Turkey's intellectuals are living in fear.
Free-thinkers are under siege from a campaign of intimidation by the far right which has created a climate of repression and self-censorship.
Report in today's Independent:
Silenced: The nationalist war on Turkey's intellectuals
Quote:Turkey is at a kind of tipping point. With a very young society and high levels of youth unemployment, observers warn it could be sleepwalking towards disaster. "It's like Nazi Germany; it's a ticking bomb," says Magden. "The land is very fertile for a great rise in nationalism."
For many, the choice is clear. As Elif Shafak, a novelist put on trial by Kerincsiz last year after one of her fictional characters spoke of the Armenian genocide, says: "I think we should ask ourselves this simple question: What kind of a Turkey do we envisage? One that is part of European civilisation, open, democratic, egalitarian and pluralistic? Or one that is insular, xenophobic, closed and governed by politics of fear?"
The future is there for the taking. But now, more than ever, those Turks who do want to see their country progress are in need of their most articulate representatives to fight their cause for them. The far right has voiced its intentions loud and clear; it is no time for those who despise it to keep quiet.
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace