Time-Out

I'll be away for 10 days, because of the busy schedule at work...

Mozart's Immortal Piano

Two previously unknown works, which are both piano pieces, composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart have been discovered.

That's great news! As if Mozart is still alive and he's just released a new single with a B-Side. (I look forward to such news from Michael Jackson, too, as there were rumors that he left many unreleased songs behind).

To celebrate the latest news, I recommend you to listen to my favourite rendition of a piano piece by Mozart, Rondo Alla Turca, from the hands of the renowned Turkish pianist Fazil Say, imitating the sound of a Turkish Janissary band in a jazzy (or maybe Boogie Woogie) style:

Tolerance Under Plaster

Istanbul’s Haghia Sophia, which served as a cathedral for 916 years and as a mosque for 481 years, has showed one more of its faces.

The magnificent Byzantine/Ottoman sanctuary has been under ceaseless restoration since it was converted into a museum in 1935. The newly uncovered treasure is a long-lost mosaic angel face of a seraph.

Hagia Sophia is the epitome of Ottoman/Muslim approach to the universal culture. You shouldn't think in modern terms to understand it.

For a nationalist/Islamist Turk who can only think in those modern terms, it was the moment of a crushing victory when the Ottomans had converted Hagia Sophia into a mosque. Similarly, the simple-minded non-Turkish person would find this conversion as a sign of religious repression.

No; beyond such anachronic or biased perspectives, the story of Hagia Sophia is one of the greatest stories of religious tolerance and multi-faith respect.

The Turks captured the city in 1453. So we should think about the historical conditions of the 15th century and before. For that time, when a victor would like to intimidate the beaten enemy, he would not convert, but completely destroy their temples. See what happened in the 13th century Spain, when the Catholics decisively won the war against the Muslims...

The Ottomans didn't do that. The conversion of Hagia Sophia was actually done in line with the broad gesture towards the local Christians of the city. Sultan Mehmed II, who guaranteed the well-being of his new subjects, could indeed destroy everything Christian inside Hagia Sophia; but he didn't. Such a destruction could even be considered compatible with certain Christian trends, like the Byzantine iconoclasm, but Mehmed, again, didn't resort to it.

Instead, as a disguised patron of arts and still a truely tolerant Muslim believer, the Sultan just applied a thin layer of plaster over the mosaics. Moreover, he reinforced the building structurally and adorned it with the finest style, with the help of Sinan. Without these contributions, it is likely that Hagia Sophia would not still be standing today, according to some experts.

So when the time came, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, as the second hero of Istanbul, converted Hagia Sophia into a museum and we started to take back the good old mosaics. Luckily, we still do...

Turkey: More Than You Know

My English friend Jon and his British-French girlfriend Audrey was here. After almost a week, they left Istanbul today. I enjoyed their company as we toured around several landmarks of the city. While giving information on the economy of Istanbul, I wobbled about some figures. Later, I searched some sources and found the following video, which summarizes the subject very well and in a stylish way. And it's created by the UK Trade&Investment Group... So here it is for Jon and for all of you:

The Banned Crescent and Star

Question: Which one is the only country in the world -except China- that banned the flag above?

a) Russia

b) North Korea

c) Germany

d) Turkey

Answer: The Uighur flag, which is nothing but a turquoise version of the Turkish flag, is banned in all public offices in Turkey. The ban is the result of a decree by the Mesut Yilmaz government in late 1990s. Because of the Chinese pressure, it was the same Yilmaz who introduced the "Keep the Uighur Out" policy of Turkey by not issueing visas to the members of this oppressed Turkic nation.

So Beijing should not be worried about the latest populist furor of the current Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. Like he did with Israel, everything will be even better soon.

Turkey is a European country. It knows a lot about the European hypocrisy, while protecting its national interests even at the expense of morality and consistency. With their blue Turkish flag, -unfortunately- it is the Uighurs who should keep worrying.

Whether in Urumqi, in Ankara or in Palau Islands... Life is rarely fair and politics is generally inhumane..

