March 9, 2014

Lessons from Dec. 17: Who is parallel?

Tamer Çetin*

Since the corruption investigation initiated on Dec. 17, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his supporters have been claiming the existence of a “parallel structure” that is responsible for the investigation. This illusionary parallel structure is allegedly made up of the members of the Gülen movement.

White House denies remarks about Gülen attributed to Obama

In an unusual statement, the White House has accused Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of misrepresenting the content of his phone conversation with US President Barack Obama on Feb. 19 regarding the extradition of Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, who lives in Pennsylvania.

Gülen's relatives express dismay over smear campaign against Islamic scholar

Dismayed, if not surprised, by the unabated smear campaign against distinguished Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, the scholar's relatives have expressed their disappointment and anxiety over the endless accusations and slander against Gülen.

Why do I take sides

Şahin Alpay

Some of my readers at home and also abroad ask me, “Why aren't you critical of the Gülen movement?” Some surprise me by asking, “Why don't you avoid taking sides in its conflict with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's government?” Answers to these questions are given in the many columns I have written over the last two decades. It seems, however, that it may be proper to briefly expound on my position once more.

Leaked tape reveals pool media's headline dictated by Erdoğans

A Twitter account leaked a new voice recording on Sunday afternoon, purportedly of a conversation between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his son Bilal a day after the Dec. 17 graft probe, in which the two discussed the headlines of pro-government newspapers, sending the independence of the Turkish media further into question.

US uneasy at being used as pawn in Turkey's internal politics, says CHP

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputies Aykan Erdemir and Faik Tunay have said that the US government feels uneasy at being used as a pawn in Turkey's internal politics.

PM Erdoğan once defended Hizmet, said it was Feb. 28 victim

Prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has recently accused the faith-based Hizmet movement inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen of cooperating with coup perpetrators during the Feb. 28, 1997 post-modern coup era, defended the same movement at a parliamentary coup commission in 2012, when he said the movement's followers had been victimized during the coup.

PM's discourse over 'no family, children' offensive, hurtful

Remarks by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan targeting an opposition politician and a renowned Islamic scholar that they have no respect for the idea of family as they have neither a family nor children are both offensive and hurtful, according to various circles in the society, including politicians, analysts and regular citizens.

'Polling companies under pressure, media outlets don't inform society'

According to the general manager of the İstanbul-based Gezici Research Company, polling companies are under pressure to manipulate the results of their surveys to favor the government -- and the media is failing to inform the masses about serious corruption allegations.