The terror attacks in Paris have resulted in much commentary among Islamists and Islamic intellectuals and commentators in Turkey. There is little that is new in Islamist quarters, of course.
Given that Turks represent the majority of Muslims in Germany, it is not surprising that the activities of the group known as PEGIDA, the German acronym for “Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the Occident,” should be attracting attention in Turkey.
Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Head Selahattin Demirtas says his party will have no problems in passing the nationwide 10 percent electoral threshold in the June elections.
Elections, corruption allegations, the Kurdish peace process, Syria, to name a few cases, will ensure that tensions remain high
The arrest of a 16-year-old teenager for insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan makes one wonder if those who are trying to protect Erdoğan in this way are aware of the damage they are actually doing to his image and to Turkey’s reputation
Erdoğan is now claiming that birth control is a form of treason which threatens extinction for a whole generation. It is not clear, however, if his real concern is demographical or ideological
As this piece was being written, the parliamentary commission looking into corruption allegations against four former ministers from the Justice and Development Party (AKP) had not yet voted on whether they should be sent to the Supreme Council to stand trial or not.
It is ironic that it is only at times like this that the EU starts waving the big stick, warning Ankara that if it does not fulfill its obligations in terms of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law it will endanger its membership prospects.
Now is not the time to try and settle old scores in the media, although Zaman may have been an avid supporter of the Ergenekon and “Balyoz” (Sledgehammer) cases against alleged coup plotters in the military, and their supposed co-conspirators in the civilian domain.
