Columnist İsmail Kılıçarslan faced backlash after writing an article criticizing state-mandated commemoration rituals and the application of Law No. 5816, becoming the target of what he described as Kamalist azgınlık.
The Controversy Over 10 Kasım Commemorations
Kılıçarslan maintains a deliberate routine every 10 November, choosing to remain at home or in his office to avoid participating in state-mandated respect rituals while ensuring he does not disrupt motorists or pedestrians. While emphasizing that he respects the personal beliefs of citizens who honor Mustafa Kemal, the columnist drew a sharp line between personal courtesy and compulsory state ritual.
His published commentary argued that citizens should retain the right to voice non-abusive criticisms of these public displays without facing immediate legal repercussions or public lynching.
“I reserve the right to make non-abusive criticisms regarding the respect shown on November 10. But no. Anyone who expresses these and similar views is finished off either by that law numbered 5816 or directly by being made the subject of a ‘Kamalist sacrificial rite,'” İsmail Kılıçarslan told Yeni Şafak
İsmail Kılıçarslan, Yeni Şafak
Critique of Compulsory Rituals
The column specifically targeted what Kılıçarslan described as institutional coercion during the annual commemoration hours. He defended fellow commentator Hacı Yakışıklı, who faced intense online and social retaliation for expressing similar views regarding public traffic stops and roadside ceremonies.
“You do not get out of a car at a certain hour and block roads. There is no standing in respect in front of a statue. This is coercion, this is imposition,” Hacı Yakışıklı said according to Yeni Şafak
Hacı Yakışıklı, via Yeni Şafak
Kılıçarslan said that Yakışıklı was targeted solely for questioning the mandatory nature of these roadside acts. Kılıçarslan articulated his own religious standing regarding the events.
“We are Muslims, and it is clear where and to whom we will show our reverence. I do not find the November 10 reverence right for my own part, and I cannot suit it to a Muslim attitude,” İsmail Kılıçarslan told Yeni Şafak
İsmail Kılıçarslan, Yeni Şafak
The Shadow of Law No. 5816
Kılıçarslan characterized the prevailing ideological climate as an oligarchy that treats the country as private property rather than a shared home for diverse populations.
According to the column, dissenting voices are routinely funneled through either the protective provisions of Law No. 5816 or subjected to severe public cancellation efforts. Kılıçarslan also expressed frustration that prominent figures within his own political or journalistic circles failed to defend Yakışıklı against the mounting pressure.
