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Today's Zaman, Turkey
Jan 10 2015
Turkey sees unprecedented division, conflicts under AK Party rule
January 10, 2015, Saturday/ 17:00:00/ MUHSÄ°N Ã-ZTÃ`RK/ MURAT TOKAY/ / ISTANBUL
The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government, which came to
power in 2002 with an all-embracing and pro-democracy discourse vowing
to respect society's diversity, has, after its 12-year-old rule, ended
up being one of the most divisive and polarizing governments in the
history of the Turkish Republic, something that could be seen clearly
in the conflicts among various groups and even members of the same
family in the country.
The divisions in the society, fomented by the AK Party government and
its former leader and current President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an, became
more visible following the Gezi Park protests in summer 2013 and graft
probes that became public in December 2013.
The Gezi Park protests began on May 28, 2013 initially to oppose the
urban development plan for Ä°stanbul's Gezi Park. The protests were
sparked by outrage when the protesters conducting a sit-in in the park
were violently forced out by riot police. Subsequently, supporting
protests and clashes took place across Turkey protesting plenty of
other concerns. The protests quickly spread to the whole country and
evolved into anti-government protests.
Back then, ErdoÄ?an, who was then prime minister, refused to ease the
tensions. Describing the protestors as `looters,' ErdoÄ?an said he was
having a difficult time of keeping 50 percent of society, i.e., his
voter base, in their homes. He also tried to stigmatize the protestors
on many occasions.
One incident was frequently referred to by ErdoÄ?an in an attempt to
portray the protesters as being hooligans. It was claimed that an
attack on a headscarved woman happened in KabataÅ? on June 1, 2013
during the protests. However, video footage released of the Gezi Park
protests refuted this claim.
In another attempt to stigmatize the Gezi protestors, ErdoÄ?an had also
accused them of drinking alcohol in a mosque. The mosque story was
also later found to be untrue, thereby damaging ErdoÄ?an's credibility.
In leaked video footage, the demonstrators who sought refuge in a
mosque appeared to have sustained injuries and were wounded. The imam
of the mosque apparently opened the doors of the mosque to those
running away from the police seeking refuge.
Following the Dec. 17 and 25 graft probes' going public in 2013, in
which some government-affiliated figures were implicated, ErdoÄ?an, who
described the probes as a `coup attempt' against his government,
referred to those asking for an investigation of the corruption claims
as the `others.'
Conflict among the religious
Turkey is used to seeing conflicts between its religious and secular
circles; however, for the first time in the country's history, a
conflict has emerged among religious groups in the society based on
their perception of the graft allegations.
The AK Party government, which received the support of the faith-based
Hizmet movement for years, launched a battle against it following the
Dec.17 incidents, accusing the movement of establishing a parallel
state within the state and masterminding the corruption probes.
On many occasions, ErdoÄ?an has used derogatory remarks for the
followers of the Hizmet movement such as `virus,' `hashashin,' `gang,'
etc. The hatred fomented by the government in society also had
repercussions among society's members and relations between members of
the same family or relatives have been damaged.
Journalists, academics divided
The Gezi Park protests and Dec. 17 graft probe led to fragmentation
among journalists and academics who used to support the AK Party
government until the beginning of the party's third term in power,
which began in 2011.
Journalists who did not agree with the government labels for the Gezi
Park protests and the graft probes as `attempted coups' were sacked
from pro-government media outlets. For instance, Yeni Å?afak writers
Murat MenteÅ?, IÅ?ın Eliçin, Murat Aksoy, KürÅ?at Bumin and Süleyman
Gündüz left their jobs at the paper due to a disagreement with the
paper's publication policy to refer to Gezi Park protests and graft
probes as a `coup attempt.'
Columnists Mustafa Akyol and Sedat Laçiner from the pro-government
Star daily shared the same fate, while columnists such as Gülay
Göktürk, Ahmet TaÅ?getiren, Etyen Mahçupyan, Leyla Ä°pekçi and Atilla
Yayla, who used to write for the Zaman and Bugün newspapers, which are
affiliated with the Hizmet movement, left these papers and were
immediately employed by pro-government dailies Sabah, Star, AkÅ?am and
Yeni Å?afak.
Dozens of other journalists have lost their jobs due to their
criticism of the government.
Young Civilians split up
Even the anti-militarist, anti-coup civil society group Young
Civilians (Genç Siviller) saw division in its ranks following the
graft probe's going public. Turgay OÄ?ur and Yıldıray OÄ?ur, two
brothers who are among the group's founders, fell into opposite camps.
While Yıldıray, along with activists Ceren Kenar and Erkan Å?en, chose
to take sides with the AK Party government, Turgay, along with
activists Fatih Demirci and Nurcan ÇalıÅ?kan, refused to back the
government's anti-democratic actions, and they cut their ties with the
group.
