National oath: Misak-i Milli

Literally translates as "the national oath" and is the political manifest of the Independence War. The document was drafted by Mustafa Kemal after his meetings with the representatives of the various segments of the Ottoman society (including Turks, Kurds, Arabs, Christian minorities etc) at Sivas and Erzurum Congresses.
Mustafa Kemal's draft was then sent to the Ottoman Parliament in Istanbul as a "request" document. The document was finalized in Istanbul on 28 January 1920 and was announced to the world (through official notes sent to foreign embassies in Istanbul ) as "the conditions of the Ottoman Empire" for the closure of World War I. From a Turkish (Republican) point of view, Misak-i Milli summarizes "the minimal targets" of the Independence movement.

Importance in World History

Misak-ı Milli, is considered a Charter of Liberty document in the same fashion as the "Magna Carta" and "Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen"

History

The Allies had invaded Istanbul as per the 1918 Armistice of Mudros. With this agreement, it was agreed that Ottomans would surrender the remaining garrisons outside Anatolia, grant the Allies the right to occupy forts controlling the Straits of the Dardanelles and the Bosporus; and the right to occupy "in case of disorder" any territory in case of a threat to security. The Ottoman army was demobilized, and ports, railways, and other strategic points were made available for use by the Allies. Furthermore the allied command announced they would arrest all members of the Ittihad ve Terakki (Progress and Union) political party – a move aimed at paralysing the Ottoman burocracy. Almost all members of the Ottoman parliament consisted of Progress and Union party members, arresting these politicians would severe all communication between Ottoman cities and the Ottoman capital Istanbul. Although the members of the parliament were supposed to have diplomatic immunity according to Mudros agreement, the allied command arrested members of the Ottoman parliament and shipped them to the British military prison in the island of Malta. The Ottoman nation was left with no intellectuals, no politicians or representatives of the people to defend the rights of the nation. Some members of the parliament managed to escape Istanbul and hid in various towns of Anatolia.

However Ottoman State (To be precise, Teskilat-i Mahsusa, the secret organization founded by Enver Pasha )at the same time also formed a secret society called The Sentinel Association outside of, yet within the Istanbul government, whose purpose was to assist the efforts of the resistance movement in Anatolia. Mustafa Kemal left Istanbul for Samsun as a member of The Sentinel Association.
Starting from Samsun, Mustafa Kemal organized national congresses in Erzurum and Sivas in 1919 where he invited the members of the Ottoman Parliament who had escaped Istanbul because of the invasion as well as representatives from each Ottoman city to form a parallel parliament as the Parliament in Istanbul was under constant harassment from the Allies.
With the "free" members of the Ottoman Parliament and the representatives from each Ottoman city, Mustafa Kemal drafted Misak-i Milli. The draft document then was sent to the Ottoman Parliament in Istanbul as a "request from the Ottoman people".

The Ottoman Parliament in Istanbul accepted and finalized the document in a secret meeting on 28 January 1920. Unlike the formal and the usual parliamentary meetings, the oath was not recorded in the official agenda and the details of the meetings and discussions were not recorded by the parliament secretaries. However the final document was announced to the world as "the conditions of the Ottoman Empire" for the closure of World War I. From a Turkish(Republican) point of view, Misak-i Milli summarizes "the minimal targets" of the Independence movement.

The National Oath

1. The future of the territories inhabited by an Arab majority at the time of the signing of the Armistice of Mudros will be determined by a referendum. On the other hand, the separation of the territories which were occupied or not at that time (Armistice of Mudros) and inhabited by an Ottoman Moslem majority and/or those who has co-existed and share cultural, spiritual values and share a common goal, aim and mutual respect with the Muslims, can not be accepted and is considered as a "whole".
2. The status of Kars, Ardahan and Batum may be determined by a referendum.
3. The status of Western Thrace will be determined by the votes of its inhabitants.
4. The security of Istanbul, the centre of the Islamic world and the Ottoman government and the security of the Marmara sea should be provided for. Transport and free-trade on the Straits of the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles will be determined by ourselves and other concerned countries.
5. The rights of minorities (Note: only non-Muslims are considered as minorities) will be issued on condition that the rights of the Moslem minorities in neighbouring countries are protected at the same level.
6. In order to develop in every field, the country should be independent and free; all restrictions on political, judicial and financial development will be removed.

Notes

About the 1st point: The draft document mentioned "the separation of the territories which were not occupied at that time (Armistice of Mudros)" however the final document reads "the separation of the territories which were occupied or not at that time (Armistice of Mudros)". The draft document displays a desire to save the territories of the current Turkish republic however the final document covers all Ottoman territories inhibited by Muslims and those who has co-existed and share cultural, spiritual values and share a common respect with the Muslims.
The 6th point regarding the economical and the financial independence is also very important.
Starting at the time of Suleiman the Magnificent, Ottoman Empire had been giving away economical privileges to various European countries in order to assist these European countries financially. These privileges included French (and later all European countries and United States)ships using, (buying and selling goods)shopping at Ottoman Ports tax-free. At the time of Suleiman, this was not an issues as Ottomans were financially much more superior. However as time passed, European countries entered the industrial age, formed colonies and still kept using these privileges which allowed European powers produce, buy and sell in Ottoman lands and ports tax-free. This virtually turned Ottoman Empire into a European colony. With the 6th Point, the Turkish Parliament for the first time since Suleiman the magnificent, rejects and cancels all privileges given to Europeans.
The 6th point also included a reference to cooperation with the League of Nations in the draft Mustafa Kemal had prepared, this was removed in the final document. This shows that the Ottoman Parliament aimed total independence without the interference of any foreign party.

