Turkish association protests curriculum change from 'War of Independence' to 'National Struggle'

The Atatürkist Thought Association (ADD) has voiced strong opposition to a proposed change in the Turkish education curriculum, specifically targeting the alteration of historical terminology. The Ministry of National Education announced plans to replace the phrase "Kurtuluş Savaşı" (War of Independence) with "Milli Mücadele" (National Struggle) in history textbooks.

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Today we have gathered here; to stand with one heart, to protect the memory of a nation, the future of our children, the secular and scientific foundation of our Republic, and the ideal of modern Turkey entrusted to us by Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

In response, ADD's Izmir branches organized a march in Alsancak, under the banner "We are protecting the education and historical consciousness of the Republic! Izmir is marching for the Republic!" Citizens gathered, supported by members of the Contemporary Life Support Association (ÇYDD) and Eğitim İş. Chanting slogans such as "Turkey is secular, it will remain secular," "We are soldiers of Mustafa Kemal," and "How happy is the one who says I am a Turk," the participants marched along Kıbrıs Şehitleri Avenue, concluding with a press statement.

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We know very well that the borders of a country are not protected solely by maps and fronts. The true borders of a country are protected in its schools, on the teacher's podium, in textbooks, and in the minds of its children.

Ufuk Yıldırım, ADD's Karşıyaka branch president, read the statement, emphasizing the collective stand to protect the nation's memory, the future of children, the secular and scientific foundations of the Republic, and the ideal of modern Turkey envisioned by Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. He argued that a nation's true borders are defended in its schools, through its teachers, textbooks, and the minds of its children. Yıldırım warned that those seeking to subjugate a nation first target its memory, questioning its history and transforming its education system to control the future.

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Those who want to enslave a nation first target not its army, but its memory. First, they put its history up for debate. Then they transform its education. They enslave the minds of their children, and in the end, they snatch away a nation's future.

"We object to the rewriting of our War of Independence and glorious history according to ideological preferences!" Yıldırım declared. He stressed that the Republic is more than a form of government; it represents free-thinking individuals, questioning youth, gender equality, and freedom of conscience. "The Republic is reason, it is science, and it is the future itself!" he asserted, expressing confidence in the nation's founding will and Atatürk's foresight. The protesters vowed to remain vigilant, stating, "We will not be silent, we will not let it be forgotten."

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We object to the rewriting of our War of Independence and glorious history according to ideological preferences!