Philanthropy key to peacebuilding and settlement of conflicts

The Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV) and Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody There? Association - KYM) jointly organized the conference titled "International Conference on Philanthropy and Peacebuilding" between April 12-13, 2014, with participants from 19 countries including Russia, the UK, India, Nigeria and the Philippines. During the conference, the contribution of philanthropy to peace was discussed with emphasis on the philanthropic philosophy of the KYM.

Plot!

Ali Bulaç

Those who believe that the ongoing crisis in Turkey is a clash between the government and the Hizmet movement are focusing on only a part of the big picture.

Closing down Turkish schools impossible as demand on rise, says TUSKON head

Though the ruling Justice and Development (AK Party) government is planning to shut down Turkish schools abroad that are affiliated with the Gülen movement, the head of the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) has said that the demand overseas for such Turkish schools is making them impossible to close.

Countries where Turkish schools located bolster trade, TUSKON head says

Rızanur Meral, President of the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON), stated that closure of Turkish schools is impossible and Turkish schools play a significant role in trade.

Gov't pressure on businesses spreading across Turkey, warns union

Several months worth of government hostility and pressure against some of Turkey's leading private firms is now taking its toll on a large number of companies all across Turkey, a leading business confederation said on Monday.

Pro-gov't columnist resigns in protest of newspaper's deceit

A prominent columnist and supporter of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's government resigned from the Akşam daily after the newspaper ran an interview with a retired colonel who was tried as part of the historic Ergenekon trial in which dozens of generals were sentenced to life in prison.

End of hate discourse

Ekrem Dumanlı

We are currently facing a strong and destructive language and discourse that has never been seen before. Insulting remarks are being made on daily basis. This attitude recognizes no boundaries; the aggressors do not feel constrained; arrogance is an underlying character trait of the assailants. And as a result, ethics and morality are collapsing.

Loğoğlu: No Turkish institution in US works against Turkey

The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy chairman, Faruk Loğoğlu, has reacted to reports published in pro-government newspapers about the Turkic American Alliance (TAA), saying Turkish institutions in the US work towards lobbying for Turkey's interests rather than against them.

Purge in bureaucracy may unsettle markets, economist warns

Erdal Sağlam, an economist and a columnist from the Hürriyet daily, wrote in his latest article about rumors that the government is poised to kick off a purge in the economy bureaucracy under the guise of eliminating people affiliated with the Hizmet movement; those rumors alone, regardless of any action that may follow, would be enough to damage the markets, he said.

Story of the photo

Yavuz Semerci, Habertürk

I went to Washington upon an invitation by the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON), which was established by businessmen close to the Hizmet movement.

Turkey's spy agency files complaint against journalists for critical interview

Turkey's intelligence agency has filed complaints against a number of people, including journalists working with Rotahaber, a news website, a reporter linked with a local news portal in the southern province of Adana and an individual affiliated with Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, Halit Esendir, over alleged insults and slander against the intelligence organization and its chief.

TAA refutes claim tying US genocide resolution to Hizmet

The Turkic American Alliance (TAA) has refuted the pro-government daily Sabah's and Yeni Şafak's claims of “treachery,” linking the Hizmet movement, a faith-based group inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, with the passing of an “Armenian genocide” resolution at the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

I hereby present the ‘parallel state’

Bülent Keneş

I have previously made my views concerning the “parallel state” allegations parroted by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and a vicious group of aides with “unknown intentions” clear. To sum it up, I noted that it is up to the infallible measure of the law to determine what the “real state” is and what the “parallel state” is.

With blinders on, government sees everything as parallel structure

Embattled by massive corruption allegations at home, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has been trying to distract the public's attention from allegations of corruption by holding an imagined “parallel structure” responsible for anything making the government look bad.

AK Party-Hizmet clash a blessing for world Muslims

Doğa Sacit*

The fierce clash going on between Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), headed by the once-globally revered Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and the Hizmet movement, inspired by Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, is a blessing in disguise for any Muslim living both inside and outside of Turkey today.

Europeans concerned about rule of law in Turkey

The Independent Commission on Turkey, a body supported by the Open Society Institute in Turkey, released its third report on Turkey's relations with the European Union on Monday in İstanbul.

Students enchant German crowd with poems of praise

Students receiving an education in Turkish schools across Europe captivated thousands of Turkish immigrants in Germany with their recitations of naats -- poems in praise of the Prophet Muhammad -- during a ceremony held in Düsseldorf on Saturday evening to celebrate Holy Birth Week.

Turkish schools in Austria select finalists for Int'l Turkish Olympiads

Qualifications for Austria's International Turkish Olympiads took place in a festive atmosphere on Saturday evening with a magnificent event in Vienna, with the attendance of hundreds of both Turkish and Austrian citizens.

Gov't closes schools instead of resolving education problems

The Ministry of Education and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government have been focusing on closing down private prep schools for university preparation (dershanes) and Turkish schools abroad instead of spending its energy on resolving critical problems in the Turkish education system, experts say.

