Is there anybody there for Kimse Yok Mu?


Date posted: October 6, 2014

Pink Floyd says the following in their song Comfortably Numb: “There is no pain you are receding. A distant ship, smoke on the horizon. You are only coming through in waves.” I think these words reveal what is going on in the “new Turkey” under the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government.

Today, most of us have somehow begun to internalize the violation of rights and the weakening of democracy and rule of law. Unfortunately, we do not question the illegitimate practices of the government.

The pro-government media is employing a demonizing discourse for all Hizmet-affiliated institutions and public figures through smear campaigns. Recently, the Turkish charity organization Kimse Yok Mu that was established 12 years ago was faced with such a smear campaign. For instance, on Sept. 9, 2014, the pro-government daily Sabah published a news piece saying that an audit report prepared by inspectors assigned by the interior minister says that millions of liras were misused by the charity. However, the truth is that not a single irregularity was discovered in the activities of Kimse Yok Mu.

A few days ago, the Taraf daily reported that the government planned to remove Kimse Yok Mu’s public interest status, which would prevent it from collecting donations. Lately, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç declared there was nothing clear about such speculations.

In a nutshell, what Kimse Yok Mu, which is the only charity organization in Turkey that holds special consultative status under the UN Economic and Social Council, is currently facing can be seen as state-led persecution.

Democracies become strong with strong NGOs. However, today what we are experiencing is totally at odds with democratic norms and principles and, unfortunately, most of us are just “comfortably numb” and keep silent.

Source: Today's Zaman , October 3, 2014


Related News

Court wants up to 11 years for Samanyolu TV director

A prosecutor has filed charges against a director of Samanyolu TV accusing him of “insulting” and “slandering” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and fomenting “grudges and hostility among the public,” demanding up to 11 years and two months in prison.

TÜBİTAK official says forced to make changes to bugging device report

The former head of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey’s (TÜBİTAK) Research Center for Advanced Technologies on Informatics and Information Security (BİLGEM) has said he was forced to make changes in a report as part of an investigation into a “bugging device” found at the prime minister’s office.

Turkish charity Kimse Yok Mu drills 1,396 wells in Africa

A total of 1,396 wells have been drilled in 13 African countries since Nov. 1, 2014, as part of a project called “Selsebil Water Wells,” which was launched by Turkish charitable organization Kimse Yok Mu in 2011, in cooperation with Fatih University students and Genç-İz Academy Association members.

Ethiopian schools linked to Turkish cleric are sold to German educators

A network of schools in Ethiopia linked to Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen is changing ownership. The sale of the Nejashi Ethio-Turkish International Schools follows pressure from the government of Turkish President Erdogan, who is urging countries that host institutions inspired by Gulen to close or take them over.

The Gülen Factor: Erdogan, the Coup, and the United States

Engaged in his dirty spate of housecleaning under the auspices of protecting the constitution and the Turkish state, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan continues to insist on one vital scalp in his enterprise.

Ministry allegedly profiled students of dershanes close to Hizmet

The petitions filed with the Ministry of Education and provincial educational branches in May 2012 by parents have revealed that the Education Ministry profiled students of dershanes — private institutes that offer examination prep classes — and schools close to the Hizmet movement.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Kimse Yok Mu provided aid to 14,000 Syrian refugees in Turkey

Gursel Tekin: Gulen’s remarks on the third bridge are valuable

Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan Reject Turkish Calls to Close Gülen Schools

Erdogan’s crackdown – Woman detained while showing newborn baby to jailed husband

Hizmet movement has no political ambitions

Egyptian Professor: Turkish Schools to Guarantee Global Peace

Jailed police chief’s children, aged 15 and 17, detained in new post-coup probe

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News