Commenting on his departure from the Young Civilians, Turgay OÄ?ur said
during an interview with the Radikal daily: `I made efforts for the
Young Civilians for years. I made many sacrifices. Including the job I
do today to make a living, I have not had any financial gain for being
a part of this group. To the contrary, I was seen as a little bit
dangerous. Despite this, I took my jacket and left the Young
Civilians. On Dec. 17, I understood that everyone is an enemy of the
Hizmet movement. People I thought were very close wrote on social
media mockingly that the Young Civilians' pro-Hizmet wing had been
eliminated.'
Armenians divided, too
The polarization in society has also hit Turkish-Armenians. Following
the Dec.17 graft probe, Turkish-Armenian columnist Etyen Mahçupyan
parted ways with the Zaman daily for which he wrote for years and
began to write for the pro-government AkÅ?am daily. With another
Turkish-Armenian writer, Markar Esayan, who began to write for the
pro-government Yeni Å?afak daily, Mahçupyan took part with those who
claimed that the Dec.17 probe was a `coup attempt' against the
government.
Mahçupyan even became an advisor of Prime Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu who
was appointed to the helm of the AK Party following ErdoÄ?an's election
to the presidency last summer. Yet, another well-known
Turkish-Armenian writer Hayko BaÄ?dat, who writes for the Taraf daily,
continued to direct criticism at the AK Party on many occasions.
Carrot and sticks used for business world
The business world also received its share from the polarized
atmosphere in the country. It is no secret that business organizations
that comply with government policies are given privileges in public
tenders, while there is discrimination against companies and
businessmen who criticize government acts.
The government has not denied the existence of documents showing that
it profiled companies that are members of the Turkish Confederation of
Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON), which is affiliated with the
Hizmet movement.
There is a boycott under way against these companies. Moreover, the
government is trying to discourage members of the confederation from
engaging in commercial activities through frequent inspections.
The Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (TÃ`SÄ°AD) was
also placed on the government's target list after TÃ`SÄ°AD President
Haluk Dinçer expressed in a recent newspaper interview his
disagreement with a number of government policies. He said he does not
see any `parallel structure' within the state, as is asserted by
pro-government circles, that there is no impartial and independent
judiciary in Turkey and that TÃ`SÄ°AD does not believe that the Gezi
protests and the Dec. 17 investigations were `coup attempts' against
the government.
A columnist from the pro-government Sabah daily, Okan MüderrisoÄ?lu,
was quick to target the organization and said, `Failing to take a
stance with ErdoÄ?an, TÃ`SÄ°AD may turn into parallel structure.'
http://www.todayszaman.com/national_turkey-sees-unprecedented-division-conflicts-under-ak-party-rule_369290.html
From: Baghdasarian
Jan 10 2015
Turkey sees unprecedented division, conflicts under AK Party rule
January 10, 2015, Saturday/ 17:00:00/ MUHSÄ°N Ã-ZTÃ`RK/ MURAT TOKAY/ / ISTANBUL
The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government, which came to
power in 2002 with an all-embracing and pro-democracy discourse vowing
to respect society's diversity, has, after its 12-year-old rule, ended
up being one of the most divisive and polarizing governments in the
history of the Turkish Republic, something that could be seen clearly
in the conflicts among various groups and even members of the same
family in the country.
The divisions in the society, fomented by the AK Party government and
its former leader and current President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an, became
more visible following the Gezi Park protests in summer 2013 and graft
probes that became public in December 2013.
The Gezi Park protests began on May 28, 2013 initially to oppose the
urban development plan for Ä°stanbul's Gezi Park. The protests were
sparked by outrage when the protesters conducting a sit-in in the park
were violently forced out by riot police. Subsequently, supporting
protests and clashes took place across Turkey protesting plenty of
other concerns. The protests quickly spread to the whole country and
evolved into anti-government protests.
Back then, ErdoÄ?an, who was then prime minister, refused to ease the
tensions. Describing the protestors as `looters,' ErdoÄ?an said he was
having a difficult time of keeping 50 percent of society, i.e., his
voter base, in their homes. He also tried to stigmatize the protestors
on many occasions.
One incident was frequently referred to by ErdoÄ?an in an attempt to
portray the protesters as being hooligans. It was claimed that an
attack on a headscarved woman happened in KabataÅ? on June 1, 2013
during the protests. However, video footage released of the Gezi Park
protests refuted this claim.
In another attempt to stigmatize the Gezi protestors, ErdoÄ?an had also
accused them of drinking alcohol in a mosque. The mosque story was
also later found to be untrue, thereby damaging ErdoÄ?an's credibility.
In leaked video footage, the demonstrators who sought refuge in a
mosque appeared to have sustained injuries and were wounded. The imam
of the mosque apparently opened the doors of the mosque to those
running away from the police seeking refuge.
Following the Dec. 17 and 25 graft probes' going public in 2013, in
which some government-affiliated figures were implicated, ErdoÄ?an, who
described the probes as a `coup attempt' against his government,
referred to those asking for an investigation of the corruption claims
as the `others.'
Conflict among the religious
Turkey is used to seeing conflicts between its religious and secular
circles; however, for the first time in the country's history, a
conflict has emerged among religious groups in the society based on
their perception of the graft allegations.