The Quote of the Week

"There is simply no room left for 'freedom from the tyranny of government' since city dwellers depend on it for food, power, water, transportation, protection, and welfare. Your right to live where you want, with companions of your choosing, under laws to which you agree, died in the eighteenth century with Captain Mission. Only a miracle or a disaster could restore it." -- William S. Burroughs, Cities of the Red Night (1981)

Sit Back, Soldier

"It's so much fun to feed the poor with donuts, Abdullah. Let your son-in-law buy a small ship as soon as possible."

Let's quickly remember two controversial statements of Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan:

"The army is not a place to sit back and relax." (That was Erdogan's answer to a family member of a slained soldier, who protested the PM by shouting 'We don't wanna see martyrs anymore.' Balikesir, 2006.)

"There are ships and there are small ships. (This is a small one)." (To a question about the ship that his younger son had bought. His son had recently graduated from the university. "The small ship" was a general cargo vessel, weighting 2805 gross-ton, costing 2.5 million dollars.)

* * *

Flash forward to last Thursday into yet another soldier funeral in Istanbul. The family and the friends of the latest PKK target were angry at the government. In the funeral, the following lines appeared on a protest banner:

The road to Yemen was muddy, hey,

His tuckerbag was copper.

If you have a small ship, oh, just pay,

But our martyr was poor.

These adapted lyrics of a traditional Turkish song was an obvious reference to Bilal, the elder son of Erdogan, who worked abroad for three years and got qualified for pay-service in the military. You pay around 10.000 euro, get trained in the barracks only for a month and you don't waste your 6-12 months (for university graduates) or 14 months for high school graduates -and you don't risk you life by fighting the PKK.

So what happened after this peaceful, democratic protest in the funeral?

Several friends of the dead soldier were arrested by the head and ears only because of that banner.

And Erdogan's sons?

For them, the army is a place to sit back and relax. The elder son is already about to finish his one month long pay-service in the military. And the younger one still enjoys his small ship. He won't even have to pay for the military service. He has got a negative medical report -of course we don't know the details-, making him unavailable for the draft, even though he looks quite healthy.

It is sad to know that the soldier will remain six feet underground forever and his friends will be behind bars for some more time. However, it's even sadder when you also know about Erdogan's sons.

The Reward and the Punishment

The EU may have awarded Serbia with a visa-free agreement and punished Bosnia by implying that they are lazy nationalists...

So what?

In the negotiations, it is give and take, right?

Hence we award Olli Rehn with the following video from the heart of Europe:

As Godard says,

"So the rule for Cultural Europe is to organize the death of the art of living, which still flourishes."

Free travel?

What free travel?

I don't think that fellow Bosnians give a damn now.

After all, who wants to visit somewhere full of people that would like to see him/her out (or dead, when possible)?

Now a Bigger Christian Club

The shameful example of visa liberalization has been formally announced by the EU.

The citizens of Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia -three mostly-Christian countries, will be travelling visa-free in the EU.

Bosnia Herzegovina, Albania and Kosova -surprise, surprise, three mostly-Muslim countries, are left in cold again.

Just like Turkey, whose legal right in question has been repeatedly violated by the EU governments in the face of European Court of Justice decisions and European Parliament suggestions...

Turkey, which is a negotiating candidate country, like Croatia, but are not given the visa-free travelling option, unlike Croatia...

Reminder: The majority is Muslim in Turkey and Christian in Croatia.

Shocking.

* * *

Now the EU is a bigger Christian club with genocide masterminds.

How can we get rid of these men, not the genocide masterminds, but the EU leaders first? How can we transform the EU into a multicultural global power?

I am not getting pessimistic. I still believe that we can do it soon.

There are signs and I am not talking about the legal overtures of some members.

For instance, the face of Olli Rehn, when he was asked by a journalist during the press conference for the new visa regime...

"Wouldn't you be punishing the relatives of the Bosnian victims by allowing the war criminal Ratko Mladic to roam freely in the EU with his Serbian passport?"

Rehn seemed as ashamed as I had asked him roughly the same question two years ago. But he could still answer: "Bosnia lost too much time with nationalist discourse, instead they should have focused on the reforms that the EU demanded."

For Rehn, the EU is always right and the neighbors, especially if they are Muslims, are always wrong. He is not able to see that it is the EU that inflames the the nationalism with such an injustice.

He is just a bureaucrat, so I understand this ostrich dialectic; but what about the political leadership of the EU?

