Erdoğan ‘does not grasp’ separation of powers, MEP says

Andrew Duff, a Liberal Democrat member of the European Parliament, also accused the prime minister, whom he said was “clearly elected democratically,” of not ruling democratically. Duff said the aggravated language that exposes serious rifts between the AK Party and the Gülen movement risks destabilizing Turkey.

Gulen Movement Educates Kurds, and not Everyone Is Happy

Nicolas Birch,  Turkey There is a studious silence in the basement floor of the Rose Pink Women’s Education and Mutual Aid Association in Diyarbakir, the largest city in Turkey’s mainly Kurdish southeast. In three classrooms, 70 12-year-old girls are hard at work studying for exams that will decide their secondary school future. Wearing headscarves that […]

Corruption investigation: Questions that will hound PM Erdoğan

Everyone is wondering now what is behind the corruption investigation, and the first “suspect” to come to many minds is the Islamist Gülen movement. Tensions between this group and the AKP have been rising over the years, and boiled over recently due to the prep-school issue – a matter that has received wide media coverage.

The Gülen movement denies this but the vitriol flying between daily Zaman, which is close to Gülen, and Yeni Şafak, which is staunchly pro-AKP, is enough to give one a sense of the bitter struggle involved.

Response to aspersion on Hizmet

HÜSEYİN GÜLERCE The Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV) made an important statement on Thursday. Its press release, issued in connection with the recent tension that threatens to disrupt social consensus, seeks to defuse tension with regards to the rift between the government and the Hizmet movement. “[T]he ways in which legitimate demands are voiced should […]

‘Pool media’ court case against Zaman daily tossed out

An İstanbul court tossed out a court case filed against the Zaman daily by the Turkuvaz Media Group involving a Zaman news article detailing pro-government businessman pooling funds together to purchase Turkuvaz late last week.

The Famous Soccer Player Hiding in Plain Sight in a California Bakery

Most customers do not recognize the fit, well-dressed man walking around Tuts Bakery and Cafe, picking up used cups and dirty dishes. Why would they? And what would he be doing here? Hakan Sukur, 46, is one of Turkey’s most famous athletes, its most celebrated soccer player, a World Cup hero and a veteran of several of Europe’s top leagues. So how did Sukur end up here?