İnanmak bilmemeyi ve bilmemekle mutlu olmayı gerektirir. Dünyanın güneşin etrafında döndüğüne inanmazsınız. Elmasın karbon atomlarından oluştuğuna inanmazsınız. Yoğunlaşan su buharının yağmur olarak yağdığına inanmazsınız. Burada sizi ilgilendiren, size bağlı bir şey yoktur. İnanmak var etmektir. Dünyanın, güneşin etrafında dönmek için sizin bu eylemi kafanızda var etmenize ihtiyacı yoktur. Dünyanın güneş etrafında döndüğünü bilirsiniz. Bildiğiniz şeye inanmanıza da gerek yoktur. İşte tam da bu yüzden inançlı bir insan için inancıyla ilgili bir meseleyi dünyaya karşı savunmak hem en kolay, hem en zor mücadeledir. İnançsız insan için de böyledir. Continue reading “Allah “Öldür” Diyorsa”
Tag: islam
Young Woman Killed and Burned. Here is Why
Violence against women is not specific to collectivist or conservative cultures, but it sure is easier for such cases to attract false justification in a country like Turkey. Recently, a 20-year-old student was killed and her body was burned by the murderers. The details are in this article. I have no idea who prepared the picture below, but I will translate each quote and explain them when necessary. Continue reading “Young Woman Killed and Burned. Here is Why”
Balancing Madness: Terrorism, Dictatorships and Honesty
Talking about the other sides of the issues before we speak our minds makes us look cute. Respecting the dead without a reason makes us look considerate. Mentioning something, some definitely important issue that might be remotely relevant makes us look consistent in our logic. Boom! We are now legitimate, objective and cute. Most importantly, we are people who can clearly see what other’s can’t even imagine. We are definitely cool to be approaching this particular issue in this particular way. Yet, everyone does so. Speaking the speakable has always been a dishonest trend that damages the fight for freedom of speech, and makes it harder for the rest of us who might want to be completely honest for once. Continue reading “Balancing Madness: Terrorism, Dictatorships and Honesty”
Islamophobia, Fearing Islam, and Anti-Muslim Discrimination
The three issues about religion, islamophobia, fearing Islam and discrimination/hate against Muslims are often investigated under one indivisible title; however, they are completely different subjects of discussion, each having different explanations and approaches. This is why I am making this story public. We cannot understand the problems that arise from the approaches about religion unless we separate these three. First, I will provide definitions, and then, I will compare these. Continue reading “Islamophobia, Fearing Islam, and Anti-Muslim Discrimination”
Is Insulting Islam “Attacking the Powerless”?
The question “is freedom of speech an absolute right” is a dangerous one. Of course, nothing is absolute, and of course, almost no one is saying our freedoms have no limits. While people were criticising the peace process between the state and the PKK in Turkey, even though some were only criticising the way it is done and not the process in principle, the only thing the government could come up with have been this question: “do you want our sons to die, mothers to cry?” The motive behind these two questions might differ between each other, or in different contexts; however, the result is always the same. These are cruel assumptions that contribute nothing to the discussion, and create an ironically “absolute” defence mechanism against future solutions that could be achieved. If we are asking the question “is freedom of speech an absolute right”, we are holding the correct assumption that some people might think so. However, this is not a question of what some people think. This question almost always aims to legitimise the restrictions people think authorities should place on speech. This question, when uttered THIS loudly, only holds the “wrong” assumption that “most” people think freedom of speech is an absolute right. In fact, the reality in the world today is that most people are more willing to support restricting speech more than necessary, rather than allowing its existence more than necessary. If we suppose the ultimate question should be “is freedom of speech an absolute right”, we should at least have a problem of “too much freedom.” The fact that now we are talking about a freedom of speech, but not a freedom of restricting speech in legal and social contexts just shows what we need: freedom. In a world where people are jailed, tortured, beaten or killed as a reaction to “speech”, holding the question “is freedom of speech an absolute right” as the primary approach to our predicament here, is the cruellest thing to do. Continue reading “Is Insulting Islam “Attacking the Powerless”?”