… If the [Fethullah] Gülen movement were a small, ineffective community, the AKP would never have disturbed it. Or if the Gülen movement had acted in full cooperation with the government, such a conflict wouldn’t have occurred. But the Gülen movement has a specific mission. What is that mission?
They seek to obtain the pleasure of God by leading good religious lives and engaging in educational and social services. The AKP, on the other hand, wants to improve its political power and political services to earn prestige and thus become good religious people and earn the pleasure of God.
Naturally, the diverging paths have led to conflict. Such things have occurred in the past, and a typical example is the Battle of Siffin. An AKP supporter should answer this question: Which side was the “parallel structure” on in the Battle of Siffin?
Excerpted from the interview made with Mr. Akyol, published on Today’s Zaman, 09 June 2014, Monday
Erdoğan, Gülen among 10 Turkish figures in Foreign Policy 500 List
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and well-known Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen are among 10 Turkish public figures who made the 500 List of Foreign Policy magazine in its 200th issue, which it dubbed the “Power Issue.” Foreign Policy said it put together the so-called “Power Map” of the planet’s 500 most powerful people, […]
Erdogan’s problem with his well-educated citizens
The government canceled the passports of all public servants purged with a decree and imposed travel restrictions on them and their spouses. Visiting scholars were ordered to return to Turkey. Academic freedom has been significantly restricted. In short, the entire educational system of Turkey has been crushed by the crackdown following the coup-attempt.
Draft law on prep schools
The first adverse effect is related to unemployment. The AKP did not keep its promise to provide jobs at public institutions to all the prep school teachers who are not hired by the new private schools. Only teachers with six years of experience will have the chance of being hired at public schools. Thus, tens of thousands of prep school teachers will definitely lose their jobs since only the large, well-established prep schools can take the financial risks of re-establishing themselves as a new private school.
Amnesty laments treatment of Turkey purge victims
Those who believe they were wrongfully sacked can apply to a special commission to have their case reviewed and either be reinstated or compensated. The commission has “failed to uphold international standards and is acting as a de facto rubber stamp for the initial flawed decisions,” Andrew Gardner, Amnesty’s Turkey strategy and research manager, said.
Political predictions for 2014
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is getting lonelier and this makes him more ill-tempered. There are two big risk areas for Erdoğan. One of them is the total war he declared against the Gülen movement for no apparent reason.
Sweep these [journalists] off the floor
Sevgi Akarçeşme, former editor in chief of Today’s Zaman, recalls the night when the police raided the building of the most important and independent opposition newspaper in Turkey. «What happened to journalists today» she warns « can happen to citizens tomorrow».
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