Calls to boycott Hizmet institutions denting market confidence

Calls that have been made over a period of several months by top government officials, including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to boycott schools and institutions run by the Hizmet movement will undermine confidence in Turkish markets, a recent report has said.

Erdoğan's political ambitions clash with Turkey's long-term interests

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's series of regressive and anti-democratic political priorities and aspirations in both domestic and foreign policy are, in many ways, considered to be contradictory to Turkey's long-term interests and are being criticized for lacking vision and specific ideas.

Erdoğan will further polarize Turkey as presidential election approaches

While campaigning for the local elections on March 30, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's political rhetoric stirred up discomfort in Turkish society due to a perceived vilification of certain groups in a tone which many in the West would consider to be discriminatory.

Turkish schools abroad victims of AKP-Gulen conflict

Fehim Taştekin, Radikal

The fate of the Gulen movement’s schools — located in over 160 countries — is being debated following Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's declaration of war in the wake of the Dec. 17 graft probe that targeted individuals associated with his government.

Building bridges through knowledge, experience and friendship

Arzu Kaya Uranlı

A new era has begun for the Turkic world in the 21st century. Turkey has worked hard for this result, but there is still much more to do to maintain this progress. The Turkic American Convention is proof that we have much to look forward to in the future.

Swoboda says feels cheated by Turkey's AK Party

Hannes Swoboda, the leader of the second largest group in the European Parliament (EP), has said he felt cheated by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) after it changed the law on the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) in the wake of a corruption investigation which became public on Dec. 17.

Na’at program held in Antalya by students from Turkish schools

A na’at program was held by the Antalya Intercultural Dialogue Center (AKDİM) with the participation of students from 34 different countries.

Duff not convinced by Çavuşoğlu's response in 'parallel structure' row

Andrew Duff, a senior member of the European Parliament (EP), indicated on Friday that he is not satisfied with European Union Affairs Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu's reassurances that he did not accuse him of "being bought" by the Hizmet movement, inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.

Erdoğan's war against arts and culture in Turkey

Abdullah Bozkurt

As the authoritarian tendencies of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government under the divisive political leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan become more visible, with fresh evidence of intolerance over the right to dissent revealed practically every day, the government's relentless campaign to stifle freedom of expression is not just limited to freedom of the press anymore but has now engulfed artistic and cultural expressions as well. A draft bill prepared by the Erdoğan government without actually consulting the arts community in Turkey will bring state-funded artistic and cultural activities under tight government control.

MHP: Gov't should not harass its citizens who open Turkish schools abroad

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) parliamentary group deputy chairman Oktay Vural said on Thursday that the state should not “use its powers and mechanisms to harass its citizens abroad,” as the government's attempts to shut down Turkish schools abroad attract criticism from across the political spectrum.

Turkey to be ruled by intelligence units

Adem Yavuz Arslan, Bugün

Talks on the proposed National Intelligence Organization (MİT) law started in Parliament.

International students celebrate Prophet Muhammad in Gaziantep

In an event in the southeastern city of Gaziantep on Thursday, international students from Turkish schools across the world celebrated Prophet Muhammad at a hall owned by the private Zirve University as Turkey marks Holy Birth Week.

Turkish PM Erdoğan’s dangerous ‘traitors’ game

Özgür Korkmaz

Turkey has always been a somewhat polarized country, but the rising tension within the society, especially since the launch of a graft probe against members of the government on Dec. 17, 2013, and the following “tape wars” on the Internet have brought the country to a dangerous point.

'Go Beyond Secondary Education' VP Urges Liberia's Turkish Light International School

Monrovia - Liberia’s Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai has urged the administration of the Liberian Turkish Light International School to improve the quality of education beyond the secondary level in the country.

Kenya Embassy Donates Food & Warm Clothes to Syrian Refugees

As part of its humanitarian diplomacy/gesture, the Kenya Embassy staff, family members and friends led by the Charge D’ Affaires, Mr. Kimwole Kiptiness Lindsay, having been touched by the plight of Syrian refugees in Turkish camps, particularly in the winter season, donated dry food stuffs, sweets and warm clothes. The donations were channeled through Kimse Yok Mu (or ‘Is Any One there’), a Turkish Non-Governmental Organization on 29th January, 2013. It is noted that Kimse Yok Mu is one of the international NGOs that actively responded to the Horn of Africa humanitarian crisis in 2011 that saved the lives of thousands of Somali refugees from imminent death due to prolonged drought. Kimse Yok Mu is also actively involved in Kenya, where it supports education and health programs to marginalized communities in rural Kenya and has provided humanitarian aid to the Daadab refugee camp.

Dozens of US Congress members attend major convention of Turkic Americans in Washington

Dozens of members of the United States Congress, as well as U.S. administration officials and other leading public figures, attended the fourth annual convention organized by the Turkish American Alliance (TAA), the biggest umbrella organization of Turkic Americans, reiterating the solid ties between the people of the US and Turkey.

Duff confronts EU Minister Çavuşoğlu over claims he was 'bought by Gülen'

A senior member of the European Parliament (EP) slammed Turkish EU Affairs Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Thursday for claiming he had been bought by the Hizmet movement inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, saying the minister should either substantiate his accusation or apologize.

