Yeni Akit labels staunchly secular daily ‘parallel'

The pro-government Yeni Akit daily knows no limits in labeling people or organizations as “parallel,” meaning affiliated with the Hizmet movement, as the daily in its Thursday edition questioned whether the staunchly secular Cumhuriyet daily was purchased by the “parallel structure.”

The “parallel state” or “parallel structure” is a phrase often used by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government and its supporters to refer to the faith-based Hizmet movement inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, ever since the government declared war on Hizmet last year.

Yeni Akit claimed that Cumhuriyet's critical reporting of the government strengthens claims that the daily has been purchased by the “parallel structure.”

Cumhuriyet has recently been running a news serial about the details of the Dec. 17 and Dec. 25 graft probes in which some senior members of the AK Party government have been implicated.

Cumhuriyet is a left-wing and staunchly secular daily which has had a critical view of the AK Party government's actions since the party came to power in 2002.

Recently, a columnist from Yeni Akit, Hasan Karakaya, associated his receiving a speeding ticket with the “parallel structure.”

In the meantime, Republican People's Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Sezgin Tanrıkulu has submitted a parliamentary question to the Parliament Speaker's Office asking about the allegations of the collection of copies of Cumhuriyet due to the daily's news serial on Dec. 17-25 graft probes.

Tanrıkulu requested Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç to respond to allegations of the government, uneasy with Cumhuriyet's reporting, ordering the collection of copies of the paper, and if so, asked who gave the order and whether any other newspaper is receiving the same treatment.

Published on Today's Zaman, 07 August 2014, Thursday