A Chat with Vonya Womack, a Human Rights Activist and Expert on Turkey and Its [Gulen Follower] Refugees
Date posted: December 20, 2019
RICH FISHER
Following a recent coup attempt, more than 100,000 people were arrested and dismissed from their jobs in the Republic of Turkey. Turkey is also the world’s largest jailer of journalists; 300+ are now behind bars. Our guest is an expert on these and related matters: Vonya Womack teaches at Cabrini University in Pennsylvania and spoke recently at the Raindrop Turkish House in Broken Arrow, OK.
She spoke about her work as a human rights activist and about how she recently visited with Turkish political refugees in Greece. She tells us about these adventures on StudioTulsa.
With its 100th issue, The Fountain invites you to join us in our celebration. Write in an essay a projection of yourself on your 100th birthday. What would you say to yourself at that age? What would your 100-year-old self tell you back? Would it be a conversation of praise and/or regret? Praise for achievements in your career, but regrets for a destroyed family? Warnings for the mistakes you did in your projected future or you will do in your past; pitfalls you happened to be dragged into, temptations you could not resist; or celebrations for the good character you were able to display and sustain a whole life, a precious life wasted or a life lived as it was meant to be.
Erdoğan’s efforts to destroy the Gulen movement aimed at consolidating his own power and regime
Hermann says Erdoğan’s efforts to destroy the Hizmet movement are aimed at consolidating his own power and regime. “Erdoğan wants to wipe out everyone whom he sees as a rival. There are not many left to challenge him. That left the Hizmet movement as a corrective force. The movement is a danger to him.
Erdoğan planning to stage another coup in bid to eradicate remaining dissidents, columnist claims
According to TR724 columnist Selin Tanbay, Erdoğan’s speech was nothing but the first signal of what she calls ‘a new plot in the making’ against the sympathizers of the Gülen movement and other dissident voices. Giving his Ramadan holiday message on September 13, Erdoğan kept his eyes away from the teleprompter and let his plans slip out for a while, Tanbay said.
Gülen-inspired schools lead in university entrance exam results
Students from schools inspired by the faith-based Gülen movement, popularly known as the Hizmet movement, were the top scorers in a number of categories in this year’s Undergraduate Placement Examination (LYS), according to an announcement on the website of the Student Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM)
Islamabad High Court: No plan to close Pak-Turk schools
The government is not going to shut down Pak-Turk schools nor it has received any request from the Turkish government for the transfer of its management to any third party. This was stated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in written comments submitted to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in response to a petition filed by the management of the Pak-Turk schools.
Turning wedding excess into act of charity
The average wedding in the United States costs about $28,400. Ours was $7 — the $2 license, $5 for a Justice of Peace, plus gas for the car we eloped in. This fall we will have been married 66 years, which comes out to about 11 cents a year, if you include the gas.
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