of salt, as we continue to translate and analyze the topic.
The approach of the Turkish sovereigns to Islam is hypocritical and reactionary. Now, it is necessary to mention the relationship of Turks with Islam and the effects of Islam on the situation of Turks. This is an important issue and will be more enlightening if a truthful approach is taken.
The Turkic tribes ( at the time there had not yet been formed a stronger Turkish tribe) are in competition with the Oghuzboys tribes; who at their first contact with Islam, were trying to gain a place in the Middle East via assault and plunder.
The character of constructing feudal states; which predominantly conquered and dominated, oppressed and exploited, and sustained this on the basis of bullying, was strengthened through Islam during this period. Between the tribes, whoever practiced this better would gain control.
It should be noted here immediately that the greatness, exaltation, and aggravation of Islam greatly strengthened the classist character of feudal civilizations. Hence, the commanders who played a role in the spread of this civilization are rotten from the start. The concept of the looting will serve to advance at first, but this institution will then be corrupted. It will be used entirely to establish dynasties and reigns.
In the 10th century, Islam in Central Asian gates has lost its original progressive-revolutionary essence significantly; instead it is in the hand of the dynasties, sultans, and rulers who become looters through the seizure of values that began to turn into a rigid conservatism; it has now become an ideological weapon in the hands of those who want to become feudal quickly, those who want to loot power.
It was expansionist in this period and in this sense, an imperialist pioneer was promoted. The Turkics, the Turkish tribes, made contact with this stage of Islam; they are stuck in a period of drought and so on, and must be pick one side. During this period, the Turks were still on the horseback, they are extremely agile. When they face Islam in this way, both because of the cramped situations fueled by the geography they live on, plus the fact that they feed on the horseback, they will swing, spreading everywhere and looking for an assault weapon.
This weapon of assault must be a weapon that strengthens them both ideologically and politically. They will see and hold on to this weight as much as possible. They go to China, and they immediately go to the service of the Chinese Empire, becoming generals. In short, they are extremely self-interested in obeying what is happening. In that period, Islam offers opportunities and advantages to them.
Once they take the sword of Islam in their hands and put it in their ideologically-pure-interpretation as a mask on their faces, they find a very good opportunity to spread; the opportunity to obtain a great loot and become a political power emerges. For this reason, the chiefs of Turkish tribes are rapidly becoming Muslims. If they refuse Islam, they will have to oppose very powerful Islamic armies, which is not possible.
If they accept the Shiism form of Iran, they must oppose the current dominant section, the rightist, the despotic and the defensive, which is not in line with their interests. However, Turkish chiefs want to be feudal sultans and rulers. Therefore, they want to develop against the Alevism-Shiism form by accepting Sunniism, which serves the most rightist, pluralist, and oppressive. They want to develop by jumping to the highest stage of the primitive-communal society. When combined with the possibility of having the support an important feudal power, they make a tremendous feudal leap. With their Islamization in a very short time, they are invading Iran. They are opening to India and Afghanistan, and by 1050 they become partners in the palaces of the Abbasid Empire.
In the middle of the 11th century, they begin to invade Iraq, Kurdistan and Anatolia territories.
NOTE: How did they spread so far? Did they revolutionize Islam? No! Here, we really put importance on the Turkish and Islamic relations, and this is an objective approach.
When they take over the leadership of Islam, they are based on the most right-wing, agonistic, and cruel features of Islam. They pick this Islam against the real revolutionary, civilizing aspect of it. This formation of the feudalism of the Turkish ruling class is regressive. These classes are even against the essence of Islamic civilization. So it is a false Islamist.
Turkey regresses the essence of Islam itself by putting it under pressure. It is indeed the most false representatives of Islam. As we have stated, they accept Islam for loot, for being a political power, for being feudal, for selfishness, for being a sultan; and they do this with the most backward, rightist, and most repressive approaches. Progressiveness and revolutionism are not sought here. This is the place and role of Turkishness in Islamic history, and its negative side is dominant. This can be seen in the collapse of the Abbasid Empire and the collapse of the Iranian states. It is possible to see the Islam invasion in Anatolia.
We need to talk about one more thing here: while the capital and surplus value increased for the dominant part of the Turkish tribes, they obtain political power quickly becoming authoritative and state power. The lower part of the Turkish tribes, namely the communities, are distributed and the distribution begins.
Serfs are Turkmens. The feudalized ones are the chief stature of the tribes. Their approach to Islam is critical. This is also understandable because there is a ‘class’ contradiction, and since then it has retained a state of violent conflict with the Turkish tribes.
The struggle amongst Turkish tribes, especially with the nationalization of them, becomes very cruel. Turkish lords, the Turkmen, have done more cruelty than other tribes because the existence of Turkmens prevents and influences the class power of the Turkish Lords. In the process of classification, a tough fight of interests begins in the separation of tribes. And, of course, in the fight for these interests, there will certainly be those who remain based on feudalism.
Turkmen and Serfs will settle in the mountains. The Beyler empire will settle in the former state centers of the empires; They will concentrate from Baghdad to Konya, Istanbul and other large and small feudal statist centers. Because of the class conflict, the Turkmen will retreat to the Taurus Mountains. They will try to keep themselves alive around the corner, on the shores, here and there. This is the meaning of the emergence of class contradiction in Turkish society, to take on a religious view and a sectarian view. This model is followed in the establishment of the Turkish states, whether it is in the Great Seljuks or the Anatolian Seljuks. The feudalizing segment, as aforementioned, is based on the Sunnism of Islam and its dominant rightist side.
After the establishment of the Anatolian Seljuks, a large number of Turkish tribes flock to Anatolia, and large waves of migration develop. A fairly large Turkish and Islamic population concentrates here. They regress Byzantium. In the decline of Byzantium, Islam represents an advanced civilization according to the period, and Byzantine, in particular, represents layered repression of its own people and other peoples that it has dominated for centuries.
The Byzantines now hate oppression and exploitation. Because they have suffered for centuries under the rule of such an empire. Islam sounds to them like a fresh force, a savior. In other words, the general perception of Islam is a bit like this despite the fact that this is not in essence under the occupying and invading character of Turkism. They are deemed as a fresh force against old Byzantine. It is a subject of an Islamic attack that has gained a lot of strength with the help of the Turkish tribes and the Turkish feudals.
In the hands of the Arabs, this aspect is in fact partly limited; They go all the way to Malatya, but they cannot conquer Byzantium. The conquest of Istanbul, the conquest of Turkish sovereignty, that is, the Ottoman-Islamic Empire will take place.
The first regression and later collapse of Byzantine mean the transgression of an old form of empire that emerges in Rome and the establishment of the most right-wing, slightly delayed large central Ottoman Empire.
To summarize the framework of the Ottoman Empire in history briefly: It reigned at a time when Islam had already surpassed the revolutionary phase. They did not really contribute much to Islamic civilization; they pursued extortion and plunder. Therefore, they had no contribution to civilization.
Of course, there is something they do, but not in the sense of progress, or in the sense of development. There are many Turkics who run in complete conquest and are in need. These Turkics are continuously in need of new land. This makes them feel strictly responsible for the seizure of new lands. Therefore, this phase, which corresponds to the decline of the Islamic feudal civilization, is more evident in the fact of the Ottoman Empire, that it became the most powerful empire of the period with the conquest of Istanbul and that its conservativeness was further increased.