As Bosnia's best-selling daily Dnevni Avaz asks: "Does it mean the European Union (with some honourable exceptions) has never been interested in punishing war crimes committed in Bosnia and the Balkans? How come a legal system that is sheltering the worst war criminals is eligible for the EU and Bosnia is not?"

* * *

I am optimistic about Turkey's chances, because -maybe slowly- but the EU changes.

Day by day, Brussels is not as hypocrite as it was before.

As an example, take the following reactions in the EU against this stupid double standards in its visa regime:

Christian Schwarz-Schilling (a former international high representative for Bosnia): "This is a mockery, an incredible political blunder and a blow against all European values. The EU is awarding the murderers of Srebrenica."

Daniel Cohn-Bendit (co-president of the Greens in the European Parliament): "The plan adds insult to injury. The proposed uneven-handed action will formalise ethnic divisions, reward the obstruction tactics of nationalist politicians and deepen resentment in the region. It is hypocritical and morally abject to bar one section of the Bosnian population from the same privileges on technical grounds."

* * *

I still believe that the time is ticking for the Old Europe and the voices like those of Schwarz-Schilling and Cohn-Bendit proves that the the wind of change started to blow away the old guard.

With a fresh article in Newsweek, Soner Cagaptay explains "why Turkey must get in" and how this entry would be good for France, too.

"(Nicolas) Sarkozy's veto has become a new Maginot Line, the futile and antiquated fortifications France built to defend itself," Cagaptay writes and he finishes with the following part, which is crucial:

"On a recent trip to Paris, I got a 40-minute lecture on Turkey's EU accession from a Parisian whose parents had immigrated to France from Mauritania. He was not only conversant in the historic details of Turkey's EU accession— 'Ankara applied to join the Union in 1963, before my parents came to France,' he said—but he also knew more than I did about the details of the accession talks, including on which of the 120,000 pages of EU legislation France is now blocking Turkey. When I asked him why he followed Turkey's accession with such interest, he said, "This is about whether there is room for me in France." Indeed, the Sarkozy line is not just bad for Turkey, it is also very bad for France. Sarkozy might as well get rid of it."

The legal right of the Turks to travel freely in the EU can indeed be suspended indefinitely.

But how can the EU integrate its own Muslims without the key help of Turkey?

50 Cent is a Kemalist?

When I suggest that Ataturk is everwhere in Turkey, not because of an ongoing propaganda of an evil police state, but because he is still passionately loved by most of the Turkish people; I really mean it.

Even 50 Cent knows that Ataturk sells, it seems.

The famous rapper had a concert in Istanbul last night. To warm up the crowd before a Bob Dylan song, firstly he took the American way:

"Anybody on weed here?" he asked on stage.

No answers from the crowd....

"Come on, who's on weed?" he asked again.

A few hands were raised shyly.

Disappointed, 50 Cent decided to take the Turkish way then.

"Alright, now... When I say Ataturk, you will all say 'respect,' OK?"

Consequently, with a Turkish flag on his back, he shouted at the top of his voice: "Ataturk!"

And the ecstatic crowd cried out as if they were all suddenly intoxicated somehow: "Respeeeeekt!"

That's how most of the Turks still go high.

That's not something reprehensible.

That's nothing to do with Kemalism or nationalism or school education or something like that.

You gotta live it to see it in a 50 Cent concert.

Buzek: Populism-Free Conservatism

Former Polish premier Jerzy Buzek was elected president of the European Parliament, becoming the first deputy from the ex-communist east to preside over the assembly.

I see Buzek as an ideal source of inspiration for all EU leaders.

He is a centre-rightist conservative, but he has still got the vision.

And he can bravely defend his farsighted vision even by challenging his own party.

His group, Christian Democrats, may still oppose Turkey's EU membership. For Buzek, it doesn't really matter. "I was an advocate of Turkey in my group. As a Polish citizen, I support the enlargement of the EU and Ankara's bid," he had said last week.

Some cheap populists, like Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy, should analyze the rise of Buzek, appreciating that a sane enlargement policy is possible even in the face of the popular reactionism.

Yes, Buzek's ID tells that he is older than Merkel and Sarkozy; but in grasping the political future of Europe in such fashion, he has proven that his mind is much younger than these two.

