Frightened Cat in a Bag

Aphrodite and Hephaestus

Only one phrase can accurately describe the delusional leader of the world, the aspiring caliph and the rightful heir to the Ottoman throne Mr. Erdogan: a frightened cat in a bag.

Cornered all around, above and below, inside and out, he tries to get over the traumatizing effects of the recent failed coup by sacking close to 100,000 state officials while more than 10,000 people including academics, soldiers, policemen, businessmen have been jailed for maintaining ties to a terrorist group/cult (FETO) which Erdogan believes is the plotter of the unsuccessful coup attempt.

Despite the fact that he is probably right, it is extremely difficult for an outsider to come to terms with his allegations:

• He has been ruling Turkey for the last 14 years in a row.
• It was he who appointed these FETO people in the first place.
• He and his government almost shamelessly promoted them abroad, provided credibility to their charities, schools, etc through all these years.
• They were getting along just fine until he and four other ministers were charged for theft, embezzlement, fraud and money laundering in 2013.
• He wants us to believe thousands of professors, doctors, teachers and business people tried to overthrow his government by force.
• He brought the same accusation against the peaceful Gezi protesters.
• His prime minister (Binali Yildirim) claims 60-80% of Turkish armed forces are members of this group. Why didn't they join the coup then?

Yet, he blindly scratches anyone who comes close to question his authority and begs for sympathy. All this proves he cannot empathize at all.

Sultan's Uniformed Dervishes

The sultan dislikes many things. He dislikes education, free-thinkers, people of other religions but his, women, you name it. It was certainly not unexpected he disliked LGBTI, too. So, his governor, a humble servant of the public, despite the previous marches had been uneventful, banned the Pride march to be held 19-26 June, citing following excuse(s):

The organization of a meeting and demonstration march on the mentioned dates will not be allowed by our governorate for the safety of our citizens, first and foremost the participants’ and for public order. The venues for such events have previously been announced by law. We ask our valuable Istanbul residents to not heed such calls and to help the Security Forces by following their warnings and announce it to the public with respect.

To make a long story short, the march was canceled but LGBTI members decided to issue a press release. They really should not have done that. It upset the sultan and made his empty stomach sour. "All they need is discipline," he thought and sent his uniformed dervishes. Below, you see those thugs spreading their gaseous love while shaking their sticks for peace; alternately, you can view the videos of those disgraceful attacks including but not limited to firing rubber bullets, i.e. the whole shebang here.

Image: https://twitter.com/gaystarnews

 Here is an excerpt from press release of Trans Pride March which I wholeheartedly agree:

This argument that began with the excuse of disrespect for the month of Ramadan shows us where those who are not Turkish, Muslim, Sunni and male will stand in this nonsensical New Turkey. This sensibility that imposes their own norm on the totality of society and target those who do not abide by this norm will bring nothing but a massacre for the Kurds, Alevis (Alewites)*, Armenians, Greeks, Roma, LGBTIs, women, laborers and workers.

* Addition mine; as Alewite is the more common name used.

Decline of Academic Freedom in Turkey

The number of incidents involving academics resulting in imprisonment, loss of position, prosecution, travel restrictions, violence and other types of threats are increasing at an alarming rate in Turkey.

Erdogan depicted by NYT

Lately, Prof. Dr. Zeynep Sayin Balikcioglu was dismissed from her position at Bilgi University for criticising Turkey's over-sensitive (Thousands of people have been charged for insulting him) President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a lecture. She argued about the increasing rudeness and vulgarity and Pres. Erdogan was at the center of this trend. Tragically, a student secretly recorded these remarks and made a complaint to rector's office. Even more tragically, she was immediately dismissed by the management on June 16,  with the following public statement:

We want to inform the public about Prof. Dr. Zeynep Sayin Balikcioglu, who insulted our President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a lecture on June 15, 2016, which was also mentioned on social media. … She was dismissed immediately after our rector’s office found out about the incident. Our rector’s office also immediately gave instructions to analyze the incident and launch the necessary legal investigations about it.

It is really sad to see these kind of people who cave in against corrupt power so easily manage universities (if you can call such an institution a university). Prof.  Christoph K. Neumann apparently agrees with me as he resigned right away from his post:

It does not comply with the existence of academic freedoms to dismiss Professor Zeynep for expressing her ideas during lectures with no questions asked.

An institution without those freedoms cannot be called a university. It is your responsibility to find an appropriate name for that institution, but Bilgi is no longer a university. In this sense, Bilgi University does not exist anymore.

I cannot agree more. I invite everyone to re-align their relations with Bilgi University accordingly.

Just before I post this, I have learned another academic, Dr. Sebnem Korur Fincanci was placed in detention, standing accused of making terrorist propaganda.

You can find all incidents involving scholars so far here.

Concepts and Expectations

There is a lot of confusion as disturbances and unrest spread across the Middle East. Often, concepts and ideas are bended and twisted to cater to the events. One such concept is freedom, living your life the way you like it, expressing your thoughts without fear of discrimination and unfair and/or occasional violent reaction. The recent events in Tunisia and Egypt have reminded me this once again.

I am an atheist. Carelessly disclosing this fact would cost me a head in Afghanistan, in Saudi Arabia I would probably rot in a prison, it would get me some number of kicks and stones in Iran, I would be cast out in Egypt and I'd manage in Turkey but there will be a price to pay. When people say and hope for freedom if and when those dictators flee, I beg to differ. I do not expect freedom. True, life will be much better, less restrictions, a popular government but that is all. Is it bad? Of course not! Should we call it a democracy? No!

Do not get me wrong. I do not have the slightest intention to despise those revolutions. It is a big step towards the right direction. And unlike many, I do not have a baseless fear that religious zealots will take over and nuke the world. Yes, Islam will be a dominant factor shaping the society and politics, and we shall have to wait and see if those countries will evolve to free and democratic nations in the not so near future.

Oil-rich vs. Poor Countries in Middle East

Corruption and inequality are shaking the relatively poor (read not oil-rich) countries of the region. Unlike many, I do not see the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and who knows next as revolts against oppression directly. Rather, they are the result of oppression being used as a tool for exploitation by the few who got richer while the masses stuck in poverty and unemployment. The driving force for the revolutions (I do not favor that term either) is hatred towards those people occupying governmental positions and businesses aligned with them.

As far as pure liberties are concerned, like freedom of expression, women's rights and suffrage, criminal and justice system, the oil-rich countries are as bad as the poor ones. The press is under control, communication is troublesome and often censored (plus monitored), individuals are severely restricted from what they eat and drink to what they wear. In most, one-man rule has been and still is the common denominator.

Taking into account their common cultural heritage, the acid test for me is if there will be any demand for enhancing liberties in the richer states. Any sign of disturbance there, though not necesarily similar in size and progress, will imply that a consensus for a more liberal and free society is growing.