March 7, 2010
And Now, The Plot is Proven...
[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News]
Something very important happened last Monday. A short statement from the Turkish General Staff noted that its investigators had gathered "evidence that might prove the existence of the document in question."
"The document in question" was quite a terrible one. It was a military plan to overthrow the AKP government and suppress the popular Islamic movement led by Fethullah Gülen, a retired preacher who lives in the U.S. One idea was to "find" weapons in the homes of people from the Gülen movement by planting them there first and thus portraying the peaceful community as a terrorist group.
Continue reading "And Now, The Plot is Proven..."
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 1:44 AM | Comments (1)
March 3, 2010
Confessions of A Recovering AKP Fan
[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News]
The headline above was suggested to me yesterday by a Turkish friend from California. "That's what some people really expect to hear from you these days," she said on Skype. "Especially after [Prime Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan's latest attack on the media."
Well, my friend has a point. Erdoğan's recent call for media bosses to fire the columnists whose pieces "increase tension in the country" is really over the top. It is shockingly illiberal and utterly unacceptable. No columnist has to write pieces Erdoğan, or anybody else, will approve. The fact the prime minister dared to say something like that is not just tragic but also worrying.
Continue reading "Confessions of A Recovering AKP Fan"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 12:44 AM | Comments (4)
February 26, 2010
Why I Should Be Fired, Jailed and Beheaded
[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News]
One of the great things about the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review is its lack of censorship. Hence, I can write in my columns what I believe, and, in return, readers can comment in the way they deem fit. Some can even bring in bold suggestions that I should be fired from the newspaper, then "jailed for life" and even "beheaded."
Continue reading "Why I Should Be Fired, Jailed and Beheaded"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 12:40 AM | Comments (0)
February 23, 2010
A Farewell to Rulers In Arms
[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News]
For decades and decades, Turkey's powerful generals, even if they often remained behind the scenes, ruled the country. And every Turk knew that. They also knew that if the elected politicians make the generals angry, the latter would come down and teach them a damn good lesson.
Continue reading "A Farewell to Rulers In Arms"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 12:37 AM | Comments (0)
February 19, 2010
From Kemalist Oligarchy to Chaotic Polyarchy
[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News]
By now, it is clear to all that an unarmed war is going on within the Turkish state. The latest episode in Erzincan, a city in the east, and its repercussions in Ankara, a city in turmoil, is telling enough.
Things began several months ago. First, Erzincan's chief prosecutor, İlhan Cihaner, started an investigation about a conservative Islamic community in town. Meanwhile, a prosecutor from the neighboring city of Erzurum, Osman Şanal, who had a special authority to investigate the Ergenekon case, suspected something different.
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Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 3:18 PM | Comments (1)
February 16, 2010
Was Ottoman Shariah Better Than Republican Law?
[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News]
Well, with a headline like the above, I know that I am on dangerous ground. Shariah, which roughly means Islamic law, is a toxic word for good reasons. Lots of horrific things are happening in our world by those who claim to implement this legal tradition. Shariah-imposing countries such as Iran and Saudi Arabia are dictatorships that systematically violate human rights. The latter is especially hellish for its women.
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Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 3:14 PM | Comments (0)
February 12, 2010
Unraveling The Turkish Inferiority Complex
[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News]
LONDON - Every time I come to this magnificent city, I admire the way the British honor their past. This time, I was impressed even more, for I had a chance to spend a whole morning in the House of Lords, at which a conference about Turkey's emerging role in the world was held. While walking in the corridors of the splendid building, I could not count the number of statues of former statesmen that I saw. But I could well feel how tradition keeps the British proud and dignified.
Continue reading "Unraveling The Turkish Inferiority Complex"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 3:11 PM | Comments (2)
February 10, 2010
Will Turkish Laicite Save The World?
[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News]
An opinion piece published in these pages a few days ago was praising Turkey's self-styled secularism with generous words. This thing called laicite, originally an import from France, was, according to the argument, so great that now it was "becoming an asset for Turkey's relations with Europe." And the proof, the reasoning went, was that a few European countries were studying Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate in order to train their own state-supported imams.
Well, I have hardly heard an argument that is this objectionable. And let me tell you why.
Continue reading "Will Turkish Laicite Save The World?"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 1:21 PM | Comments (2)
February 7, 2010
Could Islam Help Us Against Honor Killings?
[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News]
Yet another horrible honor killing took place in the southeast, the least developed part of Turkey. A 16-year-old girl was buried alive by her relatives simply for befriending boys. Forensic experts found soil in her lungs and stomach, indicating that the poor kid was conscious while being buried into the ground.
May God have mercy on her soul. And may her killers face punishment in this world and the next. What they did was cruel, monstrous and evil.
