News
Turkish Kimse Yok Mu volunteers staying months to help survivors
The members of Kimse Yok Mu Foundation were the first group among dozens of international humanitarian groups that have descended to Tacloban City, of Philippines, which bore the brunt of the world’s strongest typhoon recorded this year. Kimse Yok Mu Foundation was able to collect $2 million and was still receiving donations for Haiyan victims, said Kurkcu. The foundation was organized in 1999, just months after Turkey was hit by a devastating earthquake that killed more than 17,000 people.
Alevis voice unease over lack of promised rights at Abant meeting
Alevis have expressed at Abant meeting their uneasiness over pro-government comments claiming that the Gezi Park protests were an “Alevi uprising,” warning against a “dangerous approach that encourages wrong perceptions.” The title of this year’s Abant Platform, which started on Dec. 13, was “Alevis and Sunnis: Searching for Peace and a Future Together.” It was organized by the Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV), a group affiliated with the Gülen Movement.
Movie Selam actress sponsors orphanage in Sudan
Actress Burcin Abdullah, starring as Zehra in the movie Selam -based on true stories of teachers at Turkish schools abroad- sponsored an orphanage in Khartoum, Sudan. In the grand opening, attended by the Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir’s brother, Hasan Muhammad al-Bashir as well, Abdullah shared her feelings: “Can you believe that 60 children who had to sleep on the bare ground now have a home!
Beninese president: African relations imperative for Turkish power
Since Turkey kicked off a strategic initiative to improve its commercial relations with Africa in 2003, this extra attention has resulted in an increased trade volume with the continent. Beninese President Thomas Yayi Boni said Africa also sees Turkey from a strategic perspective, noting that Turkey is one of Benin’s high-priority partners.
Turkish cultural day in the Philippines
A Turkish cultural promotion event took place in the capital Manila, the Philippines. The event featured traditional Turkish dance performances, food, music, and a photography exhibition along with screenings on Turkey’s natural and historical attractions. As highlights of the event, Filipino students of Fountain International Schools performed traditional Turkish dances and songs.
EP says Erdoğan’s ‘treason’ accusation ‘totally unacceptable’
Two of the most senior politicians of the European Parliament (EP) have strongly criticized Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s “treason” remarks against the Taraf daily and its reporter Mehmet Baransu, calling the prime minister’s comments unacceptable. Hannes Swoboda, the leader of the second-largest group in the EP, said he was “gravely concerned” by Erdoğan’s remarks and the subsequent cases filed against the daily and its reporter Baransu.
Mandela supported mosque construction in Johannesburg, says businessman
Turkish businessman Ali Katırcıoğlu, who sponsored the construction of an Ottoman-style mosque complex, called the Nizamiye Külliyesi, in the South African city of Johannesburg, has said legendary South African leader Nelson Mandela, who passed away earlier this month, extended great support to the construction of the mosque complex.
Alevi problems deeper than they seem, opinion leaders agree
On the first day of the 30th Abant Platform meeting on Friday on the Alevis issue in Turkey, Alevi and Sunni intellectuals and opinion leaders agreed that the problems date back to centuries ago and are more complicated than they seem. The event, titled “Searching for peace and a future together,” brought together representatives of various Alevi communities as well as Alevi and Sunni pundits, journalists and academics in an effort to have a comprehensive debate on one of the lingering problems of Turkish society.
Gülen movement-backed Abant Platform to discuss Alevi-Sunni ties
The Alevi issue is the key theme of this year’s Abant Platform, which started on Dec. 13 by way of the organization efforts of the Gülen Movement-affiliated Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV). The three-day meeting which has gathered intellectuals from various ideological camps came at a time when tension between the government and the movement has become extremely visible in the eyes of the public due to the former’s plans of “transforming” the private “cram schools.”
Draft law on state secrets prompts concerns in Turkey amid profiling leaks
The draft bill on what constitutes a state secret in Turkey that brings harsh penalties for disclosure has sparked concerns in Turkey against the background of the revelation of confidential documents that exposed massive government profiling of innocent citizens. Retired military judge Ümit Kardaş, speaking to a Turkish daily on Thursday, said giving such broad authority to the prime minister is anti-democratic. “If enacted, the state secret law will drag Turkey into fascism,” he cautioned.
Gülen rejects labeling of Hizmet as ‘gang,’ calls it ‘traitorous’
Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has rejected the labeling of the Hizmet movement as a “gang,” saying those who uttered this word committed “traitorous” behavior. The term gang, “örgüt” in Turkish, has become a famous euphemism in Turkey to denote the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and has a negative connotation.
OSCE: Excessive penalties threaten journalism in Turkey
Dunja Mijatovic, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) representative on freedom of the media, has said excessive penalties against journalists may threaten investigative journalism and freedom of speech in Turkey. Mijatovic spoke against an investigation targeting Taraf journalist Mehmet Baransu for reporting on a confidential National Security Council (MGK) document that mentioned a planned crackdown on faith-based groups in Turkey.
Turkish Syriac Catholic patriarch launches ‘Fruits of Dialogue’
“Diyaloğun Meyveleri” (Fruits of Dialogue), a book by Deputy Patriarch of the Turkish Syriac Catholic Church Yusuf Sağ, was launched at a reception held at Taksim Green Park Hotel in İstanbul on Tuesday night. Delivering a speech at the event, Bartholomew praised the role of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen in promoting dialogue among different faiths.
