Paper Title
Modernization and Religion: Case Study of Ataturk and Reza Shah

Abstract
In the early decades of the twentieth century, semi-modern states emerged in Iran and Turkey. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who managed to establish Turkey on the remains of the Ottoman Empire, tried to modernize Turkey with Anti-religious approach. In Iran, too, Reza Khan successfully toppled the rotten Qajar Dynasty and took hold of the throne. He, likewise, believed in modernization through the process of Westernization. Foreign relations between two countries, and especially Reza Shah`s historical visit to Turkey (1934), deepened linkage of theoretical approach of two rulers, so that when Reza Shah returned from his historical visit, he became more determined in his Westernization policy and particularly unveiling women. Despite similar theoretical approaches and the influence of Turkey on Iran, comparing the westernization of Ataturk and Reza Shah reveals many differences in their magnitude and range. Ataturk omitted religious ranking, religious schools and Sharia courts, and monasteries. He prohibited any religious signs and established civil law; he obligated to read Quran, Prayer and Azan in Turkish instead of Arabic and determined weekend vacation from Friday to Sunday, as the official holyday of week despite Reza Shah�s attempts to do same works like Ataturk, he did none of these changes in Iran. Resistance in the two countries was different too. There was no social mobilization in Turkey and the resistance was regional and temporary. The question of this paper is: which factors, despite similar theoretical approach, did cause different results in Iran and Turkey? The main factor that can explain these differences (differences in the magnitude and the type of resistance) is "religion and the organization of clergymanship". Moreover, Turkey�s neighborhood with Europe, strong bureaucracy remained from Ottoman Empire and finally Turkey�s threatening by foreign threat (Greece) are other influencing elements. Keywords- Turkey, Iran, Reza Shah, Ataturk, Religion, Islam, Westernization, Modernization.