April 7, 2014

US envoy: Internet bans, graft charges hurt Turkey's image abroad

Turkey's ban on Twitter and YouTube has hurt Turkey's international standing, while corruption allegations implicating close allies of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have undermined its appeal for foreign investors, the US ambassador in Ankara has said in remarks published on Monday.

Why is Erdoğan hostile to Turkish schools?

Mümtazer Türköne

This is Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's personal war. When President Abdullah Gül recently declared his support for Turkish schools -- which are run by Turkish entrepreneurs inspired by the ideas of the well-respected Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen -- it turned out that Erdoğan was alone in this war.

Opposition, diplomats slam gov't attempt to shut down Turkish schools

The government's attempts to shut down Turkish schools abroad which are affiliated with the Hizmet movement, inspired by the teachings of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, have been severely criticized by opposition members and diplomats.

Gülen book finds wide readership in northern Iraq

A book written by Kurdish journalist Rebwar Karim on Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen's approach to the Kurdish question has been attracting a significant amount of attention in northern Iraq.

Current defamation campaign against Hizmet was part of Ergenekon scheme

A major campaign launched by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government and media organs to defame and discredit the Hizmet movement was among the plans of the Ergenekon network, which once attempted a coup d'état against the AK Party.

Right to dissent in Turkey

Abdullah Bozkurt

No doubt that the right to dissent and differ is far from treasonous, and is actually more patriotic than just going along with everything else the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan government in Turkey stands for.

Not appearing in the worst selfie in history

Erkam Tufan Aytav*

For a while now, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been busy with shutting down Turkish schools -- affiliated with the Hizmet movement, which is inspired by the teachings of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen -- in 160 countries which were opened thanks to the small contributions and tears of the people of this country.

The consequences of tyranny never change

Ekrem Dumanlı

In this country, a group of people is always likened to a "tumor," treated as if it was a "virus,” the people declared "traitors" and subjected to propaganda saying that "they should be uprooted.”

Turkish language and culture festivals held in three countries

Language and culture festivals where contestants are selected to participate in the 12th Turkish Language Olympiad were held in three countries over the past week.