He is kind of a European Ron Paul.

Turkey Liberalize AND Unite the EU

Four EU countries and Turkey signed an accord today on building a major US-backed gas pipeline to reduce European reliance on Russia. Azerbaijan will be the first supplier of the Nabucco Gas Pipeline; but others, like Iraq, Egypt, Turkmenistan and some more Turkic republics are likely to follow the suit. Iran may also join when the nuclear problem is solved.

The energy lobbies have been talking about the Nabucco project since 2002. I see it mainly as a stimulus for Turkey's EU membership and a vital project for the EU itself. I began to write about this project more than two years ago. Then I regularly updated my views as in here and here and here.

It was Turkey's stubbornness that delayed the project. In the end, Ankara opted to make some concessions to materialize the deal. I can't blame anyone here. The Turkish government tried to profit as much as possible and the timing of the retreat was not too late. If you examine the current agreement, you can see that it's still a good deal for Turkish interests, as well as all other partners.

The question is the future now. The first reaction from Moscow was not cooperative. Russia's national energy security fund chief Konstantin Simonov called the agreement as "only a piece of paper."

From now on, we can expect anything in and around Turkey; so watch out!

Here are my short and long-term projections in brief:

1) Whether there are enough suppliers or not, the new pipeline will be a huge blow for Russian interests. Will Moscow just sit down and watch the construction? Or will it apply pressure especially on Ankara -and even try to destabilize Turkey- to stop the project? Let me remind you a fact: If you exclude Gazprom, the Russian economy is smaller than the Turkish economy (clarification: concerning the share of the energy export revenues in Moscow's annual budget).

2) The Nabucco doesn't only have the potential to liberalize the European Union, regarding its dependence to Russian energy. It will also make the EU a real Union, as -from now on- a consolidated energy policy will be required. The Turkish approval of the Nabucco is a chance for the EU to set itself free and unite.

3) We can see a shift in the EU leadership after the completion of this project. Even blinkered conservatives like Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy will be facing the reality. Here are two alternative futures for the EU: i) As a Russian dominion WITHOUT Turkey. ii) As a global leader WITH Turkey.

4) Turkey needs a broader energy strategy, instead of day-to-day foreign policy tactics. With Nabucco, I believe that the pivot of the Turkish foreign policy will be this energy strategy, instead of the so-called proactive diplomacy, which is criticized of being empty in content. But if the Nabucco fails, then the EU fails, not Turkey. Guess what will happen if Turkey agrees Russia's offer to join the South Stream...

Whether my assumptions are correct or not, one thing is indisputable:

The Nabucco pipeline is a breakthrough for the global politics. It may even change the course of the history. We'll see.

A Meeting With German Students

After my newspaper asked me to participate in a panel discussion, I met a group of German students at Hurriyet Medya Towers two days ago.

Alongside Bulent Mumay, the editor of Hurriyet's Germany edition, I answered some curious questions from these articulate Gymnasium seniors.

Most of them were into political science, so their questions were generally about Turkish and the EU politics.

One question was about the great number of Ataturk paintings and statues around. Reminding the negative connotations of certain iconic figures in modern German history, a student asked me how come we can still idolize Ataturk.

"Because every country has got its own conditions. Here, Ataturk sells," I said, "just check the newspaper ads of -say- raki producers or the PR campaigns of our football clubs. Ataturk is a common hero. So almost everyone would like to capitalize him."

* * *

We also had the opportunity to learn their opinions. All of these young Germans were visiting Turkey the first time. So Mumay asked them about the most shocking thing that they confronted in Turkey.

"The most shocking thing in Turkey is that there is nothing shocking," one answered.

Right after that, another student asked me: "How do you see the future of Turkey and the EU?"

My answer was probably as not-so-shocking as all the stuff that they witness here:

"I believe that both Turkey and the EU have got a huge potential for the future. Unfortunately, they have bad governments as well. We're all wasting time, guys."

The meeting was planned as a 30-minutes event, but we chatted for more than an hour. It was fun and education for all of us, I guess.

Media Ethics, Again

Do you follow up the latest media scandal in the United Kingdom?

