June 18, 2011

Fethullah Gulen: Society not divided into Kemalists, Muslims in Turkey

Today's Zaman

There is no division in Turkish society between Kemalists and Muslims, and all citizens of Turkey know very well how to coexist with others coming from different religions, races and languages thanks to their roots in an old empire, the Ottoman Empire, according to internationally renowned Turkish intellectual and scholar Fethullah Gülen.

June 17, 2011

Yemeni teenagers’ bodies in Turkey, their minds in home country

Esra Maden

The Turkish Olympiads continue in earnest with a cultural festival in Ankara. Among the 1,000 students in attendance from across the world are teenagers from the countries where the Arab Spring is taking place. As they enjoy a unique opportunity in a faraway land, their minds are not far from their countries.

Children flock to Turkey for Turkish Olympics

Hurriyet Daily News

Nearly 1,000 children from around the world gathered in Turkey for the opening of the ninth International Turkish Olympics on Wednesday in preparation for competitions in which they will display their proficiency in the language.

Turkish language festival starts with glorious opening near Bosporus

Esra Maden

The Turkish language is taking the stage in the ninth edition of the International Turkish Olympiads, which kicked off Wednesday night with a glorious opening ceremony at Dolmabahçe Palace along İstanbul's scenic Bosporus.

June 16, 2011

What Erdogan’s win means to Pakistan, Afghanistan

Naveed Ahmad

Turkey’s June 12 polls indicate that the country is moving towards two-party system with Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Adalet Ve Kalkinma Partisi (AKP) increasing its vote bank by 5 million since the last 2007 elections and opposition party Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (CHP) emerging strong with additional 3.5 million votes.

The AKP has won unprecedented 50 percent votes and secured 326 seats in 550-member parliament. The opposition party, CHP, bagged 25.9 per cent votes and attained 135 seats.

June 15, 2011

Turkey's election & Arab Spring

Atul Aneja

By showing that piety can coexist, if not thrive, with entrepreneurship, hard work and liberal democracy, Turkey has illuminated a path that the depressed youth in West Asia and beyond can pursue.

Turks in their millions headed for the polls on June 12 to participate in a crucial parliamentary election which is likely to have a strong bearing on not only the country's immediate future but also on millions outside, who are in the midst of an “Arab Spring.” Capturing the spirit of a series of bold pro-democracy uprisings in West Asia and North Africa, the Arab Spring promises to liberate vast multitudes in the region — from a stifling era of authoritarian rule.

June 14, 2011

The Gülen Movement, Dialogue, and Tolerance

Enes Ergene

Tolerance[1] and dialogue are among the most basic and broad dynamics of the Gülen movement. These two concepts, first developed on a small scale, have turned into a search for a culture of reconciliation on a world scale. Today, the idea of different groups peacefully living together is a philosophical issue that modern states are trying to formulate. The international relations of past empires were founded on conflict and war. Different civilizations were separated by thick walls, which were supported by political, ideological, and religious identities. Inevitably, this led to conflict. During the long Middle Ages, international relations were governed by a "law of engagement," which allowed for little space to express religious or ethnic differentiation. The domestic laws of states and empires were not exempt from this philosophy. Throughout the Middle Ages, humankind's struggle for civilization found expression in aggressive and passionate conflict. Today, with new concepts brought by globalization, the search for dialogue between civilizations and cultures has entered a new phase.

June 13, 2011

Islamic Liberalism -- The Challenges Facing the AKP

Ahmad Ali Khalid*

Muslim democrats and liberals are looking at the recent Turkish elections with a sense of anticipation and expectation.

Is the Justice and Development Party (AKP) now going to evolve further to extend its discourse of liberal democracy, human rights, economic liberalization and modernization couched within a certain cosmopolitan and pluralist Islamic ethos or has this great political experiment run its course?

June 12, 2011

Hira magazine changes perception of Turkey in the Arab world

Serhat Şeftali

Hira has been bringing together Turkey and the Arab world for six years. Actually, it would be correct to describe it as a platform, rather than a magazine. However, it is not very popular in Turkey, where only 3,000 copies out of the 40,000 printed are sold.

The remaining 37,000 are distributed to intellectuals in the Arab world via subscriptions. The Arab world has been able to connect with Turkey through Hira magazine for the last five years. With a number of workshops in Arab countries, more than 25 symposia and other similar events, Hira magazine has attracted the attendance and participation of more than 2,500 Arab scholars and intellectuals. We spoke with the editor-in-chief of the magazine, Nevzat Savaş, who spends most of his time in the Arab world, before his departure for a meeting.
Blogger Wordpress Gadgets