AK Party gov't treats critical letters, columns as ‘treachery'

In an attempt to defame the Hizmet movement inspired by Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, the Turkish government and its media outlets have presented letters sent by civil society representatives affiliated with the faith-based movement to foreign officials providing them with information about the situation in Turkey as “treachery.”

To escape punishment, punish them all

Yavuz Baydar

The ongoing war to grab so much power has to do with the way Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan continues to perceive the world, and his government does not feel that there should still be dissent -- however reasonable -- about the methods it uses to manage the country.

Ex-ministers call on gov't to abandon efforts to shut down Turkish schools

Reactions are growing in the face of the government's effort to close Turkish schools abroad that are affiliated with the Hizmet movement, inspired by the teachings of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.

Turkish schools are being closed down

Nazlı Ilıcak, Bugün

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu stated he had ordered the closure of Turkish schools in 160 countries, arguing that the officials of those schools had sent letters to the leaders of foreign countries in which they complained about the Turkish government. The closure of these schools is a serious step, but the reason for the closure is not based on real evidence.

Judge of Adana police investigation revealed to be Erdoğan supporter

A judge who ordered the arrest of six police officers in Adana on Wednesday as part of an investigation into claims of illegal wiretapping has been revealed to be a strong supporter of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Where does Gülen stand on: democracy, human rights, and minorities?

Democracy

Fethullah Gülen recognizes democracy as the only viable political system of governance. He denounces turning religion into a political ideology, while encouraging all citizens to take an informed and responsible part in political life of their country. He stresses the flexibilities in the Islamic principles relating to governance and their compatibility with a true democracy [1].

Gov't bid to close Turkish schools draws ire

Many from various circles, including intellectuals and academics, have leveled harsh criticism against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's government's attempts to shut down Turkish schools abroad affiliated with the Hizmet movement, which is inspired by the teachings of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.

The legacy of a professor closing down schools

Sevgi Akarçeşme

Closing down schools and being a professor seem mutually exclusive, but thanks to the extraordinary conditions in Turkey we have seen them coexist.

The fear of losing power feeds insanity…

Begüm Burak

The current developments that occurred in Turkey draw a rather bleak picture for democracy… And this picture is being drawn by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government.

Misreading Turkey’s Twitter Controversy

Alp Aslandogan*

I a recent article (“Trial by Twitter”), Halil Karaveli repeated the allegations of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), Turkey’s ruling party, that sympathizers of Fethullah Gülen are engaged in wiretapping. But he relies on innuendos, not evidence. Gülen has categorically rejected illegal phone tapping or the unauthorized publication of the transcripts made from legal phone taps, including recordings of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He views investigating or publicizing people’s faults as a sin and, indeed, has himself been the victim of an illegal phone-tapping scheme, in which Erdogan used the contents of his private conversations for defamatory purposes.

Turkey's Erdoğan declares war against 'parallel structure'

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has vowed to launch a massive operation against what he calls the "parallel structure," a reference to the Hizmet movement inspired by Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen in his first parliamentary party group speech after the March 30 local polls.

Turkic American Alliance calls on Davutoğlu to prove letter of complaint claims

The Turkic American Alliance (TAA) has called on Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu to provide evidence substantiating his recent claims that individuals affiliated with Turkish schools abroad sent letters of complaint to foreign officials about Turkey.

South African, Kenyan leaders show support for Turkish schools

South African President Jacob Zuma and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta have both expressed support for Turkish schools in their country, amid the Turkish government's attempts to shut down Turkish schools located abroad that are affiliated with the Hizmet movement.

Erdoğan's Baku visit will not close Hizmet schools

Lamiya Adilgızı

After the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) won a decisive victory in the highly contested municipal elections held on March 30, considered by many to be a referendum on whether the AK Party had its lost the public's support, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan paid his first international visit to Azerbaijan in a bid to consolidate his victory.

Pundits: Plans to close down schools abroad arbitrary, political vandalism

Turkish intellectuals are increasingly voicing concerns about the government attempt to close down the Turkish schools that provide an education to thousands of students abroad, saying the move is personally motivated and unwise.

Where is Turkey going? (2)

Denion Meidani*

For many analysts, the roots of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's political orientation can be found in the transnational movement of the Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928.

Where is Turkey going? (1)

Denion Meidani*

History, as important as it is alarming, is happening in Turkey.

Turkish schools in US select Olympiad finalists

Many countries that are home to Turkish schools have been holding language and culture festivals this month to select the students who will compete in the 12th Turkish Olympiads in June, with one such event recently being held in the US state of Virginia.

Erdoğan pushes further polarization, hatred in Turkey in post-election era

Despite the fact that the local elections -- which saw fierce competition between the ruling party and opposition parties -- are over, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has kept ratcheting up his bellicose rhetoric consisting of slander, insults and harsh language, which he had used in election rallies against the opposition, provoking further polarization and inciting fear and hatred in the public.