Way too much analysis on Turkey is exclusively viewed thru 2 relatively short periods, (1) 1924-40 and (2) 1997-2002. Thus the idea of "Islam died in Turkey under Kemal and is now revived when Erdogan came to power" which both Muslims and secularists use.

The transition period (and in some cases major political/elite continuity) between Ottomans, Young Turks, and Kemalists is thus ignored entirely. So is the Cold War period where, contrary to perception, Kemalists and Islamists occasionally allied against Left.

also, pro-tip - while it's wonderful that Adnan Menderes restored the Azan, he was not executed for that nor was he executed in a military/Kemalist conspiracy to "subjugate" Islam. This is something that WAAAAAAAAY too many non-Turkish Muslims repeat with overconfidence.

It's also important to note that Kemal/Kemalists don't, at least openly, despise Islam outright - rather view it as a cultural artifact that needs to be subjugated and modified to national politics and above all a (European-modelled) modernism, as an identity label.

In this sense, Kemalism is similar to other modern ideologies in Muslim countries, e.g., Marxism/"Arab socialism"/liberalism/fascism/Baathism/ethnonationalism/even some extreme forms of "Islamism", in that it appropriates Islamic labels/terms AGAINST normative Islamic practice.

radical changes that Kemal implemented (abolition of caliphate/Europeanization/ultranationalism/changing Islamic practices) wouldn't have passed muster EXCEPT that Turkey in 1920s was traumatically battered & anything smacking of change/progress was welcomed for "greater good"

Plus Kemal was not nearly as openly anti-Islam as some Kemalists would go on to become. He played a lot on Gazi "Ghazi" theme, coopted classically trained Ottoman-period Muslim clergy, even commissioned a Turkish translation of Quran - with aim of coopting it for modern state

In this sense Kemalism is somewhat similar to other modern ideologies in Muslim countries - e.g. ethnonationalism, state nationalism, Baathism, Marxism, liberalism, even some extreme forms of "Islamism" - in that it upturned normative Islam under guise of improving Muslim lot

Why is this important? (1) It can help us understand Turkey's conditions more holistically and thus address them and (2), more importantly, it can help us avoid the same mistake. Changing religious practice while chanting religious slogans is by no means exclusive to Kemalism.

There's no shortage of Muslims outside Turkey who while strongly identifying with Islam (for which may Allah reward them) and even having ghairat for it, are nonetheless quite happy with unIslamic concepts (e.g. state/race supremacism, oppression of poor) when push comes to shove