After WWI, the Europeans tried to destroy the Ottoman Empire. Instead, they provoked a young Turkish Army Colonel, Mustafa Kemal, into leading a war of survival. They drove the occupiers of the heartland of their country right into the ocean, in some places. Much of the empire was partitioned, Iraq, Iran, Palestine, that whole region, was created from bits and pieces of the Ottoman Empire. The Europeans paid no attention at all to what land was occupied by what people, and left us the mix that has resulted in our little difficulties today. Europe, and the Treaty of Versailles, set us up for the War on Terrorism. Those who don't know their history are doomed to repeat it. In spades, and with numerous variations on an unpleasant theme.
There is a book called "Grey Wolf" that you should read. It is a biography of Mustafa Kemal, whom they call Attaturk, the Father of the Turks. He is their George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln, all rolled into one.
here is a condensation of his biography, by people who consider him the enemy of Islam.
http://bismikaallahuma.org/History/ataturk.htm