'Imamization' raising eyebrows in Turkey

[Sally]

If this continues on, Ataturk will be turning over in his grave.

Mehmet Gormez, head of Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate, addresses the media in Ankara, Jan. 8, 2015. (photo by REUTERS/Umit Bektas)

'Imamization' raising eyebrows in Turkey
Nevzat Turan, a high school vice principal from Malatya province, shared a photo of folkloric dance on social media and equated with adultery any dance where women and men hold hands. As public criticism soared, Turan deleted the April 10 post, but he also had supporters. Among these, Mirac Gocmez, from the local Justice and Development Party (AKP) establishment, wrote on Facebook, “What happened to the freedom of expression that they cherish? The man [Turan] is righteous, and he is stating the truth. And most importantly, he expressed himself in the language of Islam. That is what is really bothering you.”

Summary⎙ Print The Religious Affairs Directorate has begun subcontracting imams to other government agencies, raising questions about their ultimate purpose.
Author Pinar TremblayPosted April 15, 2016
The struggle to interpret secularism and religious freedom did not end, as many had hoped, with the conclusion of the headscarf wars. To the contrary, it has spread into other public arenas in Turkey. Tellingly, the number of employees at the Diyanet (Religious Affairs Directorate) has doubled in the last decade, and the increase has allowed the directorate to initiate programs in collaboration with other ministries to provide religious services in their domains. A case in point involves the Ministry of Family and Social Policies.

Read more:

'Imamization' raising eyebrows in Turkey - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

 

[waltky]

Is Erdogan gonna turn Turkey into an Islamic caliphate?...

Turkish lawmakers give leader Erdogan sweeping new powers
Jul 21,`16 -- Turkey will be able to extend detention times for suspects and issue decrees without parliamentary approval under a three-month state of emergency approved Thursday by lawmakers following last week's attempted military coup.

Parliament voted 346-115 to approve the national state of emergency, which gives sweeping new powers to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had been accused of autocratic conduct even before this week's crackdown on alleged opponents. Erdogan has said the state of emergency will counter threats to Turkish democracy. Even without the emergency measures, his government has already imposed a crackdown that has included mass arrests, mass firings and the closure of hundreds of schools. Erdogan said the new powers would allow the government to rid the military of the "virus" of subversion, blaming the coup attempt on a U.S.-based Muslim cleric, Fethullah Gulen. The cleric has denied any knowledge of the attempted coup. "This is a state of emergency imposed not on the people, but on (the state) itself," declared Prime Minister Binali Yildirim. "We will, one by one, cleanse the state of (Gulen's followers) and eliminate those who are trying to harm the country."

The government hopes the state of emergency will be lifted within 40 to 45 days, said Yildirim's deputy, Numan Kurtulmus. Turkey immediately said it was partially suspending the European Convention on Human Rights, allowing it more leeway to deal with individual cases, by invoking an article most recently used by France and Ukraine. The Council of Europe said it had been informed of Turkey's decision, and that the convention will still apply, but that individual exceptions will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Meanwhile, video emerged of soldiers firing at crowds who rushed to defend the government during the failed coup. Footage from CCTV cameras above the Bosporus Bridge in Istanbul showed soldiers shooting at a man who had his hands up as he approached tanks that were blocking traffic. Other footage, obtained from the Turkish Dogan news agency, showed a mob attacking surrendering soldiers on the bridge after daybreak.

On Thursday, thousands of people again gathered at the bridge to protest the failed coup. Waving Turkish flags, the crowd walked across the bridge linking the European and Asian sides of the city, some defiantly chanting, "Our martyrs are immortal, our nation cannot be divided!" Since the July 15 coup attempt, the government has arrested nearly 10,000 people. More than 58,880 civil service employees - including teachers, university deans and police - have been dismissed, suspended, forced to resign or had their licenses revoked for allegedly being Gulen followers.

