Taking one’s hat off as a sign of respect is an ancient practice that is still common today. It can also be seen in the expression “My hat’s off to soand-so,” which is intended to show reverence or honor for a virtuous or impressive action. This is in fact a Christian ritual, and it’s still a custom in entering many churches to remove the hat as a sign of deference to God. This has a scriptural basis in the New Testament.

“Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head.”

1 Corinthians 11:4

This was also a sign of submission— during the feudal period in Europe, it was customary to remove your helmet in the presence of your lord, making it much easier for him to kill you, thus symbolizing the lord’s dominance and the vassal’s subservience. This is the same logic behind the “knighting” ritual, in which the one who will become a knight kneels, and the monarch touches both shoulders with a sword.

For Christians, submitting to the feudal lord was the same as submission to God. Legitimacy of the ruler in Europe was based on appointment by the pope, regarded as God’s representative on earth, so submitting to the lord, appointed by the pope, was the same as submitting to God.

This same act of worship is now directed towards the worship of “the nation,” a modern type of idol that is meant to represent a collective identity. In America, during nationalist rituals like singing of the national anthem at sporting events, there is an expectation that men remove their hats as a show of respect to the nation or its symbols, like the flag.

This also carries over in the courtroom— it’s generally not allowed to wear a hat in a courtroom in Western Europe or North America. In the past, Christian judges would enter the courtroom with a Bible, so the people in the courtroom would honor it by standing, and remove their hats as in any situation where prayer or worship is taking place.

This ritual also carried over to modern courtrooms, although now the judge is a representative of the state, rather than a representative of God. So in effect, the state and the nation have assumed the place once held by God.

If you read the Turkish constitution, you can also see that it refers to the state and even Ataturk, the state’s founder, with language which in reality should be reserved only for Allah. The first paragraph:

“Affirming the eternal existence of the Turkish Motherland and Nation and the indivisible unity of the Sublime Turkish State, this Constitution, in line with the concept of nationalism introduced by the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Atatürk, the immortal leader and the unrivaled hero, and his reforms and principles…”

Turkish Constitution

This describes the nation as eternal, and Ataturk as immortal, which are attributes that belong to Allah alone. Due to the rituals surrounding the state, it’s necessary to view nationalism or statism as a new form of religion.