Summarizing from Wikipedia:

"The Guardian reported that News Group - the News of the World's parent company - paid out more than £1m to settle legal cases that threatened to reveal evidence of News of the World journalists using criminal methods (accessing mobile phone voicemails of various public figures) to obtain stories."

I watched a BBC Turkish programme about this wiretapping scandal. The commentary by Andrew Neil, who was the editor of the Sunday Times -another Murdoch paper- between 1983-1994, was quite interesting to me:

"The first question that an Editor-in-Chief asks to the correspondent who produced a sensational story is: 'How did you get that one?' Because such a story could be obtained through illegal means and it generally is."

When I heard these words, I thought of Taraf's Xerox journalism.

I guess we are not as serious as the British.

You can ruin the country by forging documents here...

You can provoke people and the organs of the state against each other by fabricated information...

And you can easily get away with your disinformation campaign...

You may ask me now: "If nobody calls Taraf to account, why don't you do it yourself?"

I can only claim my right to be truely informed as an ordinary citizen and I already did it.

After my initial post here, I have asked Taraf where they have found that photocopy? Who did give it to them and how come can they print it as if they have seen the original?

I was suspecting if that shadowy correspondent had hinted about his source even to the Editor-in-Chief, so -in my email- I asked about it as well.

Still no answer and I don't expect one. But I will inform you if I can get it.

Until they break their queasy silence, I will consider Taraf in the same line with the News of the World.

What Happened to the Photocopy?

Did you notice that those stories about the so-called coup document suddenly stop?

But what happened?

Taraf, the newspaper that published the infamous photocopy, sounded so confident in the initial story that the document was authentic, implying that their correspondent had seen the original.

A couple of weeks past and the bombshell story is forgotten. Nobody is behind the bars because of this photocopy.

So I ask again: What happened? Why can't Taraf show the original of this piece of paper? Why did they sound increasingly unconfident in the following stories? And why are they silent now?

The answer is clear:

The fake document has already made its service.

It was used as a part of psychological war against the Turkish Army and it succeeded.

Nobody is interested in this paper anymore.

And naturally, Taraf didn't care about answering the obvious questions about their unethical sensationalism. Because they have done what was ordered...

* * *

The Taraf story is a great example about Turkey today.

It shows that if you are a government paper, serving the interests of the leading political party, you're free to do anything. In developed democracies, you could even be legally punished for such forgery; but in Turkey, no.

Provocations, fake documents, etc. You're totally free here.

However, if you're not a government puppet and if you reveal the dirty secrets of the leading policial party, get ready for unjustified tax fines and all the other means of political repression.

That's what happened with Hurriyet, recently. Even its political cartoons are getting financially punished by the government.

* * *

I guess it is quite clear now that Taraf is just a mouthpiece of a emergent reactionary force in Turkey.

This force, which is mainly consisted of a clandestine Islamist sect, has already infiltrated the police organization and seized some bridgeheads in the judiciary, as well as a significant portion of the civil society.

The most dangerous one is the occupation of the police force.

Let's remember:

1) Lately, an arrested lieutenant colonel has accused the police to hide illegal weapons for a great conspiracy against the army.

2) In Sariyer, military ammunition has been found in a police academy. Two police chiefs were arrested three days ago.

3) Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that "our police organization is the guarantee of the regime."

So where is Turkey heading now?

I am optimistic. I believe that the Islamist transformation of the establishment is about to come to an end after more than 10 years.

That is just a gut-feeling, but this could be their strongest time.

I think that the future of Turkey will be much better (later I'll try to explain why I think so) as they weaken.

Without the AKP, without the rising influence of the Islamist sects, without the struggles between the army and the police...

We'll have a real democracy, full government transparency and honest journalism.

The Quote of the Week

"Politically; if fascism is cancer, then the center-right is cigarette." -- Vedat Ozdemiroglu, a Turkish author and a comedian.

Which Season of Turkey?

Whether Nicolas Sarkozy likes it or not, France is celebrating the Season of Turkey nowadays. There are lots of events throughout the country, introducing and promoting Turkey.

The French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterand and his Turkish counterpart Ertugrul Gunay have opened the Season of Turkey with a press conference in Paris last week. This interesting meeting shows us why the Turkish culture is European and why Turkey's current government risks it to remain so.

