Why The CIA Funds Me and Other Nonsense

[Originally published in Turkish Daily News] If there is one thing that the Kemalists never lack, that is imagination. They can make up, and then believe in, all sorts of fantasy. Their pundits have recently created a vast range of conspiracy theories from the lunacy that “Islamist” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is in fact a crypto Jew who serves the Elders of Zion to the more popular nonsense that the U.S. government aims at establishing a “moderate Islamic republic” in Turkey. I am used to seeing such bilge in the crude side of the Kemalist camp, but these days even their most sophisticated representatives seem to follow a similar line. My column neighbor, Yusuf Kanlı, a most articulate and respected writer, surprised me by doing so just two days ago. In his column titled “Muslim Democrats” he wrote, “‘Muslim... [read full story]