Turkish state media said Thursday that another 32 judges and two military officers had been detained by authorities. The main opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP, slammed the state of emergency move. Speaking ahead of the vote, CHP lawmaker Ozgur Ozel said the decision would amount to a "civilian coup" against Parliament and was a display of "ingratitude" to all the legislators who had gathered in the assembly Saturday to oppose the coup attempt.

MORE

See also:

Analysis: Is Turkish leader transforming a nation?
Jul 21,`16 -- The stunning sweep of Turkey's crackdown following an attempted coup last week forces questions about how far President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will go in a tense, conspiracy-fueled country. While the purges may be designed to derail any future insurrections, there are increasing concerns that Erdogan is seizing the moment to transform Turkey, steering it from its secular roots toward a more pious Muslim model and cementing personal power at the expense of democratic ideals.

The mass dismissals of Turkish teachers and closure of hundreds of schools allegedly linked to the coup plotters suggest societal shifts are afoot that could empower Erdogan's conservative Islamic base. And if answers to Turkey's course lie in presidential rhetoric, the coup plotters, and possibly a wider circle of government opponents, can expect little tolerance after an insurrection in which renegade soldiers drove tanks in city streets and fired on civilian protesters. "The tarnished souls of the faithless were eaten up, finished and defeated before the souls of the faithful," the president said Wednesday. "Know that this will not be their first defeat, this is how it will be from now on."

Turkey, a NATO ally that describes itself as a bridge between east and west, is truly at a crossroads, embarking on a path whose ultimate consequences may not even be entirely clear to the leader who has dominated the nation of 80 million for more than a decade. For the West, the stakes are high because strategically located Turkey, spanning Asia and Europe, is considered a vital partner in efforts to contain terrorism and regulate mass migration from Syria and other conflict zones. After the failed uprising, Turkey's elected government arrested or dismissed tens of thousands in the military, the courts, education and other sectors - "everywhere you can think of," one Turkish newspaper columnist wrote - and declared a three-month state of emergency. The country, observers say, could veer deeper into the authoritarian conduct that Erdogan has increasingly been accused of, or it could eventually honor pledges to uphold democracy after a temporary suspension of freedoms.

Erdogan is taking a hard line, saying he will consider supporters' calls to reinstate the death penalty, a move that would defy international rights conventions and perhaps irrevocably shatter Turkey's hopes of joining Europe as a full partner. Mehmet Simsek, Turkey's deputy prime minister, said the rule of law will be upheld during the state of emergency and "we will use it in a fashion closer to our allies, like France and others."

MORE

Related:

Turkey attempted coup: EU says measures 'unacceptable'
Thu, 21 Jul 2016 - EU top officials say Turkey's measures on education, the judiciary and the media following the failed coup last week are "unacceptable".

In a statement, High Representative Federica Mogherini and Commissioner Johannes Hahn said they were "concerned" by Turkey's decision to declare a state of emergency. The move gives Turkey's leaders "far reaching powers to govern by decree". Thousands of people have been sacked or arrested following the failed coup. The two top EU officials urged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to respect the rule of law, rights and freedoms. And they also warned Turkey over its decision to suspend the European Convention of Human Rights, saying it must stick to the conditions by which a suspension is permitted. Earlier, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged Turkey to maintain a sense of proportionality in its response to the coup attempt. The human rights organisation Amnesty International has described the authorities' actions as "a crackdown of exceptional proportions".

Analysis: Mark Lowen, BBC News, Istanbul

The state of emergency gives President Erdogan radically enhanced powers for three months. He and the cabinet will be able to enact laws bypassing parliament; the constitutional court will be unable to challenge them; there could be restrictions on publications and freedom of assembly; and broader powers of arrest. The question is: how will this be applied?

The government insists it will not affect the daily life of citizens and that the state of emergency will only root out the "virus" behind the coup. It points out that similar measures are in France since the Paris attacks last November. And President Erdogan says this actually aims to protect democracy and human rights. But given the criticism of the president for curbing both while in office, doubts persist over how an increasingly authoritarian leader will use this, especially given the recent purges. France and Germany have spoken out loudest but Mr Erdogan has been typically forthright in his response, telling the French foreign minister to "mind his own business".

