Representatives of Abrahamic religions meet in Iftar in Antioch

Antioch Intercultural Dialog Association (AKADIM) and Kimse Yok Mu relief organization brought together representatives of three Abrahamic religions in a fast breaking event in Hatay (Antioch). The representatives gave messages of peace and brotherhood. Mayor Assoc. Prof. Lütfü Savaş noted in his talk that unless someone from outside comes and asks, in Antioch they do not know who is Muslim and who is Christian, “We are all tolerant to each other.

Critics locked up at home as President Erdogan arrives in India

“I have no family to look after me here, and an arrest warrant has been issued for me in Turkey. All three of my business partners and the CEO of my company have been jailed in Turkey. I lead the life of a fugitive,” he says. Salman is wary of providing details about himself or his family, and refuses to be photographed. “My wife and daughter are still there, I don’t want to put them in trouble,” he says.

Outgoing chairman proudly admits Istanbul Bar Association refused to serve Gülen followers

The Istanbul Bar Association has turned down sympathizers of the Gülen movement who requested lawyers for their hearings in the post-coup trials, the outgoing president Ümit Kocasakal said on Saturday.

ABA urges Obama to protest Turkey’s suppression of free speech

On September 1, the American Booksellers Association joined American publishers, authors, and librarians in a letter urging President Obama to protest the widespread suppression of free speech in Turkey during his September 4 meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan in China.

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.

Anti-democratic practices after graft probe reminiscent of Feb. 28 era

A number of anti-democratic moves that began after the launch of the corruption probe, including the reassignment of thousands of civil servants, including police officers and members of the judiciary, as well as discrimination against members of the faith-based Hizmet movement, are similar to the events of the Feb. 28 period.