June 1, 2009
Lecture at Boston University on 'Brave New Turkey'
I gave a lecture titled "Brave New Turkey: Yes We Can!" at Boston University on April 15. From this link you can watch the full lecture, including the questions & answers session at the end.
The speech apparently raised some controversy in some blogs, most notably in Dr. Jenny White's (must-see) "Kamil Pasha," here and here. Not a big surprise: Turkey is a country of controversies, and Turks within different political camps are often very harsh against each other. But just to set the record strait in the face of some ad hominem attacks, let me reiterate this: I am not a follower of any Islamic community (cemaat), order (tarikat), or any other religious or political group. (That's why my Facebook profile notes I am a "freelance Muslim.") I even don't have the slightest sympathy with some of the groups mentioned in those blog debates - such as the one led by Adnan Oktar.
I am not a "creationist," too, because I think that term implies an effort to manipulate science according to religious belief, something which I find wrong. (I just think manipulating science according to materialist belief is wrong, too.) I also think biological evolution is an established fact. I just don't think that it is totally random and devoid of meaning and purpose, as evolutionary atheists such as Richard Dawkins claim.
As for the lecture, I suggest seeing it for yourself and making your own judgment. I tried not to make it too boring.
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 12:44 AM | Comments (1)
May 31, 2009
Fascism, Anti-Semitism and All Sorts of Turks
[Originally published in Hürriyet Daily News]
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is a man full of surprises. He surprised the world four months ago in Davos by bashing Israeli President Shimon Peres for "killing children" in Gaza. The way he stormed the international forum came as a relief to most Middle Easterners, but raised eyebrows among many Westerners. Last week Erdoğan made another surprise move, defending the right of an Israeli company to invest in Turkey, and criticizing the history of his own country, and his own political tradition, for having a "fascist mindset." While this comment came as a relief to Turkey's liberals, it not only raised eyebrows, but also prompted heated protests among the country's more numerous nationalists.
Continue reading "Fascism, Anti-Semitism and All Sorts of Turks"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 4:00 PM | Comments (1)
May 17, 2009
Revisiting Kemalism's 'Western Orientation'
[Originally published in Hürriyet Daily News]
One of the narratives about Turkey that we hear very often these days is the "Western orientation" of its Kemalist revolution. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, we are told, Mustafa Kemal and his followers emerged as the saviors of the country by recreating it as a modern republic and turning its face to the West. This story is often followed by alarmist comments about the current destination of Turkey under its current government. The Kemalists are not in power anymore, we are warned, and the new non-Kemalist elite is changing its orientation from the West to the East.
Continue reading "Revisiting Kemalism's 'Western Orientation'"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 6:13 AM | Comments (3)
May 9, 2009
Islam, Apostasy and 'Erdoğanists' In Malaysia
[Originally published in Hürriyet Daily News]
KUALA LUMPUR - It is my first time in this fascinating city, and I just hope that it won't be the last. Thanks to the invitation from Malaysian Think Tank, a pioneering organization dedicated to popularize classical liberal ideas in Malaysian society, I had the chance to come here all the way down from Istanbul. And I was impressed by not just Malaysia's common tourist attractions (gorgeous nature, great food, and diverse society) but also for the lessons it tells us about the interaction between Islam and modernity.
Continue reading "Islam, Apostasy and 'Erdoğanists' In Malaysia"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 2:11 PM | Comments (3)
May 7, 2009
A More Radical Government? ... Not Really
[Originally published in Hürriyet Daily News]
One of the great things about the Hürriyet Daily News is that it opens its pages to differing, opposing and even battling views. If you are a regular reader, you might have already noticed this diversity in the paper's opinion pages. But today I will take another step and explain you why I strongly beg to differ from one of our recent headline stories.
Continue reading "A More Radical Government? ... Not Really"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 12:06 PM | Comments (1)
April 30, 2009
Turks and 'Meds Yeghern'
[Originally published in Hürriyet Daily News]
Quite a few people in Turkey are upset with President Barack Obama these days for using the term "Meds Yeghern" to describe the tragedy that befell on Ottoman Armenians in 1915. The term means "Great Catastrophe" in the Armenian language and it refers to the "genocide" of 1915. Some Turkish commentators unhappily argue that although Obama did not directly use the "G" word, he said what amounts to that.