In the immediate aftermath of Friday's failed coup, thousands of soldiers - including high-ranking generals - were arrested, along with members of the judiciary. Since then more than 50,000 state employees have also been rounded up, sacked or suspended and 600 schools closed. Academics have been banned from foreign travel and university heads have been forced to resign. The government has also revoked the press credentials of 34 journalists, according to Turkish media. The president has blamed the coup attempt on US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former ally who is believed to have much support in Turkey's military and state institutions. Mr Gulen has denied any involvement. Turkey is seeking the cleric's extradition, but the US says it needs to see hard evidence of his involvement in the coup attempt.

Turkey's thwarted coup

 

[Freeman]

What does mean imamization?

Is it like judanazisation?

 

[RodISHI]

Is Erdogan gonna turn Turkey into an Islamic caliphate?...

Turkish lawmakers give leader Erdogan sweeping new powers
Jul 21,`16 -- Turkey will be able to extend detention times for suspects and issue decrees without parliamentary approval under a three-month state of emergency approved Thursday by lawmakers following last week's attempted military coup.

Parliament voted 346-115 to approve the national state of emergency, which gives sweeping new powers to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had been accused of autocratic conduct even before this week's crackdown on alleged opponents. Erdogan has said the state of emergency will counter threats to Turkish democracy. Even without the emergency measures, his government has already imposed a crackdown that has included mass arrests, mass firings and the closure of hundreds of schools. Erdogan said the new powers would allow the government to rid the military of the "virus" of subversion, blaming the coup attempt on a U.S.-based Muslim cleric, Fethullah Gulen. The cleric has denied any knowledge of the attempted coup. "This is a state of emergency imposed not on the people, but on (the state) itself," declared Prime Minister Binali Yildirim. "We will, one by one, cleanse the state of (Gulen's followers) and eliminate those who are trying to harm the country."

The government hopes the state of emergency will be lifted within 40 to 45 days, said Yildirim's deputy, Numan Kurtulmus. Turkey immediately said it was partially suspending the European Convention on Human Rights, allowing it more leeway to deal with individual cases, by invoking an article most recently used by France and Ukraine. The Council of Europe said it had been informed of Turkey's decision, and that the convention will still apply, but that individual exceptions will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Meanwhile, video emerged of soldiers firing at crowds who rushed to defend the government during the failed coup. Footage from CCTV cameras above the Bosporus Bridge in Istanbul showed soldiers shooting at a man who had his hands up as he approached tanks that were blocking traffic. Other footage, obtained from the Turkish Dogan news agency, showed a mob attacking surrendering soldiers on the bridge after daybreak.

On Thursday, thousands of people again gathered at the bridge to protest the failed coup. Waving Turkish flags, the crowd walked across the bridge linking the European and Asian sides of the city, some defiantly chanting, "Our martyrs are immortal, our nation cannot be divided!" Since the July 15 coup attempt, the government has arrested nearly 10,000 people. More than 58,880 civil service employees - including teachers, university deans and police - have been dismissed, suspended, forced to resign or had their licenses revoked for allegedly being Gulen followers.

Turkish state media said Thursday that another 32 judges and two military officers had been detained by authorities. The main opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP, slammed the state of emergency move. Speaking ahead of the vote, CHP lawmaker Ozgur Ozel said the decision would amount to a "civilian coup" against Parliament and was a display of "ingratitude" to all the legislators who had gathered in the assembly Saturday to oppose the coup attempt.

MORE

See also:

Analysis: Is Turkish leader transforming a nation?
Jul 21,`16 -- The stunning sweep of Turkey's crackdown following an attempted coup last week forces questions about how far President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will go in a tense, conspiracy-fueled country. While the purges may be designed to derail any future insurrections, there are increasing concerns that Erdogan is seizing the moment to transform Turkey, steering it from its secular roots toward a more pious Muslim model and cementing personal power at the expense of democratic ideals.