Aftermath

Kars, Ardahan and Batum never had a referendum. The Turkish port of Batum(in present day Georgia) was given away to Soviet Republic as a display of good will by Mustafa Kemal, but in exchange Soviets had supplied the Indepence movement with weapons and financials.

Western Thrace (Northern Greece) never had a referendum although having a Muslims/Turkish majority at the time of Mudros Armistice. Instead, the Greek and the Turkish governments agreed on a population exchange. Millions of Greeks were forced to migrate to Greece from Anatolia and millions of Turks and Muslims (Albanians, Bosnians etc) were forced to migrate from present day Greece to Anatolia.

Istanbul, which has been the capital of the Turkish state since Mehmed II (Fatih)is no longer the capital city. By moving the capital city from Istanbul to Ankara, the centre of the Islamic world was made defunct.

The 5th point of the National Oath has played an important part in shaping the politics in Turkey. The unfortunate situation of Halki Seminary (Heybeliada Ruban Okulu) in Istanbul, which is the main school of theology of the Orthodox Church should also be viewed from this point of view.

U.S. President Bill Clinton visited Halki Seminary on his visit to Turkey in 1999 and urged Turkish President Süleyman Demirel to allow the reopening of the school. In October 1998, both houses of the United States Congress passed resolutions that supported the reopening of Halki. The European Union has also raised the issue as part of its negotiations over Turkish accession to the EU. In a speech before the Turkish Parliament on April 6, 2009, United States President Barack Obama re-affirmed the need for Turkey to allow the re-opening of Halki Seminary as well. However currently in Greece, Turkish minority are not allowed to acknowledge themselves as "Turkish" and the Muslim minority are not allowed to elect their own spiritual leaders but rather the Greek government dictates/appoints the leader.

While analysing Turkey's political position in Cyprus issue and and the situation in Greek Orthodox schools, the 5th point must be kept in mind.

Misak-i Milli today

The document covered the minimum expectations and the targets from the Independence movement and has always been considered as the ultimate aim of the current Turkish state however these targets have not been reached.

However the current governments middle-east politics such as,
* removing visa requirement between Turkey and the neighbouring countries,
* establishing high level strategic cooperation with Syria, Egypt, Lebanon and Iraq,
* Financing and opening schools, hospitals in North Africa, Middle-East, Balkans
* forming military alliances and opening military bases in Macedonia, Bosnia, Albania, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Mali, Maurita, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, Algeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, Sudan, Chad, Zimbabwe and Morocco ( http://www.aksiyon.com.tr/aksiyon/haber-10259-26-turk-askeri-dunyaya-aciliyor.html )
can be seen as the current Turkish government's (AKP) desire to follow the National Oath which was drafted by Mustafa Kemal and finalized by the last Ottoman Parliament.

The Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic have been portrayed as each others anti-thesis throughout history,  therefore a policy document that was prepared by Mustafa Kemal, approved by Ottoman Parliament being actioned by governments of Turkish Republic as a contradiction but the "devlet-i ebed mudded" (the eternal and the immortal state) tradition of the Turkish nation is the answer to this contradiction. Turkish Republic is the Ottoman State.

There are 16 Turkish states in history that are regarded as the predecessors of the modern Turkish Republic ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historic_states_represented_in_Turkish_presidential_seal ) starting from the Hun Empire. However in reality there has always been one state with different names and flags. An Ottoman Imperial document (The National Oath) actioned by the Republican Turkey is just an indicator of this historical fact.

The 1st point of the national Oath is also important in understanding the Turkish identity. The National Oath Charter does not refer to a "Turkish" nation or a "Turkish race" however it includes peoples of Ottoman society which share the same belief, same aim, same mutual respect and same goal. This is also a reference to the historical definition of the Turkish identity also explained by Ismet Ozel "..Anywhere on earth, at anytime, anyone who has the guts, the intentions and the mindset to stand against injustice and defend the good against the evil has been and can be called a Turk..."

Finale

The National Oath is taught at every level of Turkish education system (elementary, secondary and university) as the fundamental manifest of the Turkish Republic but the context of the Oath is not explained well or taught in detail. This is due to the status-quo and is destined to change as per the changes in the power balance of the international and regional dynamics.
The oath was accepted after a presentation at the Parliamentary chair by Hon.Mehmet Şeref (Aykut) Bey (MP, Edirne). He concluded his presentation with the following sentence "..What we have here is the the national oath, our oath of existence. We either will fulfil these promises or we will, on course to achieve these promises, will disappear from the face of the history with pride. But we will never accept to live as slaves, sirs..."

Article by Beyti Kahraman