Continue reading "Could Islam Help Us Against Honor Killings?"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 11:01 PM | Comments (1)
February 2, 2010
Why The Kemalists Hate Capitalism
[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News]
Do you think that Turkey would be better off if it achieves "economic independence"? Would we Turks be wealthier if, for example, we drive all foreign companies out and "nationalize" the whole economy?
I don't know how you would answer these questions, but some circles in Turkey certainly answer them very positively. These are often the Marxist-Leninists, and other shades and grades of the radical left, who believe that global capitalism is a monster that plunders the nations it breaks into.
Continue reading "Why The Kemalists Hate Capitalism"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 11:55 PM | Comments (2)
January 30, 2010
The Shariah of Love
[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News]
One of the popular themes in our popular culture is that peculiar feeing called love, and the way it sometimes torments people. Love stories with unhappy endings are quite common, and the heartbreaks they cause are quite bitter. No wonder so much music has been devoted to this trouble. "Love hurts," a famous song warns, "love scars."
Continue reading "The Shariah of Love"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 10:06 PM | Comments (0)
January 26, 2010
Kemalism Needs to Be Disarmed - and Privatized
[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News]
Turkey's latest national controversy over the alleged coup plan codenamed "Sledgehammer" will probably remain as just that: a controversy. The generals who seem responsible will probably not face any trial, for the military remains as an untouchable institution, especially after being saved last week by the Constitutional Court from civilian scrutiny. A bit like the ancient legal maxim, "The prince is above the law," Turkish laws place the generals above the justice system that we, the lesser mortals, are subject to.
Continue reading "Kemalism Needs to Be Disarmed - and Privatized"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 10:11 PM | Comments (0)
January 23, 2010
Does The Turkish Military Make Plans to Kill Turkish People?
[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News]
Have you taken a look at the recent exposure about the amazing adventures of Turkey's Dr. Strangelovish generals? It is a must-see.
What I am referring to is the action plan called "Balyoz" (Sledgehammer) that the liberal daily Taraf published a few days ago. The extensive document, whose full name is the "Sledgehammer Security Operation Plan," was apparently drafted in 2003, a little after the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, came to power.
Continue reading "Does The Turkish Military Make Plans to Kill Turkish People?"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 11:37 PM | Comments (1)
January 19, 2010
Toward a Liberal 'Political Islam'?
[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News]
Political Islam, as you probably have noticed before, is a dirty term. It often refers to angry men who impose veils on women and ban anything that is fun. It even reminds us of the horrific reign of the Taliban, whose heaven on Earth in Afghanistan looked rather like hell for most of us.
There is a good reason for this notoriety of political Islam. Its main proponents, such as the Pakistani thinker Abul A'ala Mawdudi (1903-1979), defined it as the effort to create an "Islamic state," whose main mission would be the imposition of shariah, or Islamic law, within its most rigid and medieval interpretation.
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Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 11:33 PM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2010
An Open Letter to Israelis (From a Concerned Turk)
[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News]
Dear friends,
I hope all is well in the Holy Land. Things are not too bad here in Turkey. Yet one thing that certainly does not look great is relations between our countries, which hit an ugly low this week.
In fact, since the beginning of your government's "Operation Cast Lead" in Gaza, which happened a year ago, a continual war of words has been going on between your leaders and ours.
Continue reading "An Open Letter to Israelis (From a Concerned Turk)"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 12:32 AM | Comments (9)
January 13, 2010
The Trouble With Islamo-Tribalism
[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News]
Nasty things are happening in Malaysia. Nine Christian churches have been vandalized or burnt just over the last weekend. Thank God, nobody has been hurt, yet, but the terror unleashed is terrifying enough for the Christian minority of this overwhelmingly Muslim nation.
Continue reading "The Trouble With Islamo-Tribalism"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 11:47 AM | Comments (4)
January 11, 2010
Ahmet Davutoğlu: Yet Another Crypto-Armenian?
[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News]
Ahmet Davutoğlu, the former academic who has been mastering Turkish foreign policy since 2003, is a remarkable man. First as an adviser to the prime minister, and recently as foreign minister, he really transformed the way Ankara does business in the world. His strategies of "zero problems with neighbors," "pro-active engagement," or "multi-lateral foreign policy" made Turkey a much more influential actor in its region. You might like or dislike the results of this new paradigm, but it would be only fair to acknowledge the depth and creativity of its vision.
Continue reading "Ahmet Davutoğlu: Yet Another Crypto-Armenian?"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 2:26 PM | Comments (0)
January 6, 2010
Should Muslims 'Slay The Mockers of Islam'?
