Erdogan opts for a low-key celebration of Turkey’s 100th anniversary

Turkey is marking the 100th anniversary of the creation of the modern, secular republic from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire on Sunday, but expect no grand pageantry or gala reception to memorialize the important milestone.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has opted for a low-key celebration of the centennial, which comes months after a devastating earthquake that killed 50,000 people and coincides with the Israeli-Hamas war that has roiled the Middle East.
The subdued affair, however, has caused dismay among many in Turkey who feel that the legacy of the republic’s founding father, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, is under attack by Erdogan’s government. They see the lack of pomp and fanfare an as attempt by the government, which finds its roots in Turkey’s Islamic movement, to erase Ataturk’s memory.