A Journey to Defend Turkey's Secular Ideals

CANAKKALE, Turkey, May 5 It was dawn Saturday, and a still ascendant full moon shared the sky with a pale light. Young and old, students and retirees -- together, defenders of Turkey's eight decades of resolute secularism -- had already arrived for the trip. There were posters and portraits of the country's founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, signs quoting his aphorisms, pins intoning his principles.

Their messages were the same. "Turkey is secular and will remain secular," one of the placards read.

Buy This Photo Actress Kivilcim Kilicarslan and other advocates of a secular government prepare to board a ferry across the Dardanelles to reach Canakkale rally. (By Anthony Shadid -- The Washington Post) Who's Blogging? Read what bloggers are saying about this article. Avant News - Deadpan satire from plausible futures - Avant News Google News U.K. Horologion - Full List of Blogs (3 links) » Most Blogged About Articles On washingtonpost.com | On the web Save & Share Article What's This?