Continue reading "Turks and 'Meds Yeghern'"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 12:44 PM | Comments (9)
April 25, 2009
Why Do We Have a Children's Day, Really?
[Originally published in Hürriyet Daily News]
Like every other April 23, last Thursday was Turkey's National Sovereignty and Children's Day. There were celebrations throughout the whole country to honor this national holiday. The one in Istanbul's Taksim Square was a bit ironic, though. There were thousands of children from various Istanbul schools who were in uniforms tailored for this special occasion. The uniforms were bright and eye-catching, but also as thin as T-shirts. And, unluckily, it was a very cold day. No wonder the teachers and the bureaucrats who overlooked them were wearing thick coats. "We are almost freezing," said a little girl to the cameras. "I wanna go home."
Continue reading "Why Do We Have a Children's Day, Really?"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 12:52 AM | Comments (3)
April 23, 2009
Discrimination Alla Turca Militare
[Originally published in Hürriyet Daily News]
Are you familiar with the strange notion in Turkey called "accreditation?"
I am not sure what the term means in other countries, but here it refers to the military's customary method to discriminate against certain segments of the media. The generals divide the newspapers and TV channels into two categories: the "accredited" and the "non-accredited." The latter are simply not allowed, let alone invited, to press conferences and other occasions of the military. Moreover, such media sources are literally banned from entering military zones. You simply cannot read or watch them in a military school or a barrack.
Continue reading "Discrimination Alla Turca Militare"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 12:50 AM | Comments (0)
April 18, 2009
From 'Turkish People' to 'People of Turkey'
[Originally published in Hürriyet Daily News]
It is always news in Turkey when generals speak. For when they speak, they always say important things. Not necessarily intelligent, but important.
The speech given last week by Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ was remarkable because it was intelligent, too. Although I strongly disagreed with some of the points he raised, which I will address in a minute, if you kindly keep reading, I was positively surprised by a groundbreaking remark he made. He, in a quite unconventional way, proposed the concept of "the people of Turkey," instead of "the Turkish people."
Continue reading "From 'Turkish People' to 'People of Turkey'"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 12:47 AM | Comments (0)
April 16, 2009
Turkish Libido Versus Halki Seminary
[Originally published in Hürriyet Daily News]
If you want to understand why the Halki Seminary, the main school of theology of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul, remains closed for decades despite international pressure, you might take a look at the writings of the 5th century theologian St. Augustine.
Continue reading "Turkish Libido Versus Halki Seminary"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 12:43 AM | Comments (1)
April 12, 2009
Not At War With US, Either
[Originally published in Hürriyet Daily News]
The boldest headline that President Obama's visit to Turkey gave the world media was a simple reaffirmation. "The U.S is not and will never be," he said, "at war with Islam."
For many Muslims, it was good to hear this because they had really started to suspect that there was a "war on Islam" launched by the American government. In fact, no significant U.S. official had ever said anything close to that. Some of the policies of the Bush administration, from the Iraq War to Guantanamo to "rendition" created doubts and fears. Moreover, some Republican pundits and ideologues, which people perceived as the real mind of the Bush team, engaged in fear mongering about Islam. All these, at the very least, left a bad taste in the mouths of the world's 1.2 billion Muslims.
Continue reading "Not At War With US, Either"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 8:24 PM | Comments (12)
April 9, 2009
To Get Turkey Right, Hear What Obama Said
[Originally published in Hürriyet Daily News]
The trip to Turkey by President Barack Hussein Obama, as people loved to emphasize here, was a big success. Except for a few hundred "anti-imperialist," lefty protestors who hit the streets chanting, "Yankee go home," most Turks welcomed him calmly and some even fondly.
Some nationalists, including Nationalist Action Party, or MHP, leader Devlet Bahçeli, didn't like what he said about Turkish-Armenian relations -- or rather the lack thereof. But that's quite normal. The Armenian lobby in the United States, which is no fan of Turkey, didn't like the way he handled that issue either. The disapproval of extremists on both sides of a question is often the indicator of a fair position.
