TURKEY: Criticizing Israel & more – 27th Feb 2024

Merhaba from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Turkey Update from the 27th of February twenty twenty-four A quick summary of what's going down in Turkey.

During President Erdoğan’s rally in Sakarya province on Saturday the 24th, the police removed a banner demanding an end to trade with Israel. Similar protests have been ongoing over the last few months due to criticisms of the country’s actions in Palestine.

Turkey is one of the harshest critics of Israel at the moment, but despite its panning and calls for boycotts, some companies, including those close to the government, continue to trade with Israel. In fact, data from the Turkish Statistical Institute shows an increase in Israeli imports in November twenty twenty-three, after the Gaza attacks. This situation raises questions about Turkey's stance.

Moving on to politics… On Monday the 26th, during the Transportation Ministry’s railway opening in Istanbul, President Erdoğan stated that the ruling Justice and Development Party or AKP’s mayoral candidates would have more resources to govern cities, as the party "ran the country.”

Erdoğan also suggested that the administration of Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu of the main opposition the Republican People’s Party or CHP, didn’t accomplish anything in the city. He said that it wasted the last five years it has led Istanbul, even though Murat Kurum, AKP’s İstanbul Mayor candidate, recently mocked İmamoğlu for only accomplishing 87% of his election promises.

Erdoğan vowed that electing Kurum would resolve Istanbul's issues, emphasizing the importance of government support in municipal performance. This was called into question as it could be considered a threat, saying that if people don’t vote for the AKP they’ll receive no service, as the ruling party is the one that allocates budgets to each city. Earlier in January, the government allocated only three thousand liras, around a hundred US Dollars, for a 500 million dollar project in İzmir, a county run by the CHP.

On Thursday the 22nd, during the opening of a youth center in Ankara, the Religious Affairs Director urged Muslim youth to harbor deep hatred towards traitors of the nation and government. He stressed the Directorate's role in nurturing love for the country and the executive, citing the Quran. However, his call for hatred sparked controversy among the people, both religious and secular. Some stated that Islam is the religion of peace, and encouraging hatred is against its values. The Director’s move was also called into question because it might be polarizing the public and making it sound like if you don’t support the government, you are a traitor to your nation.

Still on religious teachings… According to the daily Cumhuriyet’s reporting, the religious Kars Merkez İmam Hatip Middle School in eastern Turkey caused controversy for a practice involving students imagining their mothers' deaths and mourning beside a prop grave to learn patience.

The school shared images of students praying and mourning beside the prop grave. This lesson operates under the I am sensitive to my environment, I claim my values, or ÇEDES project, a collaboration between the Education Ministry and Religious Affairs Directorate.

The practice was called into question as it might have violated the Education Ministry's secular education principles and students' freedom of religion and conscience. The ÇEDES program faced criticism for promoting ideological values of a single religion and sect, disregarding students and parents of different beliefs.

Let’s talk about the upcoming elections… On Thursday the 22nd, Murat Kurum held the Women Who Nurtured Istanbul seminars as part of his election campaign. Tansu Çiller, the former Prime Minister infamous for her involvement in corruption and authoritarian behavior, gave a speech and publicly endorsed Kurum. Çiller, who served as Turkey's first and only female prime minister from nineteen ninety-three to nineteen ninety-six, praised Kurum for bringing enthusiasm to Istanbul, addressing issues like the anticipation of an earthquake and traffic problems.

She expressed excitement about Kurum's employment projects, particularly for young women.

However, her endorsement drew criticism from Kurum's main opponent, current Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu of the CHP. İmamoğlu alleged that Çiller was supporting Kurum now because he granted zoning permits to her family's land when he was the minister of environment and urbanization.

On Monday the 26th, a private chrome mine in Turkey’s Elazığ province collapsed, trapping four workers. Luckily, rescue teams saved them within hours, with one worker sustaining injuries. The Energy and Natural Resources Ministry reported the other three workers were in good health. The Elazığ Governor’s Office launched investigations into the incident. This is the second mine-related tragedy in one month, the first one being the collapsed gold mine with cyanide-laden waste soil. This raised questions about work and environmental safety in the country.

Next up, the daily BirGün reported that Muhammed Raşid Seydaoğlu, a key figure in the Islamic Menzil cult, and the Deputy Commander of the Turkish Gendarmerie, had a meeting. The Menzil cult is a religious group with a significant following. This raised concerns as religious cults have no business meeting with senior armed forces officials. This gathering was also called into question since there have been rumors about the Menzil cult infiltrating into the gendarmerie, police, and military, especially after the twenty sixteen FETÖ coup attempt.

Even though the purpose of the meeting remains undisclosed, journalist İsmail Arı suggested that Seydaoğlu wielded influence over public appointments in Ankara. Seydaoğlu, however, said that the meeting was personal and he wasn’t representing the cult in the meeting. He pointed out that he is also a public servant—an imam operating under the Religious Affairs Directorate.

On another note, last Wednesday the 21st, on International Mother Language, there was a parliamentary meeting. Some MPs wanted to give their speech in their native language, Kurdish. However, a deputy of the ultra-nationalist Nationalist Movement Party silenced deputies' microphones when they spoke in Kurdish. MP Türkan Elçi of the CHP shared the full text of her speech online after she was muted and condemned the intolerance toward her mother tongue.

Another muted MP said on social media that she spoke in Uzbek, a Turkish dialect, to test the deputy speaker's language comprehension, and had her microphone silenced as well.

The Deputy Speaker defended the silencing, citing constitutional requirements for Turkish-only speeches at the stand, while the pro-Kurdish People’s Equality and Democracy Party deputy chairman decried the move as a violation of free speech.

The government is planning to give out loans and grants to homeowners in İstanbul seeking to join urban transformation and rebuild their buildings. They will receive a grant of 700 thousand liras, approximately eighty-four thousand US dollars, and a loan of the same amount. Businesses will be able to receive up to 350 thousand liras, or forty-two thousand dollars. Tenants and homeowner residents of the houses in urban transformation will receive rental support of 100 thousand liras, or eleven thousand US dollars. Owners of buildings in reserve areas, risky zones, or with risky structures in Istanbul will be eligible for the loans and grants.

The environment, urbanization, and climate change minister announced on Twitter that the ministry put aside a total support of one and a half billion liras, or forty-eight million dollars for this project. However, experts caution that the budget may be insufficient given rising costs and the lack of an effective plan for urban transformation.

The project was called into question as the government might be trying to appeal to Istanbulites, who are worried about a potential earthquake, to get votes for the AKP’s candidate and will likely drop the project after the elections, as it has happened with most of their pre-presidential election projects.

The National Lottery Administration banned access to two popular live-streaming platforms. It banned Kick on Tuesday the 20th and Twitch two days later.

The Administration didn’t give a reason for the ban, but it might be because of the gambling content streamed on these platforms. In Turkey, gambling is considered a misdemeanor, and facilitating or promoting gambling activities is deemed a criminal offense. On Monday the 26th, after Kick announced that it’d ban its gambling content in Turkey, the Administration lifted the restriction. However, Twitch’s ban remains.

Aaaaand that’s it for this week.

Do you know that besides the Turkey Update, we also do others? Our latest ones are the Arctic Update, about the area north of the Arctic Circle, the Ocean Update, about the 70% of the earth covered in salt water, and the Multilateral update about all the world's major multilateral institutions. The other ones are all country updates, we have a selection of countries from Africa, Asia, South America, and Europe. Check roroshok.com/updates to see the full list. We left the link in the show notes as well.

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