December 16, 2013

AK Party Deputy Hakan Şükür resigns due to friction over prep schools

Hakan Şükür, a Turkish member of parliament and former international football player, quit Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's ruling party on Monday in protest at a government plan to shut down prep schools, revealing underlying intra-party squabbles.

'Media reports of FBI visit to charter school inaccurate'

The lawyer of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has announced that news reports circulating in the Turkish media over the past several days with headlines such as “FBI operation targets Gülen” and “FBI raids Gülen school” are filled with inaccurate information and baseless accusations.

Turkish Education Ministry engaged in profiling of staff, daily claims

The Taraf daily published a number of new documents on Monday that showed the Ministry of Education has profiled its staff based on their ideological and religious backgrounds.

Erdoğan's propagandist think tanks

Abdullah Bozkurt

Powerful Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's definition of democracy, which is limited to the ballot box, resembles marriage vows in which couples are asked to speak up or forever hold their peace.

Seeking for peaceful coexistence: Abant Platform

Begüm Burak

Since Friday, distinguished writers, journalists and academics having different ideological orientations and religious beliefs have been in Abant in order to seek the methods and policies for the establishment of a common future for Alevi and Sunni citizens.

EU reforms for Alevi demands

Oğuzhan Tekin

The Abant Platform, part of the Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV), gathered over 160 people, including scholars, journalists, leaders of Alevi civil society organizations and representatives from the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) to discuss and promote peaceful coexistence in terms of the Alevi issue at a meeting titled “Alevis and Sunnis: Searching for Peace and a Future Together.” The program was held in Abant, Bolu on Dec. 13-15, 2013. I attended the gathering and would like to share my notes here.

Alevism: Where is it headed? What does it want?

Hasan Kanbolat

The 30th meeting of the Abant Platform, at which the Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV) now makes a traditional appearance, took place between Dec. 13-15 under the general title “Alevis and Sunnis: Searching for Peace and A Future Together.”

Alevis and Sunnis: the only way out

Cafer Solgun

The 30th meeting of the Abant Platform brought to the agenda one of the colossal and thought-provoking issues in our country. A number of academics, journalists, writers and civil society representatives discussed Alevi-Sunni relations in depth. The meeting, themed "Alevis and Sunnis: Searching for Peace and a Future Together," concluded with a declaration stressing the crucial importance of meeting Alevis' fundamental rights for democratization, normalization and social peace.

Turkish volunteers staying months to help survivors

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines—Fourteen thousand miles and 16 hours.

The distance was endured by a group of Turkish people who wanted to help ease the sufferings of the people of this city ravaged by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan).

Yamanlar students sweep AMC 8

Izmir’s Yamanlar Schools won 18 golden, 25 silver and 17 bronze medals at the recently held 60th Annual International AMC 8 contest, jointly held by Mathematical Association of America (MAA) and University of Nebraska. 350 thousand students from 6 thousand schools in 86 different countries attended the contest online.

So you said ‘tutelage'?

Ekrem Dumanlı

Yawning is contagious. If a person starts to yawn at a public gathering, even the most vigilant may fall victim to dozing off in a daydream. Collective yawning sessions are even more infectious! So, too, the last lullaby, sung in chorus, vindicates and absolves the state, turns it into a sacred metaphor. Moreover, this collective hypnosis is performed by those very masses today who, until very recently, antagonized the state in the past. And, unfortunately, this campaign of collective glorification of the state is being waged against the groups that have never exhibited any hostility towards the state.

Alevis demand equal citizenship, disappointed with the state

At the end of the three-day Abant Platform meeting on Alevi relations with Sunnis, one of the fragile fault lines of Turkish politics, Alevis raised their voices higher, demanding equal citizenship against the backdrop of several past and present disappointments with the state.

Alevis voice unease over lack of promised rights

Alevis have expressed their uneasiness over pro-government comments claiming that the Gezi Park protests were an “Alevi uprising,” warning against a “dangerous approach that encourages wrong perceptions.”

What do Alevis want?

Sevgi Akarçeşme

Greeks, Jews and Armenians are considered the only religious minorities in Turkey. However, Alevis have been traditionally considering themselves a minority because their interpretation of Islam differs from the state's understanding.

The state, AKP, Religious Affairs Directorate, Alevis and rights

Bülent Keneş

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) claimed it would minimize the space the state occupies in people's lives and reduce bureaucracy and downsize the public sector when it was first elected to office. During the early years of its rule, it really moved to achieve these targets. But as it increased its control over the entire state apparatus, it has increasingly become yet another typical Turkish ruling party that prioritizes the state.