Suruç is yet another alarm bell

Scores of innocent people who volunteered to help the innocent victims of an inhumane war were blatantly murdered at Suruç, sending shock waves across the nation. The government was quick to blame Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants, while many people, headed by the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) executives, openly or covertly pointed at an intelligence deficiency, ignorance and even local security complacency, despite warnings from police headquarters of the probability of such heinous acts.

It of course would be a simplistic approach to say one who sows the wind, reaps the whirlwind and imply that because of the alleged covert and overt abetting of Islamist terrorists under the Sunni solidarity obsession of the current Islamist clan ruling Turkey, the Turkish government was indeed responsible for the bloodshed. It is not sane at all to believe that a government, leave aside lunatic charges of helping out through various means, can indeed be engaged in premeditated ignorance that might produce something like the Suruç bloodbath.

Terrorism is a wild beast that sooner or later bites its owner. Was Turkey aiding and abetting the Islamist militants who have been mercilessly massacring innocent people “in the good name of Islam?” That question is now irrelevant. This beast attacked Turkey many times. Those who have forgotten Reyhanlı perhaps should wake up and remember the beloved 51 people we lost, and the over 140 people wounded on May 11, 2013. What happened since then? If that is too old of a date and too difficult for some to recall, perhaps they may remember the carnage in Diyarbakır on the last day of the June 7 parliamentary election campaign.

What happened? Did the security forces capture those who planted those two bombs at the HDP rally? Apart from that young man believed to be responsible for the bombing, was Turkish intelligence capable of shedding light on who indeed ordered that attack, or what was the reason behind it? Nothing has been achieved so far except lofty rhetoric and some perfunctory police “successes” to fool the public, which was barred from news as a blackout was ordered by a court. Why would the public learn about what happened at Diyarbakır square anyhow? The supreme government of the supreme leader decided the nation should be far happier if denied access to reality.

Did anyone see that photograph of the two young girls, lying side by side and still holding each other’s hand? Who were they? Was their religion or ethnicity important? Did you see that frozen panic on their faces? Is there anyone on this world who would not feel the pain of a lost daughter or son after seeing such a photograph? May God give patience and the power of endurance to their parents, relatives and friends.

Similarly, can anyone feel the pain in the heart of the mother and father of that young non-commissioned officer blatantly murdered at Adıyaman with sniper fire by the separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) gang?

Some politicians who should advise restraint and patience to the nation, on the other hand, have been talking of the need for society segments, NGOs and companies to establish their own security teams; that is, taking their security into their own hands. What a bright idea… Is Turkey the wild west of 18th century America? Are these politicians calling for civil war and disguising their call with an innocent “right to defense” veil? Indeed so. This play was attempted to be staged in October last year. No one should forget the Oct. 6-7, 2014, events and how the people were provoked to stage a rehearsal of civil war by some irresponsible politicians. It was sad to notice that hours after the Suruç carnage, these very same irresponsible politicians were boasting about how they relied to the support of separatist gangs.

Terrorism is an enemy of democracy and political parties must denounce terrorism without discrimination. There can be no “good” terrorist and no terrorist can be described as a “fighter” of “x group of people.” Right, there might be problems in some segments of society, and the government or consecutive governments might have failed in answering those challenges. Yet, such failures or wrong policies cannot and should not provide legitimacy to terrorism or terrorist groups.

The Suruç bloodbath is one last alarm bell to the Turkish society and government. Irrespective of ethnic, religious or political differences, all hearts are full of pain today and Turkey must be able to stand together like a firm fist against all sorts of terrorism, be it Islamist or separatist.