Mustafa Fehmi Kubilay (1906- December 23, 1930) was a Turkish teacher and a lieutenant (Turkish: ''Asteğmen'') in the Turkish army. He is considered a "Martyr of the Revolution" (''"Devrim Şehidi"'') in Turkey.

Biography

Kubilay, the son of Hüseyin and Zeynep, who were

Cretan Turks The Cretan Muslims ( el, Τουρκοκρητικοί or , or ; tr, Giritli, , or ; ar, أتراك كريت) or Cretan Turks were the Muslim inhabitants of the island of Crete. Their descendants settled principally in Turkey, the Dodecanese ...

, was born Mustafa Fehmi in

Kozan, Adana Kozan (Turkish name), formerly Sis ( hy, Սիս), is a city in Adana Province, Turkey, northeast of Adana, in the northern section of the Çukurova plain. The city is the capital of the ilçe (district) of Kozan. The Kilgen River, a tributary of ...

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

in 1906. His parents had fled to Turkey prior to the population exchange to escape massacres and persecution. He received his basic education in Aydın from 1913 to 1919, and began a tailors apprenticeship. During his apprenticeship he passed the examination for enrollment into teachers training, he received his teachers credentials in 1926. Mustafa Fehmi adopted a surname after graduation in accordance with

Kemalist Kemalism ( tr, Kemalizm, also archaically ''Kamâlizm''), also known as Atatürkism ( tr, Atatürkçülük, Atatürkçü düşünce), or The Six Arrows ( tr, Altı Ok), is the founding official ideology of the Republic of Turkey.Eric J. Zurche ...

policies and chose the name Kubilay. Kubilay taught in Aydın and later at Zafer Elementary School in

Menemen Menemen is a district of İzmir Province in Turkey and its central town. The district extends on a fertile plain formed by the alluvial soil carried by the Gediz River. Adjacent districts are, from east to west; Aliağa and Foça to the north and ...

. He was posted in

during his compulsory military service. Kubilay was married to Fatma Vedide in a civil ceremony in Aydın. He had a son, Vedat Aktuğ. Lieutenant Kubilay was killed and beheaded by the Naqshbandi (Turkish: Nakşibendi) order Sufi protesters after the troops he commanded fired with wooden bullets into the crowd of armed demonstrators in the

Menemen Incident The Menemen Incident, or Kubilay Incident ( tr, Kubilay Olayı or ''Menemen Olayı''), refers to a chain of events which occurred in Menemen, a small town north of İzmir in the Aegean Region of Turkey, on 23 December 1930. Islamists rebelled ...

. Lieutenant Kubilay was beheaded, his head impaled on a flagstaff and was paraded around Menemen by the insurgents. The rioters, who sought the return to Sharia law and the

Caliphate A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...

were all soon arrested and tried by courts-martial. Lieutenant Kubilay became a secular martyr for Atatürk's new republic. Zafer Elementary School in Menemen where Kubilay taught was renamed Kubilay Elementary School (Turkish: Kubilay İlkokulu) in his honor. Kubilay Secondary School (Turkish: Kubilay Ortaokulu) in Menemen is also named in his memory. A memorial parade is held by the army annually on 23 December at (the) Martyr Kubilay Memorial (Turkish: Şehit Kubilay Anıtı) located on a hill over-looking

; in remembrance of Kubilay and the two municipal watchmen; Bekçi Hasan and Bekçi Şevki who were also killed in the incident. The monument features a tall sculpture by Ratip Aşir Acudoğlu which was erected in 1932. The Kubilay Memorial is a part of Kubilay Barracks, but open to the public. A military honor guard stands continuous watch at the memorial site, which contains the graves of several Turkish soldiers who were killed in the line of duty.

Background of the Incident

References

* *
Radikal, ''1930 Menemen Olayı bir Nakşibendi tertibi miydi.'' Ayşe Hür, 30/12/2014
*
Kubilay Secondary School official site. T.C. MİLLÎ EĞİTİM BAKANLIĞI İZMİR - MENEMEN - KUBİLAY ORTAOKULU
*
M. Fehmi Kubilay. Official Menemen municipal website
retrieved 21 June 2014. *
Hurriyet Ege, news article 24 December 2000. ''We commemorate the martyr Kubilay''
retrieved 21 June 2014. *

retrieved 21 June 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kubilay, Mustafa Fehmi Turkish schoolteachers Turkish military officers 1906 births 1930 deaths People from İzmir People killed by Islamic terrorism Deaths by decapitation