Grup Yorum has been around for so many decades that it was another shameful censorship by Turkish authorities. We all know that it has affiliations to an outlawed armed revolutionary organization, but that organization is not even active nowadays. And audiences for the band are definitely beyond that group. I find this censorship really unnecessary. … Read more
Details of Turkey’s Planned Ban on Certain Quran Translations A Turkish parliamentary committee has recently approved a controversial bill that would grant the state-run Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) sweeping powers to censor, seize, and destroy Quran translations it deems “contrary to the essential principles of Islam”15. Under this proposed legislation, a Diyanet-appointed board would … Read more
In early May 2025, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) held its 12th Congress in northern Iraq and announced it would dissolve its organizational structure and end its armed struggle. This unprecedented declaration – effectively disbanding the PKK after 40+ years of insurgency – ignited intense public reactions and debates across Turkeyreuters.comreuters.com. All segments of Turkish … Read more
The mood is calm, not much excitement, but this is historic in any case. The PKK’s decision to disband after four decades of conflict represents a potential turning point in Turkish-Kurdish relations and regional stability. While the announcement has been met with cautious optimism from various stakeholders, there is widespread acknowledgment that this is just … Read more
I did not have the honor of meeting Mr. Önder, who died after 18 days in intensive care. Despite a lifelong struggle, days of torture and imprisonment, he was not trapped in ressentiment. That’s how I will remember him. Both the Turkish and Kurdish opposition miss an irreplaceable person. This is a (deepl-translated) letter to … Read more
I used ChatGPT’s deep research with proper prompts to collect all pro and counterarguments and issues related to the state of the city. Historical Overview of the Project Early Ideas: The concept of a canal connecting the Black Sea (Karadeniz) to the Sea of Marmara (Marmara Denizi) is not new. Ottoman sultans as far back … Read more
Mahmut Tanal has recently earned fame among a younger generation of Turkish citizens, but he has been dedicated to advocacy for a long time. Mahmut Tanal repeated several times alongside the students as the intervention with the TOMA continued: “What is the TOMA doing at ODTÜ?” Mahmut Tanal: A Timeline of Rights Advocacy and Activism … Read more
With an increasingly busy schedule (May will be overwhelming) and CIV 7 playing, I could not find much time to unbox for a while. There is also the problem of storage. Where will I put the boxes? I am redesigning my office space and also our apartment. In the meantime, here are some findings: 1988 … Read more
Turkey’s brain drain is taking its female coders with it Rest of World – by Kaya Genç Gülçin Yildirim is a database engineer and one of the founders of Kadin Yazilimci, a group of female coders. Courtesy Gülçin Yildirim In the summer of 2013, Gülçin Yildirim, a database administrator, received an invitation for a meeting … Read more
I was just out in my car waiting for Sinem -and loudly enjoying Brothers Osborne It Ain’t My Fault to hang out in a cafe in Bomonti, so I did not feel the quake, but people were immediately out. GSM services are down, and the traffic load is incredible. That’s what awaits us. Powerful Earthquake Shakes … Read more
I came across a video that substantively summarizes the history of Turkish rap to the present. When stuck in Istanbul’s traffic, you find new stuff on YouTube that you would not normally look at. Now, I’ve made a list of albums to listen to without compromising my metalhead identity. Here is a summary of the … Read more
High School Student Protests in Turkey (April 2025) In April 2025, Turkey saw- and is still seeing- a wave of high school student protests in response to controversial teacher reassignments at elite public high schools known as “proje okulları” (“project schools”). These schools – some of the country’s most prestigious, exam-selective institutions – were … Read more
Konda Research released a data visualization that looks at Türkiye’s history and present. Original data is here (English)
As we are in the middle of the long Eid break, let me list what I have observed during the protests. In the meantime, 301 student demonstrators are still imprisoned, and there is a massive one-day economic boycott against (2 April) of all kinds of shopping. Despite mainstream media censorship, the protests could be … Read more
We have a more extended official vacation- 9 days! The government probably extended the Eid vacation to calm down protests… The CHP rally in Maltepe, Istanbul, held on March 29, 2025, drew a massive crowd. According to CHP leader Özgür Özel, approximately 2.2 million people attended the event, although this figure could not be independently … Read more