Religion and society in Namık Kemal

In our study, ?Religion and Society in Namık Kemal?, we tried to make a review on the Namık Kemal, one of XIX th century Ottoman-Turkish intellectuals, in respect of his thoughts and ideas which have an effect on him. Radical change in modern political philosophy gave way to some serious discussions on state and related issues, and the questioning of traditional institutions. In this period, Namık Kemal, who offered similar contract ideas in the field of politics, defined sovereignty as a concept that enables the presentation of individual?s natural right in politics, rather than explaining it as an externally given authority. Instead of constructing a political theory in modern philosophy, Namık Kemal asserted some solutions for the falling empire, considered Western political institutions as the most suitable model for the empire and legitimated the concepts such as constitution, parliament and congress that developed under the influence of contract theory, on the Islamic-Ottoman thought and state tradition. Handling the contract theory in terms of its consequences, rather than handling it on philosophical basis, Namık Kemal tries to make a synthesis between the concepts of Islamic and Ottoman tradition and Western thought. In this study, the Islamic thought, the knowledge about the concepts of state and gave it. As well as, Namık Kemal?s political, social and religious point of view, we tried to explore their views on the works movement.Key Words: Religion, Society, Namık Kemal, Contract, the State, Freedom, Homeland