January 28, 2014

PM Erdoğan widens hostile stance to include more and more groups

Faced with massive corruption scandals, embattled Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ratcheted up his rhetoric further on Tuesday, as he started attacking opposition parties, the judiciary, the corporate world, the media, civic groups and what he called international dark circles even more aggressively.

NY Times: Turkey’s Wrong Turn

New York Times Editorial Board

Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was in Brussels last week seeking to repair relations with Europe, but the first place to look for a solution is within himself. Once hailed as the leader of a model Muslim democracy, he has created a political disaster at home, transforming Turkey into an authoritarian state that poses dangers not just for itself but for its allies in NATO, including the United States.

10 unanswered questions about the Dec. 17 operation

Ahmet Hakan, Hürriyet

1- Even though Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MİT) tipped off the government about the unlawful transactions of Reza Zarrab a full eight months before the corruption investigation became public on Dec. 17, why didn't the government pay attention to MİT's warning?

Gülen's lawyer files libel suit against Interior Minister Ala

Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen's lawyer has filed a libel suit against Interior Minister Efkan Ala over his remarks targeting Gülen during a speech in Erzurum province on Monday, stating that Ala violated the personal rights of Gülen with untrue accusations and improper analogies.

Minister's remarks on Gülen cause AK Party members to resign

The ruling Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) Erzurum provincial deputy head and two more members of the provincial council resigned from their party due to Minister of Internal Affairs Efkan Ala's verbal attacks on the Hizmet movement and its leader, Fethullah Gülen, on Monday.

‘Washington has no interest in using Gülen against AKP,’ former U.S envoy says

The United States has no desire to use Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish Muslim scholar who lives in self-imposed exile in America, as a tool against Ankara, said James Holmes, who is currently the president of the American-Turkish Council.

Gülen extends condolences to MHP over official's death

Prominent Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, who also inspired the faith-based Hizmet movement, issued a message of condolence to Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) officials regarding the death of the party's media adviser, Cengiz Yücel Akyıldız, who was killed during an attack outside a party office on Sunday.

Approval rate of Turkish schools abroad at 78 percent

According to a survey conducted by the International Turkish Association (TÜRKÇEDER), 78 percent of the people in Turkey approve of the Turkish schools abroad.

Islamic lender raises capital after massive gov’t withdrawal

Turkish Islamic lender Bank Asya has made a cash capital increase on the back of claims that state-owned companies and institutional depositors have withdrawn millions of Turkish Liras of the bank’s total deposits.