Continue reading "To Get Turkey Right, Hear What Obama Said"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 4:42 PM | Comments (5)
April 2, 2009
People Are Not Dumb, Election Results Say
[Originally published in Hürriyet Daily News]
During Turkey's "post-modern coup" of 1997, one of the powerful generals, Çevik Bir, said something remarkable. "What we are doing," he pompously argued, "is to do some fine-tuning to democracy." One of his colleagues, Gen. İsmail Hakkı Karadayı, is also reported to have explained the need for this military intervention in politics. "The problem," he said, "is that the people in this country are ignorant."
Continue reading "People Are Not Dumb, Election Results Say"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 3:25 PM | Comments (7)
March 31, 2009
Kurdish Nationalists Strike Back
[Originally published in Hürriyet Daily News]
Sunday's local elections opened a whole new chapter in one of Turkey's most acute problem: The Kurdish question. The Democratic Society Party, or DTP, which openly champions Kurdish nationalism and has at times sympathized with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, won a clear victory in the southeastern region of the country.
Continue reading "Kurdish Nationalists Strike Back"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 3:18 PM | Comments (4)
March 28, 2009
The Fourth Reich That We Barely Avoided
[Originally published in Turkish Daily News]
In the heydays of Turkey's first "post-modern coup," the "Feb. 28 process" of 1997, the then chief-of-staff Gen. İsmail Hakkı Karadayı uttered a revealing sentence. "If necessary," he proudly said, "this process will go on for a thousand years."
Continue reading "The Fourth Reich That We Barely Avoided"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 1:37 PM | Comments (7)
March 26, 2009
Turkey's Killing Fields
[Originally published in Hürriyet Daily News]
Have you been following the recent "excavations" in southeastern Turkey? They are horrifying.
Things started about 10 days ago, when the police unearthed a curious a piece of skull, burned clothing, a glove and various pieces of bone near BOTAŞ, the state-owned Turkish Pipeline Company. The research continued and soon 20 suspected human bones were discovered close to a village near Cizre.
Continue reading "Turkey's Killing Fields"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 1:42 PM | Comments (1)
March 25, 2009
Happy Nevruz To You, Too, Mr. Obama
[Originally published in Hürriyet Daily News]
I just listened to the remarks by U.S. President Barack Obama in celebration of Nevruz, the Middle Eastern holiday of spring. And I really liked what I heard.
Nevruz is celebrated by quite a few people in this part of the world, but it is first and foremost a Persian tradition. The Iranians, whose civilization is truly deep-rooted and well-established, started to celebrate this festival of the "New Day" at least 2,000 years ago and they have defined its meaning and content.
Continue reading "Happy Nevruz To You, Too, Mr. Obama"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 12:14 AM | Comments (0)
March 19, 2009
The Curious Case of Mustafa Balbay
[Originally published in Hürriyet Daily News]
If you want to get a sense of what has been going on in the Turkish political scene lately, you should take a look at the case of Mustafa Balbay.
Balbay is the Ankara correspondent of daily Cumhuriyet, the beacon of Kemalist (i.e., secularist and nationalist) ideology. He was arrested 10 days ago, as a part of the Ergenekon trial. (Ergenekon, if that sounds like Chinese to you, is a covert network that allegedly organized bombings and shootings in order to provoke a military coup.)
Continue reading "The Curious Case of Mustafa Balbay"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 12:13 AM | Comments (8)
March 14, 2009
Getting 'Creationism' Right
[Originally published in Hürriyet Daily News]
After my latest piece in these pages, titled "Inherit The Turkish Wind," I received quite a few emails from readers who seemed to passionately disagree with what I said. What I said, in summary, was that evolution can be interpreted in both theistic and atheistic ways, and that Turkey's official science institution, TÜBİTAK, and its publications, should be open to both. "Are you seriously proposing," a reader was asking me in the face of that suggestion, "that Creationism be presented in the pages of a magazine devoted to science?"
