Turkish-Americans in Tennessee worry about their homeland


Date posted: June 20, 2017

If you haven’t heard much about the Turkish-American community in middle Tennessee, its no surprise.

It’s not that they’re not active. They host a big dialogue dinner, teach Turkish cooking lessons, have guest speakers and invite everyone to a end of Ramadan feast. They are constantly reaching out to build bridges.

“We are living in a very nice, peaceful atmosphere people in our neighborhood love each other,” said Abdulhamit Bilici.

“I think we have a good impact as Turkish Americans,” Bilici said. “Instead of living in our nutshell, we are in the community creating dialogue.”

Now they feel compelled to talk about bridges that are in danger. They are worried about their own country and its failing democracy.

“The situation is dark and getting darker,” Bilici said.

Bilici was the editor of the largest paper in the country. It was a paper dedicated to move Turkey into total democracy and part of the european community.

One year ago that ended in an almost unimaginable way. The paper and its 4,000 employees were taken over by the Turkish army and police.

“We don’t have arms we only have pens,” said Bilici. “How can we defend against a brutal raid by police force.”

The Turkish government took over the paper ‘Zaman.’ Bilici said 50 reporters are currently in jail.

“These are reporters, editors and columnists: some are over age 70, 75,” said Bilici. “These are intellectuals contributing to politics and ideas in our country.”

Turkey is special to the United States as the only muslim country in NATO. It’s a long-time ally as a bridge between east and west, but it’s hard to get past what is happening now.

Bilici has terrifying numbers:

  • 200 journalists in jail
  • 600 lawyers
  • 160 media outlets shut down
  • 700 college professors fired
  • 20 universities shut down

“I lost the newspaper, lost my job as a journalist for 25 years, I lost everything,” Bilici said. “I had a house even. That house is seized confiscated. This is the situation but does that make me hopeless…no..people always pay the price for defending certain values.”

Turkey continues its crackdown even blocking wikipedia from appearing on Turkish internet.

 

 

Source: Fox17 Nashville , May 27, 2017


Related News

Something rotten within the government?

It stinks. This is the bluntest description of what the graft probe has revealed so far… So, regardless of the view of the issue as “Erdoğan vs the Hizmet movement,” it boils down to a battle between moral and immoral, clean and dirty, which is the real story of Turkey in the past 12 years. It was not the Hizmet movement, nor liberals, nor other reformists that brought the AKP to power; it was the average people of Turkey.

On front lines of fight for press freedom in Turkey

“I’m happy to be a journalist despite all the stress and pressure we’ve been under from the government,” Akarcesme said last Tuesday during a visit to the newspaper’s offices by group of Capital Region journalists and academics led by the Turkish Cultural Center of Albany.

Fetullah Gülen, the preferred enemy – Interview

Hizmet is an Islamic movement with activities in more than 180 countries. To its followers, the gulenists, Gulen — a man with swallow feet and low voice who says he spends most of his time praying and studying — is a democrat in favor of the Turkish democratization.

Fethullah Gülen calls on Muslims in the US to pray against Sandy

Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has expressed his deep sorrow over the devastating effects of Superstorm Sandy, called on Muslims in the US to pray and reportedly wrote a blessing and prayer against the storm before the US East Coast was hit by the monster storm, on Monday. Gülen lives in Pennsylvania, which was among the […]

11th Int’l Turkish Olympiads kick off in İstanbul

The 11th International Turkish Olympiads, which is a festival celebrating the Turkish language and brings together 2,000 students from 140 countries this year, began in İstanbul on Wednesday. The event began with a news conference held in Atatürk Olympic Stadium attended by the Turkish deputy parliamentary speaker and International Turkish Language Olympiads organizing committee chairman, […]

Totalitarian interference in individual sphere

The Prime Minister Erdoğanis talking about closing the prep schools in which students enroll to get additional education and be more successful on university entrance examinations.His whole argument to close these institutions is just a blur of some basic facts. Everyone knows that Erdoğan is taking these steps for a single purpose: He wants to punish the Gülen movement.

Latest News

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

University refuses admission to woman jailed over Gülen links

In Case You Missed It

Erdoğan draws ire from all segments of society over bid to close Turkish schools

Kimse Yok Mu lends helping hand to Guinean families during Ramadan

9-year-old Turkish girl drowns while trying to cross Evros River

The Turkish Connection: Pak-Turk Schools

Erdoğan calls critics, civil movements ‘traitors,’ threatens investors

Science Fair at PakTurk school

Liberian Turkish Light International School Organizes Math Competition

Copyright 2023 Hizmet News