As Turkey is trying to meet the needs of the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who have taken shelter in Turkey from the war in Syria, charity organizations have scrambled to launch massive aid campaigns to lend a hand to the embattled refugees, with Kimse Yok Mu providing food and aid for 2,500 Syrians in İstanbul every week.
As part of an aid campaign called “I need you,” launched by the Prime Ministry’s Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD), Kimse Yok Mu provided food aid for Syrian refugees on Saturday. The head of Kimse Yok Mu’s İstanbul branch, Celal Türkoğlu, said they have been working hard for the past eight months to determine the needs of the Syrian refugees who have fled to Turkey.
“We are providing food aid monthly to those in need. We are reaching 2,500 families regularly in İstanbul and our volunteers are doing much of the aid work. There are almost 100,000 refugees in İstanbul and we are doing as much as we can to reach all of them,” said Türkoğlu.
The Gulen Movement is not a cult or terrorist group
The Gulen movement doesn’t support or engage in any terrorist activities. Although an Islamic movement, it is a social movement rather than a political one that focuses on the growth and change of education as a way to empower the Muslims for the future. They are open to dialogue, tolerant, moderate and non-violent. So for anyone to say that the Gulen movement is a cult, doesn’t know that they emphasize on dialogue and peace.
Silencing Taraf daily
The liberal Taraf daily, where I write a column, is one of the few independent newspapers in this country. Those who don’t know the Turkish media well need to know that media outlets are largely owned by private holdings which have close ties to the government. Thus, Turkish newspapers need to consider whether their reporting would harm their bosses’ business connections with the government.
Germany takes Gülenists off watch list, conducts counterespionage against Ankara – report
German police have removed the Gülen movement, which Ankara designates a terrorist organisation, from its ‘dangerous’ and ‘to be followed’ watch list, Sözcü newspaper reported, citing a domestic security report from the country’s Southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg.
Turkish engagement with Southern Africa depends on the Turkish attitude towards Hizmet
Turkish engagement with Southern Africa will not be without challenges. The success of this engagement will depend on the Turkish attitude towards the Hizmet Movement. If Turkey decides to tackle the Hizmet Movement head on as it has done in Turkey and in other countries, it will risk alienation in South Africa and the wider region. The Hizmet Movement is generally popular in Southern Africa, with long standing ties to civil society and the political elite.
Erdogan critic calls jailing of his mother and brother ‘perverse’ and ‘politically motivated’
A high-profile critic of the Turkish government has described the jailing of his 75-year-old mother and brother to a combined 91-year sentence as “ludicrous” and “perverse”. Akin Ipek said the ‘human rights abuses’ against his family were unacceptable in any civilised country.
Ankara’s soft-power dilemma
Turkey’s major assets in terms of successful diplomacy and soft-power policy included Turkish schools opened by the Hizmet movement all around the world; the International Turkish Language Olympiads organized by the same group; business associations within and outside the borders of Turkey; intercultural and interfaith dialogue societies; foreign language publications of Turkish society; Turkish hospitals in several countries; and Turkish international humanitarian aid organizations.
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