Location Ankara | Website add.org.tr | |
 | ||
Founded 19 May 1989 (1989-05-19) | ||
Founded by Professor Hıfzı Veldet Velidedeoğlu, Professor Muammer Aksoy and Associate Professor Bahriye Üçok, The Atatürkist (Kemalist) Thought Association (Turkish Atatürkçü Düşünce Derneği or ADD) is a secular organization that espouses the ideas of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey. The group is opposed to the Islamist tenets enacted by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Iran and wants to ensure that religion and state remain separate in Turkey. The organization is known for initiating court cases against web sites which insult Atatürk, or with links to sites that insult Atatürk. It is credited with organising the 2007 Republic Protests.
People associated with ADD include former President of the Constitutional Court of Turkey Yekta Güngör Özden, former General Şener Eruygur (its head in 2009) and Tansel Çölaşan (its head since 2010).