ABSTRACT
The identity of the Ottoman Empire was religious. Exception was made only for the religiously dominated legal and educational sector. As Caliph the Sultan was also Head of Islam and the religious state of belonging together took the place of bearer of imperial identity. Ataturk's reforms were not meant to abolish religion but to prevent religion from being used for political ends. The latent antagonism between Alevis and Sunnis constitutes a significant threat to Turkey's development in peace and concord. Turkey's secular character is not appreciated by the conservative or fundamentalist governments in the region, which accordingly give financial support to the religious orders in Turkey. The building up of the Turkish Republic in the Anatolian manifold required an emphasis on unity and belonging together. The majority of the establishment are atheists or more commonly conventional Muslims. The former pride themselves of regarding religion as outdated and the latter more or less unreflectingly follow their families' religious practices.