Firstly, let's have a look at the funny dialogue between Mitterand, an openly gay French politician, and Gunay, the liberal face of the Islamist AKP:

A Journalist: The Season of Turkey will last for nine months. Is it enough time to normalize the relations between Turkey and France, which were tense because of the EU policies?

Mitterand: Nine months is enough time to have a baby.

Gunay: I guess there is no need to say anything else.

Mitterand: I didn't mean that we will produce a child together now, but it's almost like that...

Gunay: It is clear that we are about to set sail for new loves.

Mitterand: We better stop here. I guess Mr. Gunay doesn't know anything about my reputation.

* * *

This dialogue made all journalists, the French and the Turk, laugh out loud. Gunay, who indeed know everything about Mitterand, was quite comfortable while proceeding with the joke, hinting about the sexual orientations of the host minister.

Can you imagine the same scene between Mitterand and a Saudi or an Egyptian or an Iranian or even a Brazilian or an Israeli minister?

I see this dialogue as an evidence of compatibility between French and Turkish cultures, under the large, assorted umbrella of Europe.

On the other hand, Gunay's case was obviously a personal success in representing the true colors of the Turkish culture. His government still lacks in the political domain to remain European.

Its proof is -once again- in the official media outlets of the government. Following the TRT blunder, we are witnessing another shortcoming here and this time it is Anadolu Ajansi, the semi-official news agency of Turkey.

From an insider, I have learned that Rahmi Gunduz, the Paris correspondent of Anadolu Ajansi has reported the Mitterand-Gunay story in full. The gay joke was also included in the original story.

However, the agency deleted the dialogue above in the edited version. The remaining part in the published story is as meek as it could be. As a result, thousands of subscribers of Anadolu Ajansi were unaware of the dialogue above. It was the CNN Turk that had woken up the people in several newspapers and TVs.

That's what makes me worry: We have an Islamist government which still cares about its image in Europe and proves it by commissioning liberal faces there. But when it comes to domestic policies, the government is increasingly conservative, authoratic and sometimes oppressive.

And my fear is: What will happen if the EU ultimately rejects Turkey one day? What if the AKP is unmasked and its true nature becomes apparent?

The Muslim Arthur

TRT, the national public TV of Turkey, has recently broadcasted an animation series in its children channel. In an episode, we see a child fasting according to the Islamic rules. Abruptly, he breaks his fast with a slice of pizza before he should have done it. At that moment, an angel appears in the sky and condemns him: "You're not my little prince anymore. I'll call you black sheep."

I am fasting during all Ramadan months, but I find this cartoon very dangerous. TRT is belonged to the Turkish state. The state is secular and the budget of TRT is consisted of the taxes of all Turkish citizens from all religions.

And the only public TV station tries to brainwash the children with an Islamist cartoon? What's next? Hamas cartoons?

* * *

The reality is always stranger than fiction, it seems.

The TRT cartoon is actually an adaptation of the American/Canadian TV series, which is called Arthur. It is based on children's books by Marc Brown and being aired internationally in 82 countries.

As you can watch here, the controversial episode in TRT is actually about the Jewish fasting, not the Islamic one.

I am not against the production of religious cartoons, because there are parents who would like to raise their children religiously, instead of giving them a chance to choose their religions. Actually the latter is what God actually does, but forget it now...

What I am against is the airing of this cartoon by the public broadcaster. This is against the impartiality of the state. This is a fraud against the citizens. This is an unethical and indecent decision.

This is what we can expect from the TV station of the AKP.

* * *

Whether it is perceived as moderate in the Western media or not, the political Islamists in Turkey surely pursue a conservative/religious agenda, gradually but decisively. The Muslim Arthur is just another, ironic example to prove it.

I could be against it in any country, the Jewish Israel or the Catholic Brazil; because I believe that the social progress and harmony is not possible with conservatist/rightist or anti-secular politics.

See what happens with the fanatically right/zealot Israeli government now, as well as with the Hamas thugs in Gaza.

The dangerous part is always about the dark nature of political Islamism. As can be seen from the AKP example in Turkey, they can change themselves quickly or at least give an impression that they are moderate now. However, like the world has seen in 1979 in Iran, you can't know what they will do when they're strong enough.

Getting strong enough becomes easier by subliminal propaganda on the mind of the youth.