The mass dismissals of Turkish teachers and closure of hundreds of schools allegedly linked to the coup plotters suggest societal shifts are afoot that could empower Erdogan's conservative Islamic base. And if answers to Turkey's course lie in presidential rhetoric, the coup plotters, and possibly a wider circle of government opponents, can expect little tolerance after an insurrection in which renegade soldiers drove tanks in city streets and fired on civilian protesters. "The tarnished souls of the faithless were eaten up, finished and defeated before the souls of the faithful," the president said Wednesday. "Know that this will not be their first defeat, this is how it will be from now on."

Turkey, a NATO ally that describes itself as a bridge between east and west, is truly at a crossroads, embarking on a path whose ultimate consequences may not even be entirely clear to the leader who has dominated the nation of 80 million for more than a decade. For the West, the stakes are high because strategically located Turkey, spanning Asia and Europe, is considered a vital partner in efforts to contain terrorism and regulate mass migration from Syria and other conflict zones. After the failed uprising, Turkey's elected government arrested or dismissed tens of thousands in the military, the courts, education and other sectors - "everywhere you can think of," one Turkish newspaper columnist wrote - and declared a three-month state of emergency. The country, observers say, could veer deeper into the authoritarian conduct that Erdogan has increasingly been accused of, or it could eventually honor pledges to uphold democracy after a temporary suspension of freedoms.

Erdogan is taking a hard line, saying he will consider supporters' calls to reinstate the death penalty, a move that would defy international rights conventions and perhaps irrevocably shatter Turkey's hopes of joining Europe as a full partner. Mehmet Simsek, Turkey's deputy prime minister, said the rule of law will be upheld during the state of emergency and "we will use it in a fashion closer to our allies, like France and others."

MORE

Related:

Turkey attempted coup: EU says measures 'unacceptable'
Thu, 21 Jul 2016 - EU top officials say Turkey's measures on education, the judiciary and the media following the failed coup last week are "unacceptable".

In a statement, High Representative Federica Mogherini and Commissioner Johannes Hahn said they were "concerned" by Turkey's decision to declare a state of emergency. The move gives Turkey's leaders "far reaching powers to govern by decree". Thousands of people have been sacked or arrested following the failed coup. The two top EU officials urged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to respect the rule of law, rights and freedoms. And they also warned Turkey over its decision to suspend the European Convention of Human Rights, saying it must stick to the conditions by which a suspension is permitted. Earlier, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged Turkey to maintain a sense of proportionality in its response to the coup attempt. The human rights organisation Amnesty International has described the authorities' actions as "a crackdown of exceptional proportions".

Analysis: Mark Lowen, BBC News, Istanbul

The state of emergency gives President Erdogan radically enhanced powers for three months. He and the cabinet will be able to enact laws bypassing parliament; the constitutional court will be unable to challenge them; there could be restrictions on publications and freedom of assembly; and broader powers of arrest. The question is: how will this be applied?

The government insists it will not affect the daily life of citizens and that the state of emergency will only root out the "virus" behind the coup. It points out that similar measures are in France since the Paris attacks last November. And President Erdogan says this actually aims to protect democracy and human rights. But given the criticism of the president for curbing both while in office, doubts persist over how an increasingly authoritarian leader will use this, especially given the recent purges. France and Germany have spoken out loudest but Mr Erdogan has been typically forthright in his response, telling the French foreign minister to "mind his own business".

In the immediate aftermath of Friday's failed coup, thousands of soldiers - including high-ranking generals - were arrested, along with members of the judiciary. Since then more than 50,000 state employees have also been rounded up, sacked or suspended and 600 schools closed. Academics have been banned from foreign travel and university heads have been forced to resign. The government has also revoked the press credentials of 34 journalists, according to Turkish media. The president has blamed the coup attempt on US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former ally who is believed to have much support in Turkey's military and state institutions. Mr Gulen has denied any involvement. Turkey is seeking the cleric's extradition, but the US says it needs to see hard evidence of his involvement in the coup attempt.

Turkey's thwarted coup

Investment bankers bet both sides and use the idiots to play war with. Regardless of which sides win they already have placed their bets and have made their plans.



