Canal+ of France conducted an interview with Adnan Oktar (October 16th, 2014)

Mouloud Achour, the French journalist of the Canal+, the noted channel of France, interviewed Adnan Oktar during the live broadcast on A9 TV. Kim Chapiron, the French film director and producer, was also present during the interview.

Adnan Oktar stated that killing people under the name of “jihad” is not compatible with the Qur'an and this can only be prevented by the Qur'an. He also added that when the morality of the Qur'an is practised duly, love, peace and brotherhood would prevail the world. Another subject Mr. Oktar dwelled on was the Mahdi. Mahdi is the person awaited at the End Times known as Moshiach in Judaism and Paraclete in Christianity. With the appearance of Mahdi, there will be no more bloodshed in the world and all the pain will come to an end. Mr Oktar stated that this period when all the people in the world will become brothers is close at hand.

The Position of Turkey in the War against ISIS

The whole world turned their attention towards Turkey and Iran lately.  The reason for this is based on what decision these two major actors will take in the war against ISIS. As discussions continue, the Turkish Parliament ratified the Syria-Iraq motion on October 2.  The motion received support from 298 members of the 550 seat parliament. While the governing Ak Party and the Nationalist Movement Party voted yes, 98 members of main opposition Republican People’s Party and the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party and some independent members of the Parliaments voted against the motion, which authorizes the government to deploy troops to Syria and Iraq in case of any threat to our country.

There are many diverse opinions about this motion. While the opposition parties analogize this with the March 1 bill that didn’t pass the vote of parliament in 2003 pertaining to the American invasion of Iraq, other experts liken it with the Poised Hammer Bill of 1991. Factually, there are technical differences between the current Syria-Iraq Bill and the aforementioned two bills.

The March 1 bill was related to a de facto combat operation to another country to defeat Saddam Hussein in Iraq. It also permitted the use of the Turkish Military Force  (TSK) and the deployment of the foreign troops within the borders of Turkey.  The current motion does not include any clauses related to the deployment of any international troops nor permitting the Incirlik base to be used in military operations. Turkey is not in favor nor does it consider being modus operandi in an offensive military operation.  The purpose of the bill is self-defense, protecting Turkish borders, and the safeguard of civilians and refugees.  National security is the main concern in this approach.

The Poised Hammer bill was ratified in order to plan an operation in conjunction with the United Nations.  The operation was intended to save the lives of the Shia, Kurds and Turkmens from Iraq in 1991. In the course of the operation 500,000 Iraqi sought refuge in Turkey in 1991 and Turkey allowed the deployment of foreign troops in Silopi only for the humanitarian aid.  Thus the troops were named Poised Hammer. It is apparent that the current bill is not similar to the other ones relating to Iraq in any way.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not a bill for war or invasion whatsoever rather for the security of Turkey’s border and the civilians who fled from both Syria and Iraq due to the current violent circumstances. Turkey has never applied nor intended to partake in combatant operations within the scope of NATO’s and UN’s operations or missions.

Given the recent intense influx of Kurdish citizens from Kobane, Turkey must take urgent steps to safely allow the passage of refugees and also protect the security of the country’s border.  Turkey must also consider the economic impact of hosting more than 2 million civilians for the last three years –a number that is constantly rising. A secure zone inside the border of Syria is the best option for providing safety for the affected civilians who are fleeing for their lives. Also, significant is that Necdet Özel, Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, along with his commanders stated this by addressing the Cabinet during a briefing. In the course of March 1 bill, even though it was discussed in the Turkish Armed Forces, the Chief Commander did not brief the Cabinet separately. In his briefing, he underlined the importance of convincing the coalition members on forming security zones. He also stressed that a non-fly air zone would not be sufficient and would only be effective along with secure zones on the ground, since both ISIS and PYD combat on the ground and have no aircrafts.

It is of vital importance for Turkey to operate within the scope of humanitarian assistance and logistics of the displaced people. Turkey should show that it is not part of this combat to kill but rather a protector of the innocent people. It should never lose its moral superiority and make its position clear in this mission. It should never take sides with the ones who claim retaliation and killing as a solution but should be the one to advocate that the protection of the civilians is what matters.  It should always be on the side of diplomacy, soft-power, and effectively administer an intellectual struggle to defeat the opponents that resort to violence and persecution.

