Free Speech

It may offend you, you may not agree with what he is saying, but he should freely express his mind without the fear of persecution. That is exactly the point of freedom of speech. Dictators hate free speeches. Freedom of speech is a high crime and treason in this country. That is how dictators silence oppositions.

The main opposition political parties are all proved to be inept and incapable of organizing any resistance. There was finally a hope three weeks ago when such long-awaited resistance happened in a massive scale as thousands marched from Ankara to Istanbul on foot protesting the massacre of justice in Turkey, which is certainly not a small feat at any scale of imagination, 24 day ordeal crossing an up and down 500 km distance between the two biggest cities. Though, since then the complacency set back in proving the skeptics and nay-sayers who did not get impressed with the inconsequential chest pounding of the weak leadership of the opposition. The anticipated stagnant stand since then only confirmed the obvious ineffectiveness with no coordinated rigorous follow up plan of the continuation of such showdowns that could certainly bolster the hope of its people. It did not happen.

In the interim, we witness the cruelty and the injustice that rampant at an unprecedented scale each passing day in this multi-cultural society where the tensions are rising to a point of no return. However unfortunate, and damaging to its peaceful citizens, some form of civil conflict is becoming more and more eminent. Though, contrary to the common thought of its people, it will not be between the two islamic mafia leaders as it happened last year in the so-called "coup" attempt, which to this day the details are still murky but between the laiks and the cihadists. It all depends on how much longer the seculars could bear this injustice and the rapid erosion of the state of affairs towards sharia.

The bigger and perhaps the more fundamental issue for the defeat of the seculars by the Islamists in all elections since 2012 is that they too are following Islam. Being secular and following islam 'timidly' when you have a true cihadist as your opponent is a loosing hand. The opposition leadership should be knowledgable and cognizant of the fact that secularism can not reconcile with Islam, but still show mastership in playing the hand cleverly to shepherd the pious people of the inner steps of Anatolia just like its founder did. It is proved once that it could be done albeit in dire conditions fighting for independence, which some think that as an advantage that is not existing for the same kind of shepherding that needs to happen today. But I defer.

How it will pan out remains to be seen. One thing is certain though that the polarization is nakedly clear, and the people of Turkey is afraid to admit it to themselves. To this day, it is safer to speculate and blame the weaker of the two evils instead of holding both accountable that they are of the same breed and they are both equally responsible of the countless corruptions, deaths and treason. They must be tried and put into prison instead of the journalists. Though, nobody wants to get hurt since any singular opposition is silenced swiftly and indifferently. Everyone is staying away from confronting the monster with whom the clash is inevitable. Nevertheless, there is always one or few courageous journalists that never get extinct.

The final straw was the unlawful detainment of the journalists from the prominent leftist newspaper Cumhuriyet. They were held in prison in the last nine months without a charge and only this week they were finally brought before the court with mind blowing accusations from the state prosecutor. The prosecutor could not present to the court any proof of ties that could implicate these battered journalists, cartoonists, with any terrorist organization. The exchanges between the accusers and the defenders were only about what they wrote in their columns which in of itself alone is the clear indication of admitting the real nature of the charge, and that is the freedom of speech. Shame on us.