Türkiye’s Investment-Fund Scandal: TERA, Pusula and the September–October 2026 Fund Crisis Status as of 6 October 2026. Türkiye is dealing with a large, still-unresolved capital-markets crisis centered on investment funds managed by Tera Portföy and Pusula Portföy, but extending to Atlas Portföy, Hedef Portföy, A1 Capital Portföy, Bulls Portföy and Pardus Portföy. On 17 September, … Read more
My dear Beşiktaş suffered badly from the referees’ decisions. Now we see why. Türkiye’s Central Referees Committee, the MHK, is at the centre of a criminal investigation into how referees were classified, evaluated and assigned. Its chair, Ferhat Gündoğdu, and six others were detained on 29 September 2026. The crucial distinction is that these are … Read more
After the massive World Cup fkup, Mr. Montella seems to keep wasting a generation of skilled Turkish players. The main criticisms Selection and loyalty. Lille goalkeeper Berke Özer was left out of the September squad despite being voted the club’s August player of the month. The contrast drew attention because Altay Bayındır was selected despite … Read more
There is a growing chain restaurant in Türkiye: Köfteci Yusuf. Literally, it means “meatball shop.” As far as I remember, I never ate meatballs there! But since one branch is within walking distance of where I live, I go there sometimes for breakfast or dinner. As food prices increase rapidly, this chain restaurant offers many … Read more
As of the 12–13 September 2026 operation, it now reaches beyond the routine suppression of Pride marches to include criminal investigations, raids on civil-society organizations and venues, detentions, online censorship, and policies framed around “family” and “morality.” The latest September 2026 operation alone placed 162 people, nine associations, and 13 businesses under investigation across 15 … Read more
I have to admit, although I knew about his videos from a very early time, I found them a bit cringe, not on my agenda. But he is persistent and successful in his approach to creating content. The key amplifier was streamer Asmongold: his live reaction brought Çenet’s documentary to a much larger American online … Read more
After the Süleymancılar, “Furkancılar” is also under investigation. This is a relatively small group based in Adana. Their type of activism differs greatly from that of the Süleymancılar, who have been exposed to a judicial process. The August 2026 Crackdown on the Furkan Movement in Turkey: Law, Politics, and Religious Civil Society Executive summary Turkey’s … Read more
Süleymancılar and Turkey’s August 2026 Crackdown: Movement, State Relations, Legal Architecture, and Political Stakes Executive summary As of 18:25 TRT on Thursday, 13 August 2026, Turkey is conducting a large, multi-province criminal investigation centered on Alihan Kuriş, the current leader associated with the religious community conventionally known as the Süleymancılar. The most important qualification is … Read more
I could not write about these stories when they happened, but I still want to keep them in the EFD record. They are not necessarily connected, yet together they say something about contemporary Turkey: ritual, spectacle, medical entrepreneurship, migration, music, and earthquake anxiety all appearing in the same news cycle. On the first day of … Read more
Comedian Deniz Göktaş detained after new show goes viral today. It was an expected result. Mr. Göktaş seemed well prepared for the aftermath. If he ever performs the third act, it will center around his prison days. This time, I asked Grok to round up positive and negative critiques on X about Deniz Göktaş’s … Read more
Another well-known actor since my childhood days has passed away. Kadir İnanır had a strong personality and political standing, and was a conscious artist, which we do not see much of nowadays. Here is an obituary and at the end you will find a detailed report on his filmography and an infographic. The Final … Read more
Türkiye, following Australia, recently banned social media for children under 15. Just a few years ago, it would have been hard to imagine such a ban, but things change fast. I have curated some information on these bans and related restrictions in other countries using Perplexity. Here it is: Turkey and Australia have both adopted … Read more
My TV Turkish Serials Subreddit receives more than 95 thousand visits weekly, and my colleague Alper Kırklar and I decided to curate an edited volume on Turkish Television Series. The series’ global attraction is definitely unintended, but all over the world, I come across people asking me about a particular Turkish series. So here we … Read more
Just finished an article by dear Joakim Parslow, who knows this blog well. I have done some research on the history of the internet in Türkiye, but Joakim goes far past the pre-internet decades, where Cybernetics had some resonance. The article link is here. Parslow, J. (2021). The Mechanical Atatürk: Cybernetics and State Violence in … Read more
I was once a trainer in an EU-funded project, and I spent a few hours with Prof. Ortaylı in 2015 in one of its workshops. I was really anxious about whether he would make fun of me, but he did not (!). According to the project page of RUMVADER (Cemaat Vakıfları Temsilciliği), it was the … Read more