The world will attain peace, but not through political maneuvers

Human beings are the core element of this planet. All commercial, political, industrial, and artistic activities are carried out in this world because of us,  human beings. The reason why this world exists and why it was created are ‘human beings’. Countries must prosper, industries, arts, culture and peace must flourish in the world not for a nation, a state, or a corporation, but basically for all human beings.

Politics  is about exercising organized control over human communities. When we look at the practices however, politics has been perceived as a way to manipulate people towards some goals whereas ideally, it must be a way to ensure that each individual attains and enjoys the standards of life they deserve as a human being.

If politics can not accomplish this ideal aim, it is again because of the “human factor” involved in it. If a politician’s primary motive becomes some other concern rather than the well-being of his people, if some other agenda other than the ultimate good of the people are involved, then we can’t expect politics to fulfill its aim.

That is why ethical and moral values are vital in politics. People who have the power to shape this world are also human beings and like any other human being, both in their personal and political lives, they need the guidance of some ethical and moral values, which are essentially provided by the common core values of the three Abrahamic faiths.

The Abrahamic faiths have had a great role in shaping an outlook of life and people’s perceptions of culture and civilization. In this sense, a follower of a religion tends to see things through the perspective of religion. It has been observed that throughout history, faiths encouraged people to live in unity, peace and co-existence whereas religious fanaticism, ideological dissentions and political interests caused conflicts, hostility, violence and destruction.

A correct understanding and practice of religion, entirely purged from extremist and radical elements, is a sound way to build prosperous communities with members who can fully enjoy their civil liberties, democratic rights and everything a person needs to live as a human being. However for this to happen, there is something crucial: religion must never engage in any imposition over politics. Indeed, the warmth, affection and human aspect of religion must be a center of attraction for politicians that will engage their voluntary attention. Political leaders, policy makers and diplomats who put the human element at the core of their practices - with a perspective driven from the warmth of religion - will  make a difference in their approach to problems and conflicts.

For instance, in international relations and diplomacy, instead of presenting lists of issues needing resolution  dominated with technical and political aspects (i.e., visa questions) in a cold and distant matter, such diplomats would instinctively choose to come up with some positive proposals that will lay the ground for more comprehensive systems that will resolve all these issues together  once and for all. Surely such an interaction would again stem from the perspective that the Abrahamic faiths would inspire.

That is because in the Abrahamic faiths’ approach, there is a focus on what unites, and not on what causes division. There is co-existence, collaboration and opting for the common ground for the sake of the good of people, and not separation, self-righteousness, or narrow self-interests. Such people of power who are inspired by the unifying power of religion will  be far more prone to dialogue, empathy and reconciliation and would be more willing to agree on covering the gaps and divergences with an intention to establish peace.

In a policy dominated by the power of these virtues, lovelessness and egoism are replaced by love, affection and empathy, rendering the areas they have influence over livable places. The spread of such a perspective to all levels of governance, on the other hand, will change the face of diplomacy both on the national and international level.

It will not be the smartly devised political maneuvers based on strict interests that will change the world into a better one, but rather heart-warming visions dominated by aspirations for peace, equality and freedom for all people. 

Kobani: Pinning hopes on PKK is dangerous

Both during the Gezi protests and after the Dec. 17 operations, some names in the international media offered an inaccurate description of the developments in Turkey. Things apparently seemed different to those in the US, different to those in the Middle East; leaving leftists and imperialists with all their varied opinions on the matters. Everyone was trying to figure out what was going on, but disinformation only resulted in hostility, aggression, anger and tumult. The same thing is happening once again due to the latest developments surrounding Turkey in the past week. And this has only added to the difficulties of Turkey, the Middle East and the Kurds.

For this very reason, it is important to shed some light on certain points that need clarification. 

After the militants of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Syria, which is a branch of the terrorist PKK, were heavily defeated by the so-called Islamic State (IS) in Kobani, Turkey became a sudden target. Everyone started acting as if Kobani was part of Turkey and it was the aggressor. PKK supporters started threatening the Turkish government. Interestingly, as if the PKK was not the nemesis of the Republic of Turkey, the PKK wanted “weapons” from Turkey. This was the real excuse behind the street protests that took place this week causing the death of more than 20 people. 