The AK Party government, which received the support of the faith-based
Hizmet movement for years, launched a battle against it following the
Dec.17 incidents, accusing the movement of establishing a parallel
state within the state and masterminding the corruption probes.
On many occasions, ErdoÄ?an has used derogatory remarks for the
followers of the Hizmet movement such as `virus,' `hashashin,' `gang,'
etc. The hatred fomented by the government in society also had
repercussions among society's members and relations between members of
the same family or relatives have been damaged.
Journalists, academics divided
The Gezi Park protests and Dec. 17 graft probe led to fragmentation
among journalists and academics who used to support the AK Party
government until the beginning of the party's third term in power,
which began in 2011.
Journalists who did not agree with the government labels for the Gezi
Park protests and the graft probes as `attempted coups' were sacked
from pro-government media outlets. For instance, Yeni Å?afak writers
Murat MenteÅ?, IÅ?ın Eliçin, Murat Aksoy, KürÅ?at Bumin and Süleyman
Gündüz left their jobs at the paper due to a disagreement with the
paper's publication policy to refer to Gezi Park protests and graft
probes as a `coup attempt.'
Columnists Mustafa Akyol and Sedat Laçiner from the pro-government
Star daily shared the same fate, while columnists such as Gülay
Göktürk, Ahmet TaÅ?getiren, Etyen Mahçupyan, Leyla Ä°pekçi and Atilla
Yayla, who used to write for the Zaman and Bugün newspapers, which are
affiliated with the Hizmet movement, left these papers and were
immediately employed by pro-government dailies Sabah, Star, AkÅ?am and
Yeni Å?afak.
Dozens of other journalists have lost their jobs due to their
criticism of the government.
Young Civilians split up
Even the anti-militarist, anti-coup civil society group Young
Civilians (Genç Siviller) saw division in its ranks following the
graft probe's going public. Turgay OÄ?ur and Yıldıray OÄ?ur, two
brothers who are among the group's founders, fell into opposite camps.
While Yıldıray, along with activists Ceren Kenar and Erkan Å?en, chose
to take sides with the AK Party government, Turgay, along with
activists Fatih Demirci and Nurcan ÇalıÅ?kan, refused to back the
government's anti-democratic actions, and they cut their ties with the
group.
Commenting on his departure from the Young Civilians, Turgay OÄ?ur said
during an interview with the Radikal daily: `I made efforts for the
Young Civilians for years. I made many sacrifices. Including the job I
do today to make a living, I have not had any financial gain for being
a part of this group. To the contrary, I was seen as a little bit
dangerous. Despite this, I took my jacket and left the Young
Civilians. On Dec. 17, I understood that everyone is an enemy of the
Hizmet movement. People I thought were very close wrote on social
media mockingly that the Young Civilians' pro-Hizmet wing had been
eliminated.'
Armenians divided, too
The polarization in society has also hit Turkish-Armenians. Following
the Dec.17 graft probe, Turkish-Armenian columnist Etyen Mahçupyan
parted ways with the Zaman daily for which he wrote for years and
began to write for the pro-government AkÅ?am daily. With another
Turkish-Armenian writer, Markar Esayan, who began to write for the
pro-government Yeni Å?afak daily, Mahçupyan took part with those who
claimed that the Dec.17 probe was a `coup attempt' against the
government.
Mahçupyan even became an advisor of Prime Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu who
was appointed to the helm of the AK Party following ErdoÄ?an's election
to the presidency last summer. Yet, another well-known
Turkish-Armenian writer Hayko BaÄ?dat, who writes for the Taraf daily,
continued to direct criticism at the AK Party on many occasions.
Carrot and sticks used for business world
The business world also received its share from the polarized
atmosphere in the country. It is no secret that business organizations
that comply with government policies are given privileges in public
tenders, while there is discrimination against companies and
businessmen who criticize government acts.
The government has not denied the existence of documents showing that
it profiled companies that are members of the Turkish Confederation of
Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON), which is affiliated with the
Hizmet movement.
There is a boycott under way against these companies. Moreover, the
government is trying to discourage members of the confederation from
engaging in commercial activities through frequent inspections.
The Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (TÃ`SÄ°AD) was
also placed on the government's target list after TÃ`SÄ°AD President
Haluk Dinçer expressed in a recent newspaper interview his
disagreement with a number of government policies. He said he does not
see any `parallel structure' within the state, as is asserted by
pro-government circles, that there is no impartial and independent
judiciary in Turkey and that TÃ`SÄ°AD does not believe that the Gezi
protests and the Dec. 17 investigations were `coup attempts' against
the government.
A columnist from the pro-government Sabah daily, Okan MüderrisoÄ?lu,
was quick to target the organization and said, `Failing to take a
stance with ErdoÄ?an, TÃ`SÄ°AD may turn into parallel structure.'
http://www.todayszaman.com/national_turkey-sees-unprecedented-division-conflicts-under-ak-party-rule_369290.html
From: Baghdasarian