Continue reading "Getting 'Creationism' Right"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 12:58 PM | Comments (30)
March 12, 2009
Inherit The Turkish Wind
[Originally published in Hürriyet Daily News]
Turkey has just been drawn to yet another controversy with the officially supported science magazine, "Bilim ve Teknik," refraining from publishing a 16-page cover story that highlighted Darwin's ideas. As also reported in these pages yesterday, the story prepared by the magazine's chief editor, Dr. Çiğdem Atakuman, was removed at the last minute by Professor Ömer Cebeci, the vice president of TÜBİTAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council), which sponsors the publication.
Continue reading "Inherit The Turkish Wind"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 1:00 PM | Comments (6)
March 8, 2009
Darwin Year Is Not The Year of Atheism
[Originally published in Turkish Daily News]
As you might have already known, the year 2009 is also the "Darwin Year." It is the bicentennial of the birthday of the great British naturalist, and sesquicentennial of publication of his famous book "The Origin of Species." Hence we hear a lot these days about evolution, its history and, most important of all, its meaning.
Continue reading "Darwin Year Is Not The Year of Atheism"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 8:35 PM | Comments (5)
March 5, 2009
Time For Erdoğan For Self-Criticism
[Originally published in Hürriyet Daily News]
Word has it that Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan did not like the Turkey chapter of the annual Human Rights Report recently launched by the U.S. State Department. The report in fact praises Turkey's advances on several fronts, but also criticizes the government for several issues, including restrictions on "media freedom." "Senior government officials, including Prime Minister Erdoğan," the report notes, "made statements during the year strongly criticizing the press and media business figures, particularly following the publishing of reports on alleged corruption in entities in Germany connected to the ruling party."
Continue reading "Time For Erdoğan For Self-Criticism"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 8:07 PM | Comments (1)
February 28, 2009
Turkish Islam According To Adam Smith
[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News]
We Turks hotly debate the role of religion in public life all the time. But our frame of reference hardly goes beyond a few cliches that have been planted in our minds by the official ideology, education system, and other national narratives. That's why it would be a good idea to raise our heads a bit and look at other sources which bring different perspectives to the same question.
Continue reading "Turkish Islam According To Adam Smith"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 5:54 PM | Comments (4)
February 27, 2009
Speaking Kurdish In The Turkish Parliament
[Originally published in Hürriyet Daily News]
The leader of the Democratic Society Party, or DTP, Ahmet Türk, shocked the country the other day, by speaking Kurdish in the Turkish Parliament. At a session with his parliamentary group, he reminded that Feb. 21 is celebrated as "International Mother Tongue Day," and then uttered words in his own mother tongue.
Continue reading "Speaking Kurdish In The Turkish Parliament"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 5:13 PM | Comments (3)
February 22, 2009
Welcome To Kurdistan (Not 'North Iraq')
[Originally published in Turkish Daily News]
The Abant Platform, which holds frequent conferences at which Turkish intellectuals convene to discuss timely issues, was in northern Iraq last week. I was among the nearly one hundred names that were supposed to fly from Istanbul to Arbil for this significant meeting, but a last minute change of plans destined me rather to Washington. Yet I have been carefully reading what Abant participants have been writing about their experience in Iraqi Kurdistan -- a country whose very name is a big bone of contention in Turkey.
Continue reading "Welcome To Kurdistan (Not 'North Iraq')"
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at 5:11 PM | Comments (3)
Previous entries...
The Islamic Spider, The Conspiracy and Me Feb 21, 2009Anti-Semitism in Turkey: Myths and Facts (II) Feb 14, 2009
Anti-Semitism In Turkey: Myths and Facts (I) Feb 12, 2009
From Ban On Kurdish To Kurdish TV Feb 8, 2009
Is Tayyip Erdoğan The New Nasser? Feb 5, 2009
The Political Language of Turkey Feb 2, 2009
So, is Turkey pro-Hamas now? Jan 29, 2009
Terrorism In The Name of Judaism Jan 24, 2009
Barack Obama and The American Gospel Jan 22, 2009
When Both Sides See The Other As Evil Jan 17, 2009
ALL ARTICLES »
