When the masks have fallen

Ekrem Dumanlı

All these claims of a parallel state are nothing but fiction, and this country is being dragged into a party state. In addition to the bureaucrats who have been appointed by the government and act in line with the government's instructions, now a group of media waiting for orders from the government before running their headlines is being created.

It seems that the judiciary will be forced to investigate the claims of a so-called illegal organization, and sham trials will be performed to intimidate the Hizmet movement and cover up the corruption claims that become public on Dec. 17, 2013, by taking tactics from the former Ergenekon supporters nested within the army, the bureaucracy, business circles, the media and the judiciary. Not surprisingly, both discourse based on respect and the principles of religion, which prioritize compassion and affection, have been abandoned. How can you expect responsible action from a media organization that regards lies and slander as permissible and tries to cover up and justify corruption?

Unfortunately, some members of the media have already crossed the border. Those who talk louder think they are right. Those who are conceited and boastful, who admire themselves and worship their egos, have emerged, since there are a lot of boot-lickers. God may save them from a terrible end, but we have to say that throughout history, such unscrupulous actions have always ended badly because God creates but never ignores his creations.

There lots of people wearing masks in this country, and they have been hiding their hatred and animosity behind their masks. We could not have known that they would adopt such ugly discourse for the sake of the fame and wealth of this transient world. Recent developments have shown that some people prefer to wear masks while communicating. Each passing day, the contradiction between their smiling masks and their accumulated hatred and anger becomes clearer. It is utterly shameful.

How could we have known that a person who repeatedly said, "I pledged to my Lord that no one prostrating himself before God would be hurt during my term of office as prime minister," can decide to uproot those people who prostrate themselves before God? How could we have known that a person would decide to eliminate the human resources of a group that has worked with him in order to make this country more democratic, peaceful and livable? How could we have known that the people whom you enthusiastically supported in order to live peacefully in this country, irrespective of religious, linguistic or racial differences, would try to defame you with lies, insults and slander in order to cover up their own faults?

In all periods of history, there have been some disagreements between social groups. However, these disagreements have turned into a source of God's mercy when people manage to treat each other with courtesy. And this is what we need to do. It is impossible for everyone to hold the same perspective and the same views. Those who fail to respect disagreements do not understand democracy and human rights. If you try to label every different opinion as treason and present those who disagree with you as a gang or a parallel state, then you will harm both the country and yourselves. You will harm the country because the discourse of hate that you use will create polarization in society. You will hurt yourselves because someone else might voice the same meaningless accusations against you, your family and your party's executives. When you misuse the state apparatus and undermine the rule of law, justice does not function and oppression will start. And every kind of oppression will deal a great blow to the oppressor eventually.

Unfortunately, some people who suffer from an explosion of rage do not think about the future. This is why they do not hear the words coming out of their mouths, read what they wrote or think that they will be judged by history. Every day, new people appear on television programs and on the Internet uttering insulting words against the Hizmet movement.

There are plenty of them. When you look at his mask, you may think he is an intellectual, because for years he has tried to create such an image. How could you have known that one day his mask would fall when he won the jackpot? He has become a great orator. As a result of their loss of prestige, some people are hurling insults when their lust for fame and speaking on television programs come together. Of course, we could respond to their insults in the same manner, but that would be pitiful for this country. Don't you think? When unscrupulousness becomes common practice, it is not possible to prevent an atmosphere of insanity. We should remember that each word that goes beyond its aim will be judged by history and in the resurrection. Even though the people you have defamed may decide to make peace with you and forget what you have done, the issue will not be settled until the resurrection, since you have attacked a great cause.

There is no need to fall into despair. Our Prophet said: "Medina is like a bellows. Just as a bellows clears away rust or ashes from coal or iron, Medina eliminates the dirty-minded people and banishes them away." The same applies to this country. One day, the true side of these developments will be exposed. Sooner or later, the true faces of those who try to cover up their faults by attacking innocent people will appear. We have to be patient and watch our language. They might think that they deceive innocent people by wearing masks. One day, the difference between those who set the world on fire for the sake of their interests and others who renounce the world with contentedness will be clearly understood. The process of understanding this difference will start when people start to hurl insults after their masks have fallen. Then they will suffer the curse of wounded hearts. This is for sure, because history has witnessed it.

Which Supreme State Council?

Over the last week, some columnists have written harsh articles about claims of fraud and malpractice during the sale of the Turkuaz Media Group, which includes the Sabah daily and ATV channel, among other outlets. The source of these claims is voice recordings and documents posted on the Internet. When we listen to these voice recordings, it seems that the sale of the Turkuaz Media Group was carried out on the orders of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and a minister. I hoped the parties in question would reject these claims, but no one sent a correction to the media organization that covered the claims about the sale, as they did in the corruption and bribery claims. And those who allegedly had to buy a media group upon the orders of the government have also remained silent. The situation reinforces concerns that the claims might be correct, especially when these politically motivated and aggressive publications are taken into consideration. Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Umut Oran submitted a parliamentary question about the claims based on the recording, but no official statement on this matter has been made. On the other hand, the media group in question continues to publish fabricated news.

In the face of this situation, many columnists argue that the claims of fraud and malpractice during the sale of the Turkuaz Media Group will be ruled on by the Supreme State Council (Yüce Divan). The example they provide is well-known to the public. It was claimed that then-Prime Minister Mesut Yılmaz was directly involved in the sale of the Milliyet daily. When his intervention in the sale of Milliyet was uncovered, he was referred to the Supreme State Council and tried.

The voice recordings, that were conducted legally by court order, show that the claims about the sale of the Turkuaz Media Group are more scandalous than the claims about the sale of Milliyet. I hope the Prime Ministry's Office will reject these claims with solid evidence. And I also hope that we will not face an unpleasant situation because of the daily in question. The activities of a daily that publishes dozens of fabricated stories every day, presents illegal wiretapping as if it had been conducted legally and tries to covers up corruption and bribery claims exposed by voice recordings that were conducted legally by court order can be described as incitement, not journalism.

In fact, for believers, there is another supreme council. And being prepared for the trial in the hereafter is a sacred duty for every believer. People can be saved from the hands of justice in this world, but all fabricated and distorted news, insults and plots will not be unpunished on the Day of Judgment. And this is what really matters.

The pineapple facts

There has been an issue about pineapples. Those who make speeches at party meetings in the loudest way have tried to attribute a mysterious meaning to pineapples. Some people have even claimed that "pineapple" is used as a code word for diamonds, as if you can buy diamonds in kilos. This is the drawback of the assumption that other people are no different from themselves. When they failed to understand what "pineapple" means, they tried to attribute a mysterious meaning to pineapples. Then the man on the recording trying to help the Turkish businessmen who wanted to do business in Uganda made a statement, saying: "I am Uganda's honorary consulate in Turkey, and the pineapple is nothing but a pineapple. Those who try to attribute a different meaning to this are wrong." However, certain circles continued to make false comments about the pineapples.

Finally, these worthless arguments about the pineapples have collapsed. Speaking on live TV last week, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç shared his memories of Uganda. He said he had gone to Uganda in 2010 to attend a business forum there and needed to take some Turkish businessmen with him. He noted that he had called Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) Secretary-General Mustafa Günay to ask for his assistance in sending the business group's members to Uganda. Arınç also added that people should avoid repeating the story about the pineapples and Ugandan issues.

So it follows that pineapples are really pineapples and the oil refinery is really an oil refinery. And the nongovernmental organizations established to contribute to the development of our country are offering their services. This is why making false accusations is a shame and a sin, if shame and sin still mean anything to them.

Published on Sunday's Zaman, 02 February 2014, Sunday