Craze rules

Ekrem Dumanlı

The dark propaganda is in full bloom. For instance, there are some unfounded lies which some groups try to make people believe in through repetition. Thus, a false claim is voiced so many times that even sane people become ready to believe in it. For instance, since the start of the probe into match-rigging claims, a small group of people who were trying to influence the club put the blame on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the "Community," also known as the Gülen Movement, inspired by ideas of Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen. Recently, they shifted their focus to only the "Community" and started to voice the propaganda, "The Community is trying to seize Fenerbahçe," in an effort to influence Fenerbahçe fans. This is a claim that true Fenerbahçe fans -- and everyone who is interested in soccer -- would laugh away. Indeed, soccer clubs by their nature are able to bring together people from all social groups. This is a completely absurd and irrational argument for those who understand the “Community.” Why?

Why should the “Community” want to seize control of a sports club? Suppose it has seized control. What will it do with a club? How will it benefit from it? How will it treat the people from other beliefs and ideologies who put their hearts into supporting the club? How will the supporters of the “Community” who are in other clubs or fans of other soccer teams react? Won't they be offended by the “Community” supporting a specific club? These and dozens of other questions can asked as part of rebutting the claim that the “Community” is trying to seize the club, ultimately showing that such a claim is extremely irrational. This a claim that is completely unfounded and in stark contrast with the “Community's” attempt to establish ties with everyone. Those who seek to create paranoia that the “Community” is using a soccer club have other aims. A true fan will not bow to such cheap provocations and let him or herself be deceived by such nonsense.

There hundreds of thousands and even millions of Fenerbahçe supporters inside the group they call the “Community.” They are many fans of Galatasaray, Beşiktaş, Trabzonspor and Bursaspor as well. That big mass of people called the “Community” includes fans of every soccer team in Turkey. The “Community” is the natural part of the society. If you give them the keys to a club, they would not accept and turn their backs, saying, "You deserve it better. With their pluralistic structures, soccer clubs serve as places of friendship and union." So it is unfair to voice such charges against them. Those who are deceived by this black propaganda don't know the “Community” or lend themselves easily to manipulations of some people who resort to psychological warfare tactics. We should not submit ourselves to this dark propaganda as this will drive people away from a sport seen by many as a venue for social union.

Excerpted from the author's column published on Sunday's Zaman, 06 May 2012, Sunday

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