BTW, they do not care for independence or individual thought process.

 

[waltky]

Turkish military to be re-organized...

Erdogan says Turkey's military to be restructured after abortive coup
July 22, 2016 - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Reuters on Thursday that there were significant intelligence failures ahead of last week's attempted military coup and that the armed forces would quickly be restructured and have "fresh blood".

In his first interview since declaring a state of emergency following last Friday's abortive coup, Erdogan said a new coup attempt was possible, but would not be easy, saying "we are more vigilant". "It is very clear that there were significant gaps and deficiencies in our intelligence, there is no point trying to hide it or deny it. I told it to the head of national intelligence," Erdogan told Reuters in his palace in Ankara, which was targeted during the coup attempt.

Erdogan accuses Fethullah Gulen, a charismatic U.S.-based cleric and former ally, of masterminding the plot, which crumbled early on Saturday. In a crackdown on Gulen's suspected followers, more than 60,000 soldiers, police, judges, civil servants and educators have been suspended, detained or placed under investigation. Erdogan said a meeting of the Supreme Military Council (YAS), the top body overseeing the armed forces, which had been due on Aug. 1, may be brought forward by a week to oversee the restructuring. The Council is chaired by the prime minister, and includes the defence minister and the chief of staff. "They are all working together as to what might be done, and ... within a very short amount of time a new structure will be emerging. With this new structure, I believe the armed forces will get fresh blood," Erdogan said. "After all that has come to pass, I think they must now have drawn very important lessons. This is an ongoing process, we will never stop, we will continue very actively, we have plans."

Erdogan, the most dominant political figure on the Turkish stage since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the modern republic, and who has had a winning streak of more than 10 election victories, has been at war with his former ally for several years. Asked whether the abortive coup had derailed his plans to change the constitution and bolster his powers by making Turkey a full presidential system, he avoided a direct answer, but said a "more limited" package of constitutional amendments could be agreed with the opposition.

He said the fact that some of members of parliament had not voted in favour of the state of emergency, despite the difficulties in the country, was "food for thought", and showed the need for building consensus with opposition parties. "If we can achieve consensus ... we might take it to the people in the form of a referendum", he said of a possible package on constitutional reforms.

INITIAL DISBELIEF

See also:

Turkey's Erdogan Shuts Thousands Of Schools And Charities Using Emergency Decree
7/23/2016 - The president also extended the time that suspects can be detained from four to 30 days.

President Tayyip Erdogan tightened his grip on Turkey on Saturday, ordering the closure of thousands of private schools, charities and other institutions in his first decree since imposing a state of emergency after the failed military coup. A restructuring of Turkey’s once untouchable military also drew closer, with a planned meeting between Erdogan and the already purged top brass brought forward.

In the decree, published by the Anadolu state news agency, Erdogan extended to a maximum of 30 days from four days the period in which some suspects can be detained. It said this was to facilitate a full investigation into the coup attempt. Erdogan, who narrowly escaped capture and possible death during the July 15 coup attempt, told Reuters in an interview on Thursday he would restructure the armed forces and bring in “fresh blood”.

Kurds rally against military coup and the state of emergency in Istanbul on Saturday. Erdogan imposed the state of emergency after last Friday's failed military coup.​

Turkey’s Supreme Military Council (YAS) will meet under Erdogan’s supervision on July 28, a few days earlier than originally planned, private broadcaster NTV reported, a sign that the president wants to act fast to ensure the armed forces are fully under the government’s control. Reinforcing that message, the YAS meeting - which usually takes place every August - will be held this time in the presidential palace, not as is customary at the headquarters of the military General Staff.

Erdogan has accused U.S.-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, who has many followers inTurkey and abroad, of masterminding the failed coup, in which at least 246 people were killed. Gulen denies the charge and has condemned the coup.

PURGES

 

[Sunni Man]

The Turkish military was full of old Ataturk hardliners.

Pres. Erdogan is cleaning house of these secular dinosaurs. .....