Keyword: Turkey
Gülen convinces people that Islam is integral part of global order
SEVGİ AKARÇEŞME, ABANT/TURKEY Professor Hans Köchler from Austria, the president of the International Progress Organization (IPO), has said the European Union’s resistance to Turkey’s membership is not due to its identity or its Islamic culture, as some argue, but mainly for economic reasons. The Abant Platform organized by the Journalists and Writers’ Foundation (GYV) hosted […]
Abant meeting calls for commitment to EU process, new constitution
SEVGİ AKARÇEŞME, ABANT/BOLU/TURKEY Participants of the three-day-long Abant Platform meeting have emphasized the need to finish drafting a new constitution, stressed the importance of a state that is equidistant to all beliefs and underlined the significance of reviving Turkey’s membership talks with the European Union. Long a byword for describing a gathering that attracts a […]
Abant Platform meeting launches with identity debates in Turkey
SEVGİ AKARÇEŞME, ABANT/BOLU/TURKEY The Abant Platform started its 28th meeting on Friday at Lake Abant with the participation of over a hundred intellectuals, academics, journalists and pundits from different ideological backgrounds to discuss the current issues in Turkey. The first theme of the meeting was on Turkey’s issues of identity. Participants agreed that the misinterpretation […]
Renowned Kurdish singer Sivan Perwer lauds Gülen’s support for peace process
Famous Kurdish singer Şivan Perwer has said he found the remarks of well-respected Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen on the peace process to end the Kurdish issue “important.” Perwer described the announcement of support from Gülen as a “significant event” as he said people in Turkey listen to what the Islamic scholar has to say. […]
Fethullah Gülen lost his friend Prof. Toktamış Ateş, an academic, writer, and eminent democrat
HizmetNews.COM January 20, 2013 Turkish Professor Toktamış Ateş, also a columnist with the Bugün daily, passed away on Saturday January 19, 2013. Fethullah Gülen expressed his condolences in a statement he released the same day, describing Prof. Ateş an exemplary democrat in academia and media. Fethullah Gülen: I am deeply saddened to learn about the […]
Fethullah Gülen’s message of condolence for veteran journalist Mehmet Ali Birand
Chairman of the Kanal D News Group and veteran journalist Mehmet Ali Birand, who advocated more freedoms and democracy in Turkey during a career spanning 48 years, has died. He was 71.Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen expressed his condolences in a statement he released on Thursday night, describing Birand an exemplary journalist who didn’t compromise […]
Are Gülen’s remarks on talks with PKK really surprising?
ABDÜLHAMİT BİLİCİ When he said, “Peace is in itself goodness, and peace brings happiness,” Fethullah Gülen, a well-respected Turkish Islamic scholar, made a deep impact on the public debate revolving around the new peace process which started with the negotiations between the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) and Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan, who […]
Today’s Zaman celebrates 6th anniversary with columnists, editors
Today’s Zaman editors and columnists came together to celebrate the daily’s sixth anniversary at a dinner on Monday night. Some 30 Today’s Zaman columnists and the daily’s editorial staff came together at the Today’s Zaman headquarters in İstanbul for the dinner. “Today’s Zaman has been acknowledged as a reliable source of news and analysis during […]
Today’s Zaman praised for quality coverage on 6th anniversary
AYDIN ALBAYRAK/ALI ASLAN KILIÇ/SİNEM CENGİZ ANKARA On the occasion of the sixth anniversary of Today’s Zaman, senior leaders of the governing and opposition parties as well as Ankara-based foreign diplomats expressed their appreciation for the daily as an important source of information on Turkey. They described Today’s Zaman, the largest-circulated English daily in Turkey, as […]
Today’s Zaman: six years of intense coverage
Yavuz Baydar Everybody should be thankful that Turkey proceeds the way it does. It has never disappointed us by keeping dull moments away from us and offering instead a constant stream of surprises. Often, a single day has meant a full year — 24 hours equaled to 365 days, in terms of events and developments. […]
Today’s Zaman celebrates sixth anniversary
BÜLENT KENEŞ On Jan. 16, 2013, Today’s Zaman’s sixth year will be complete. Since the very day this paper launched it has exerted great effort to promote the demilitarization and democratization of Turkey with the hopes that it will transform into a more transparent country governed by the rule of law. In this context it […]
Religion as a force for peace
ŞAHİN ALPAY One of the great advantages of Turkey, surely, is the dominance of religious scholars who have promoted conceptions of Islam promoting peace, socio-economic development and democracy. In this context, contributions of Said Nursi (1878-1960), a Kurd from Bitlis, and Fethullah Gülen, a Turk from Erzurum, are surely exceptional. In Turkey hopes for an […]
AKP politician Akdoğan: Gülen’s support for peace talks of vital importance
Emphasizing the importance of Gülen’s remarks, Akdoğan said: “Political and social support to this peace process is of high importance. The government cannot take a step in spite of the public and nation. It is easier for the [government] to get a result when there is strong support from the public.
Top AK Party official likens Gülen’s stance on peace talks to that of Mandela
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Deputy Chairman Hüseyin Çelik has expressed appreciation for Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen’s support for ongoing talks with the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), likening Gülen’s remarks to those of South African politician Nelson Mandela. In his latest weekly speech, broadcast on website Herkul.org last Sunday, Gülen said as long […]
