I’m not sure why the Ethnogensis flair appeared, but I guess this does fit into that category.

Yeah, unfortunately lots of radical islamist groups opposed him and they even tried to assassinate him. Ataturk was a clever and determined man. He knew the conservative ottoman culture and system cannot be easily transformed into a secular and democratic regime. So right after the independence war, he slowly introduced the reforms. Gradually, Turkish people accepted most of his revolutions. But during that time, Ataturk had to act as a dictator. Because everytime he tried to establish multi parlamenter system, islamists and opposers joined and united under the rival political party, moreover they started doing dirty propoganda around anatolia, which caused mutinies specially around eastern parts in Turkey, whose locals are mostly Kurdish and Arabic. So it was required to maintain the one-man regime for a while. By the way, you shouldn't consider the term dictator in a negative sense. The act of Kemal Pasha fits the definition of "dictator" but eventhough he was in the one man status, he still had the most of Turkish people's support. Because citizens slowly started to notice their life standards were getting better, thanks to the reforms.

Some extra fun facts; Ataturk probably was a deist like most leaders in that era, but to gain trust of the mostly muslim Turkish people, he pretended to act as an "reformist muslim" most of the time. He shut down dervish institutes, seperated religion from the government, gave women right to vote, banned women wearing veils and removed the "caliphate" system. Also traitor sultan departed from the country. Whish he were still alive, Turkey would be a much, much better place.

You should know that there are still millions of Turkish citizens supporting the idea of the secular, modernised Turkey. And they hate current government more than any other foreigner. Turkey must develop without the chains of Islam. This is Mustapha Kemal Ataturk's true legacy.