[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News]
Alas, it happened again. An extremist Muslim attacked a Westerner to punish him for "mocking Islam." This time, the victim was the Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, whose controversial caricature of the Prophet Mohammed had sparked a worldwide storm five years ago. A 28-year-old man of Somali origin broke into the cartoonist's home last Friday, wielding an axe and a knife. "We will get our revenge," he reportedly yelled, before being shot by the police and taken under custody.
Continue reading "Should Muslims 'Slay The Mockers of Islam'?"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 12:30 PM | Comments (4)
December 31, 2009
Why Muslim Culture Needs More Fun
[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News]
It happens toward every year's end. The more Westernized part of Turkish society warms up for New Year's Eve. Decorations are put up, parties are organized, and restaurants advertise eat-and-dance-all-night-long programs. Santa Clauses and pine trees show up in upscale malls. The Turks who embrace these Christmas symbols often have no idea about Christ. They just like the lifestyle of the wealthy, happy and joyful people they see in Hollywood movies.
Continue reading "Why Muslim Culture Needs More Fun"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 2:32 PM | Comments (0)
December 25, 2009
From the Archives: The Year of Darwin
Well, it took me some time to post this on this blog -- who said I have a good sense of time -- but down below is comment from me in the "Year of Darwin" special file of the Nature magazine, dated Nov 2008. (Read here, or download the PDF right here.) The cartoon above, meanwhile, is Nature's nice piece of artwork that supplemented the file, and the funny fellow at the left end seems to be me.
Continue reading "From the Archives: The Year of Darwin"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 9:06 PM | Comments (0)
From the Archives: A Governing Sharia
Yet another belated post: My book review of Islam and The Secular State by Prof. Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im. It was published in the December 2008 issue of First Things, a monthly theology magazine.
Continue reading "From the Archives: A Governing Sharia"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 9:04 PM | Comments (0)
Why The Turkish Caesar Crucified The Ecumenical Patriarch
[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News]
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew recently said on American TV that he feels "crucified" in Turkey. And many Turks got upset with him.
His All Holiness is right, though, to complain about the Turkish Republic. The latter has kept the Halki Seminary, the only institution to train Orthodox priests in the country, closed since 1971. Even the title "ecumenical" is lashed out at by some Turkish authorities and their nationalist supporters. Every year, international reports on religious freedom point to such pressures on the Ecumenical Patriarchate with concern, and they are right to do so.
Continue reading "Why The Turkish Caesar Crucified The Ecumenical Patriarch"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 7:12 PM | Comments (0)
December 23, 2009
Why Is It So Easy To Insult Atatürk?
[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News]
If you want to see something truly amazing about Turkey these days, take a look at the recent "insulting Atatürk" case opened against Can Dündar.
Mr. Dündar is a renowned public intellectual. He writes a column for the daily Milliyet, an established center-left paper, and hosts a TV show on NTV, a centrist news channel. He is a secular democrat and is certainly among the admirers of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the godfather of Turkey's secularism.
Continue reading "Why Is It So Easy To Insult Atatürk?"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 12:48 AM | Comments (4)
December 21, 2009
Appreciating Christmas As a Non-Christian
[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News]
A few weeks ago I had the chance to visit Antakya, the southern Turkish city whose name derives from the ancient city of Antioch. The latter, as New Testament readers would know, was a chief center of early Christianity. Evangelized by both Peter and Paul, the two main founding fathers of the new faith, Antioch was actually the place where the very word "Christian" was born.
Continue reading "Appreciating Christmas As a Non-Christian"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 12:06 PM | Comments (4)
December 19, 2009
The Fundamental Design Flaw of The Turkish Republic
[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News]
On May 1, 1920, Mustafa Kemal, who would soon be the founder of the Turkish Republic, delivered an important speech at the Parliament in Ankara.
"The people who have formed this supreme assembly are not just Turks," he said. "They are also Circassians, Kurds or Laz. They are all different components of Islam. They all respect each other, and each other's ethnic, social and geographic rights."
Continue reading "The Fundamental Design Flaw of The Turkish Republic"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 12:16 PM | Comments (3)
Previous entries...
Will Turkey's Caste System Survive? Dec 14, 2009AKP Is Not Islamist, But Somewhat Muslimist Dec 9, 2009
Are Minarets 'Our Bayonets?' Dec 8, 2009
Aryan Supremacy Reigns Supreme in Switzerland Dec 2, 2009
Tearing Down the Ankara Wall (In Slow-Motion) Nov 25, 2009
How the Turkish Military Conspires Against Turkish Society Nov 21, 2009
How Turkey Massacred the Kurds of Dersim Nov 18, 2009
Lecture at Boston University on 'Brave New Turkey' Jun 1, 2009
Fascism, Anti-Semitism and All Sorts of Turks May 31, 2009
Revisiting Kemalism's 'Western Orientation' May 17, 2009
ALL ARTICLES »
