Do you think that kind of thing was "normal" for the Islamic middle east?
Turkey was well underway to becoming a very modern state
The temporary modernization of Turkey was a result of having rulers and elites who looked to the west to copy their success. It was absolutely not a result of a popular movement. Modernization was not supported by the bulk of the population at any point in time.
Let's just use this as an example, from the website you linked to above: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yOvi_Hupn0M/VA34gNyV1DI/AAAAAAAA8R...
Do you think that kind of thing was "normal" for the Islamic middle east?
Turkey was well underway to becoming a very modern state
The temporary modernization of Turkey was a result of having rulers and elites who looked to the west to copy their success. It was absolutely not a result of a popular movement. Modernization was not supported by the bulk of the population at any point in time.