Leader of Turkey,
(1881 – 10 November 1938)Ataturk said this:
“Title 'Yikin heykellerimi'
->'Destroy and shatter the statues you have built of me'
O nation
I am Kemal Mustafa
If my thoughts and beliefs are not of this day and age
If my wisdom isn't still the most authentic mentor
Then let my tongue cleave to the roof of my palate
I apoligize
Forget everything I said
Destroy and shatter the statues you have built of me
If freedom isn't still the supreme value
If you'd rather have slaves stay chained
Forget everything I said
Destroy and shatter the statues you have built of me
If you see no sense in living a civilized life
If you want to be sent back in time to the middle ages and wish to put a crown on the head of a man who spits into the face of art
Forget everything I said
Destroy and shatter the statues you have built of me
If the pain of war violence was not enough
If peace at home, peace in the world has no meaning
If to be awarded requires an arms race
Forget everything I said
Destroy and shatter the statues you have built of me
If you miss the fez and the veil and prefer to light the night
If you're still hoping to find healing from a dervish, a sheik or an amulet
Forget everything I said
Destroy and shatter the statues you have built of me
If you say women should not be equal to men and should be covered in black sheets in order to flee from the wrath of bigots
If you say you don't want to see our women and daughters to get an education just because you believe this is their fate
Forget everything I said
Destroy and shatter the statues you have built of me
If freedom and democracy is too much for you to handle
If you have a longing for the sultan of the Sultanate and are still not able to determine the significance of being a nation
Be servants, stay on the path of religion and wait for şeyhülislam to lay down the law for you
Forget everything I said
Destroy and shatter the statues you have built of me
And LEAVE ME ALONE…
-
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