Now let’s look at what is unknown in all this:

The PKK is a Marxist/Leninist terrorist organization that is set on dividing Turkey and to this end, has ceaselessly and cowardly attacked Turkish soldiers for the past 30 years. They are known for their terror acts in the cities of Turkey and for their use of violence. They even used democratic protests as a means for unleashing more violence. One of the most prominent examples of this was the Gezi protest. Starting out as peaceful protests, they escalated into violent attacks where the PKK declared Taksim Square as a “liberated communal area.” Therefore it is clear that unrest is a method the PKK constantly uses in Turkey whenever it gets the opportunity.

Turkey has various options with regards to a solution for the IS. However, the real threat and danger for Turkey at the moment is the PKK. Since the military coup of 1980, it is the first time Turkey has had to declare a curfew and again for the first time in eight years, soldier was deployed on the streets of Diyarbakır. The PKK, enraged by the humiliation of the defeat they suffered in Kobani, is wreaking havoc on the streets of Turkey and killing people. They are trying to take the frustration of their failure in Kobani out on Turkey, which is a peaceful, democratic country.

The international media, and even some Turks, attribute these incidents to the fact that Turkey didn’t allow the Kurds that wanted to cross the border to take part in the fight. This idea is flawed due to two reasons:
The first mistake is seeing the PKK as Kurds. Kurds are the ornaments of Turkey known for their kindness, integrity and bravery. Turks have always been side by side with Kurds throughout their history and they are brothers and sisters. The PKK, on the other hand, is a Leninist terrorist organization. They have always used Kurdish nationalism as leverage, while in truth; they only hurt interests of Kurds with their ideology. Indeed, it is once again Kurds whose stores were burned down, looted and who were threatened by the PKK to join the street protests in the latest developments.

As Prime Minister Davutoglu puts it, the first Kurdish refugee group that fled Cizire two years ago to take shelter in Turkey ran away from the pressure of the PYD. This alone is enough to confirm the amount of pressure that Syrian Kurds suffer at the hands of PKK.

For this reason, it is apparent that it is not the Kurdish people that want to go to Kobani to fight, but it is the PKK’s supporters.

The second mistake is claiming that Turkey is preventing them from going over to Kobani. One fact is clear; those that had permission to go to Syria went to Kobani but fled back to Turkey after the heavy defeat they sustained. The said terrorist organization sustained heavy losses and therefore ran from Kobani. So their so-called enthusiasm to go there to fight is nothing but a mere show.

Another misconception is the allegation that Turkey doesn’t help the Kurds in Kobani. First of all, there are no civilians left in Kobani. Abdullah Ciftci, who is the district governor of the village of Suruc in Turkey, which hosts our Syrian Kurdish brothers and sisters, officially reported that there is not even a single civilian left in Kobani and all 187,000 of our Kurdish brothers are now in Turkey. Here are other important parts from Ciftci’s report:

“Around 800 trucks of humanitarian aid were sent through the Suruç Mürşitpınar border gate so far… which is worth 25 million Turkish Liras. We had also provided support for their electricity and water utility infrastructure.”

This clearly demonstrates how Turkey is doing everything to help the Kurdish people.

The world, however, expects this help for the PKK and that is the reason behind the disinformation. The way that the world is asking Turkey to support a terrorist organization which has been attacking our soldiers for years, which has been terrorizing Turkey’s streets and is committed to dividing Turkey, shows the extent of the misperceptions that exist out in the world. Furthermore, it begs for consideration as to why everyone expects Turkey to take action in Kobani, which is a part of Syria, not Turkey, when the UN is not doing anything about the situation. Taking care of civilians in a region outside our borders is a debt of honor for us. However, pressuring Turkey to arm a Leninist terrorist organization that points its gun at Turkey outside our borders, or to lend any support to them, is nothing but a grave error.

The coalition powers should understand that the PKK is more dangerous and should know that they cannot stop the PKK from being defeated in Syria by sending them more arms or using airstrikes. If they want a solution for the IS, this should be done through the safe-zone project that Turkey is committed to. As Prime Minister Davutoglu explained, the solution in Syria should involve toppling Assad’s regime and eradicating the PKK. It is clear that the western countries, which don’t agree with this proposition, will make the same mistake all over again in the Middle East, causing more bloodshed and yet again failing in epic fashion.