Between Empire and Nation-State
enjoy speaking in public about their group. They even conceal the fact
that they are Salonikan from those who do not know them, so as “to pre-
vent some groundless and absurd rumors being spread about the group.”
Unfortunately because of the attacks upon them, however, the Dönme
“forget how they have become honored by the glory of Islam, become dis-
tinguished living according to Islamic moral standards, and taken pride in
the progress they have shown among all Muslim peoples.” Nevertheless,
“They do render their prayers at mosque at dawn” ( 14 ).
Major Sadık was spurred to rebut claims casting doubt on Dönme moral
piety at length, attacking the anonymous author’s logic ( 15 ). For, after all, if
members of this community, who live separate and isolated, and, as much
as they can, avoid relations with others, how can they be the only cause
of contagious diseases, immorality, and atheism being spread in society?
It is a great injustice to accuse these well-mannered people, who keep to
themselves, of spreading disease and immorality. Major Sadık observes that
“other than five to ten minutes at prayer times, when four or five people
render their prayers, the doors of many big mosques in Istanbul are closed.
There is not a drop of water in the ablution fountains for doing ablutions”
( 16 ). Is it the Dönme who are “the cause of houses of worship, which in
our grandfathers’ time were crowded and busy as beehives, being closed
and deserted, and that people abandon their prayers? Do only their women
go about dressed immodestly?” Far from Dönme women being immodest,
until recently, they used to place great importance on veiling, not going
out in the street unless they were wearing the old-fashioned cloak, and
“this group knew nothing other than sticking to their own affairs, neither
mixing in politics nor changing women’s dress in any way” ( 15 ).
Major Sadık addresses the question of the influence of the Dönme
on Anatolian society. Rather than spreading corruption, the Dönme, by
spreading out throughout Anatolia brought good traits to the far reaches
of the land. As for the people of Anatolia following the aforementioned
group, “in fact what they tried to borrow [from the Dönme] were their
habits of being in harmony, mutual friendship, and helping one another,
their skill and proficiency in business matters” ( 23 ). In any case, the people
of Anatolia know the proverb “Every sheep hangs itself by its own leg”—
that is, “every person is judged by his own deeds.” Major Sadık manages
to turn around criticism: “Saying that [some Dönme] are in government
service and the others play a role in the world of trade is actually to praise
and appreciate them, which is what they deserve. In the end, this life is a