Der Spiegel: The Shadowy World of the Islamic Gülen Movement

By Maximilian Popp Millions of Muslims around the world idolize Turkish preacher Fethullah Gülen, who likes to present himself as the Gandhi of Islam. His Gülen movement runs schools in 140 countries and promotes interfaith dialogue. But former members describe … Continue reading →

The New York Times: Turkey Feels Sway of Reclusive Cleric in the U.S.

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25 April 2012 By DAN BILEFSKY and SEBNEM ARSU / The New York Times ISTANBUL — When Ahmet Sik was jailed last year on charges of plotting to overthrow the government, he had little doubt that a secretive movement linked to a … Continue reading →

INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: QUITE IMAM CASTING LONG SHADOW IN TURKEY

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INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE QUITE IMAM CASTING LONG SHADOW IN TURKEY  “ The movement has strong affiliations or sympathy in powerful parts of Turkey’s media, including the largest daily, Zaman, and, Turkish analysts say” ” We are concerned there is a a … Continue reading →

Turkey cancels Eurovision Song Contest over lesbian kiss

Gay activists are claiming Turkey’s official television channel will not show the annual competition over Finland’s entry standing up for marriage equality 16 MAY 2013 | BY JOE MORGAN, DAN LITTAUER Photo by Richard Frost/Gay Star News. Turkey will not … Continue reading →

Turkish police fire tear gas in clashes with Labor Day protesters

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By Gul Tuysuz and Ivan Watson, CNN Istanbul – Riot police fired tear gas and water cannons Wednesday at hundreds of protesters trying to hold May Day demonstrations in Istanbul’s iconic Taksim Square in defiance of a ban. The clashes came as police locked … Continue reading →

Whither Turkey’s fourth estate?

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Once again, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan managed to single-handedly dictate Turkey’s agenda, this time with comments made last weekend suggesting that ayran, rather than the alcoholic rakı, should be considered Turkey’s “national drink.” It was only the latest in … Continue reading →

The Battle of Taksim: Turkish Police Won, Democracy Lost

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By Emre Kızılkaya As I tweeted earlier in the day, Ottomans had around 60.000 soldiers in the Battle of Vienna. Today 40.000 Turkish policemen besieged Taksim to stop laborers organize a mass demonstration in the historically symbolic square of Istanbul, … Continue reading →

Amnesty International: Turkey: Legal reforms fall short on freedom of expression

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The conviction this month of Fazıl Say, a Turkish pianist for “insulting religious values” is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how the Turkish authorities could implement a new reform package that has the potential to … Continue reading →

Turkey Convicts World-Renowned Pianist for ‘Defaming’ Islam

By Andrew Harrod, In Daily Mailer,FrontPage A Turkish court on April 15, 2013, convicted world-renowned pianist Fazil Say under Article 216(3) of the Turkish Penal Code.  This article punishes “[a]nyone who openly denigrates the religious values of a part of the population” with imprisonment of six months to … Continue reading →

Double Blow Against Freedom Of Speech For Twitter Users In Turkey

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Techdirt has written a few times about Turkey’s difficult relationship with new technology. Unfortunately, it looks like that now includes Twitter, as two troubling decisions against users have been handed down recently. Here’s the first, as reported by the Turkish Web site Hürriyet … Continue reading →