Erkan's field diary

While I am in the middle of probably the busiest week in Bilgi University, that is course registration week, I hear that another headscarf related statement signed by a group of scholars is issued. There have been two so far. One that supports the ban, the other that supports the AKP+MHP (and supported by DTP) move to lift the ban and here comes the third one whose context is to go beyond the polarization witnessed in the first two ones. This statement cries for both freedom and secularism and although it seems to be against the ban, it does not support the manner AKP and MHP initiated. Fuat Keyman (Koç Üniversitesi) Cengiz Aktar (Bahçeşehir Üniversitesi) started the third statement.

Although I don't like the way he presents the issue, Vistilef is a might be a good source to follow the development of the third statement, here, here and here. I am not sure if the second statement is too pro-AKP as some of the names in the undersigned list are quite secular and intellectual personalities but the second statement was constantly under attack by the secularist mainstream media and labelled as an extreme point, so the third one as a moderate voices comes to rescue. There are also constant happy cries by the secularists that the alliance of AKP and liberal intellectuals are coming apart as many prominent liberals did not sign the second one. This might be true to a large extent but still more observation and analyses necessary...

Four Impressionist Paintings Stolen From The Buehrle Foundation Museum in Zurich, Vincent van Gogh, Blossoming Chestnut Branches

 Notariously anti AKP Milliyet portrays "the third view".