Professor Toktamış Ateş buried following memorial ceremony
Prominent Professor Toktamış Ateş, who died of multiple organ failure on Saturday, was buried on Monday after a funeral prayer at İstanbul's Fatih Mosque.
A memorial ceremony for Ateş was held at the Rector's Office of İstanbul University at 10 a.m., followed by the funeral prayer at the Fatih Mosque. A number of academics and politicians, including İstanbul Chief Mufti Rahmi Yaran, İstanbul Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu, İstanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş, Republican People's Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Erdoğan Toprak, Justice and Development Party (AK Party) İstanbul deputy Hakan Şükür and AK Party İstanbul Provincial Chairman Aziz Babuşçu, as well as Ateş's colleagues, students, friends and family were among the attendees.
Ateş was then buried at the Merkez Efendi Cemetery.
Describing the professor as a respected man of thought, the İstanbul governor said that Ateş set an example with his tolerance, support for democracy and open-minded personality. "He was extraordinarily respectful when expressing his views. And he also used extraordinarily kind language [when interacting with] people with different views. These characteristics gave him a special place in our hearts. I extend my condolences to his family, relatives and friends and to the world of science and thought," Mutlu said.
Samanyolu Broadcasting Group General Manager Hidayet Karaca said Ateş was known for his reconciliatory approach in the media and within the academic community. He made significant contributions to Turkish democratization, Karaca also noted.
Journalist Abdurrahman Dilipak recounted his memories of Ateş. "We came together 19 years ago at İstanbul University. We were two men with different views at the time, but we repeated Voltaire's words that 'I do not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.' That was an approach we adopted to strengthen our hope to get along despite our differences. Then we worked together on a television program. It lasted not more than 13 shows, but I still remember how much fun it was. What was important then was that we tried not to interrupt, humiliate or insult each other. We merely expressed our hopes and sowed the seeds of peace. I hope we reap freedoms in the future," he said.
Anesthesiology and reanimation specialist Dr. Elif Caymaz told reporters that Ateş died after suffering a seizure at night, coupled with multiple organ failure. He had been receiving treatment at İstanbul University's Çapa School of Medicine since September 2012.
Ateş, 69, was a professor of political science at İstanbul University and was the head of İstanbul University's department of political science and international relations. He was also a lecturer at several American and German universities. Having written more than 30 books, he also wrote columns for the Cumhuriyet daily for more than 10 years. He most recently wrote regular columns for the Bugün daily. He was among the recipients of the Tolerance Award, given by the Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV), in 1996.
Ateş supported the activities of the Hizmet movement, inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen in the 1990s -- a time when the movement faced tremendous pressure from the secular establishment and mainstream media. Ateş, a staunch Kemalist throughout his life, earned the respect of many groups in Turkey for his democratic stance. He also wrote a preface for Gülen's book "İnsanın Özündeki Sevgi" (Love is in the Essence of Mankind)," published in 2003.
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