Plagiarism and Ethics: Zeki Çağlar Namlı and Mine Kırıkkanat

The issue of plagiarism has become tiresome; especially in this digital age... The detection of plagiarism, complaints,plagiarism allegationsbecoming the subject of disciplinary investigations, doctoral thesis defenses, associateprofessorshipapplications... Even mundane assignments have startedbecomes material for plagiarism detection programs. Weseemto care about plagiarism.

The matter has been taken to court. In fact, plagiarism is not a difficultsubject todetect. You look at the date the text or idea was published and compare the first work with the second work that is the subject of the plagiarism. A person with minimal reasoningability, if they are literate in the subject matter, can easily identify plagiarism.

Mine Kırıkkanat's novel Bit Palas was published in 1990, while Elif Şafak's novel Sinek Sarayı was published in 2002. Unless time travel ispossible,it is not possible for Kırıkkanat to have "stolen" from Şafak's book; however, the reverse ispossible.MineKırıkkanat filed a lawsuit forpecuniary and non-pecuniary damages, alleging that Elif Şafak committed plagiarism.I. Following this, "doyen" authors published a signed declaration supporting Elif Shafak. They attempted to cover up the plagiarism by relying on the crowd and the noise.The argumentis clear: "If we, as famous, well-known,and respected authors, support her, the matter will be resolved." According to this logic,Mine KKırıkkanat will not have mass support behind her; they were only going to suppress the claims of a "handful of anti-systemnationalists"with a crowded declaration of writers and publishers. Fortunately, there arestill, albeit rarely, fair judges. The plagiarism allegations were confirmed beyond dispute, and the court rendered its verdict. In the end, it was officially registered that Mine Kırıkkanat was objectively in the right.

Let us remember the writers who were in the wrong: Afşin Kum, Ahmet Karadağ, Alper Canıgüz, Altay Öktem, Anıl Mert Özsoy, Arzu Erkan, Aslı Ilgın Kopuz, Aslı Solakoğlu, Asuman Susam, Ayfer Tunç, Ayşe Sarısayın, Ayşegül Devecioğlu, Ayşen Şahin, Baran Güzel, Barış Müstecaplıoğlu, Barış Pirhasan, Başar Başaran, Başar Başarır, Bedia Ceylan Güzelce, Buket Aybatlı, Cem Kalender, Çayan Okuduci, Çiler İlhan, Defne Suman, Deniz Durukan, Deniz Yüce Başarır, Doğu Yücel, Elif Sofya, Emek Erez, Ercan Y. Yılmaz, Esra Yalazan, Ezgi Altıner, Fadime Uslu, Fergun Özelli, Feride Çiçekoğlu, Fethiye Çetin, Figen Alkaç, Figen Şakacı, Fuat Sevimay, Gamze Arslan, Gaye Boralıoğlu, Gonca Özmen, Gönül Kıvılcım, Gülçin Wilhelm, Gündüz Vassaf, Gürsel Korat, Hakan Akdoğan, Hakan Bıçakçı, Hakan R. Temiz, Hakan Toker, Herkül Millas, Hikmet Hükümenoğlu, Hüsnü Arkan, İbrahim Halil Çelik, İlay Bilgili, İlhami Algör, İrem Uzunhasanoğlu, İsmail Güzelsoy, Jaklin Çelik, Karin Karakaşlı, Kemal Varol, Kerem Eksen, Latife Tekin, Mahir Ünsal Eriş, Mehmet Bilal Dede, Mehmet Özkan Şüküran, Melike Koçak, Menekşe Toprak, Mesut Varlık, Mevsim Yenice, Mihrap Aydın, Mine Kazmaoğlu, Mine Soysal, Muharrem Erbey, Murat Gülsoy, Murat Özyaşar, Murat Uyurkulak, Murat Yalçın, Murathan Mungan, Müren Beykan, Nermin Yıldırım, Neslihan Önderoğlu, Neşe Yaşın, Nilay Özer, Nuray Önoğlu, Nurhan Suerdem, Onur Bütün, Orhan Murat Bahtiyar, Orhan Pamuk, Oya Baydar, Oylum Yılmaz, Özlem Akıncı, Özgür Soylu, Pınar Eğilmez, Polat Özlüoğlu, Selçuk Çelik, Sema Kaygusuz, Semrin Şahin, Seray Şahiner, Serkan Türk, Sevengül Sönmez, Sevim Erdoğan, Sevin Okyay, Sezer Ateş Ayvaz, Sibel Oral, Sinem Sal, Şebnem İşigüzel, Şükran Yücel, Taçlı Yazıcıoğlu, Tahir M. Ceylan, Tuba Çandar, Turgay Fişekçi, Tülin Özgündoğdu Sağlam, Türkan Elçi, Ümit Aykut Aktaş, Ümit Erdem, Ümit Kıvanç, Yasemin Yazıcı, Vahit Uysal, Yavuz Ekinci, Yekta Kopan, Yiğit Bener and Zülfü Livaneli.

Theseindividuals signed the text by saying, "Let us remain loyal to the fundamental values of literature." What are these fundamental values? They decreed, "We do not find it correct for discussions regarding literature to be decided by non-literary criteria."Is the existence or absence of plagiarism determined by literary criteria? Are we to applaud well-written and literaryplagiarism by saying, "Oh, what an aesthetic theft!"?

"Legal pin the ongoing stages of the process,we request that the subject of the dispute be handled by an expert committee consisting of literaryfigures, and that the evaluation this committee will make based on literary criteria be taken as the basisduring the decision phase," they stated. The idea behind this text is as follows: Publishers and authors who have occupied key positions are suggesting an expert committee to the courtthey would suggest names for the jury; they would form a committeethat aligned with their own mindset and ensure the desiredverdict was reached. Fortunately, these plans did not succeed;interestingly, justice prevailed.Using crowds against the law and justice is a frequently employed tactic.

Plagiarism cases never end, but the one I am interested in for specific reasonsisThere is another case I am interested in: Asubject related toplaying the bağlama, whichI have been interested in since I was young.

Bağlama playingtechniques, especially whenthere were few books and videos available regarding the "shelpe" technique during thosetimes, learning these techniqueswas very difficult. Trying to catchthe videos of artistsappearingon TRT, recording them, and relying on the mercy of the cameraman to get a fewwe would try to see the finger movement.In

such a period, at the beginning of the 2000s,a video by ZekiÇağlar Namlı cameintomy hands.Ltd. Zeki Çağlar Namlı, in addition to his patented products,has made original contributionsto the technique of playing the bağlama.who has made contributionsis a musician.

Thosewho play the bağlama know; along with Westernmusical instrumentstogether tuning the instruments when they needed to be played would drive a person crazy. Because for the bağlama players to tune their own bağlamas or voicesthe tuning theyperformed, the keynote they called "A" was rarely atrue "A" frequency.Although a virtuoso must mastertheir instrument (and frequencies),our folksdid not feel this necessity.

Thanks to ZekiÇağlar Namlı, I learned to playthe same melody in 12 different keys on a baglamathat had been tuned to the correct frequency of the notes.Compared to Westerninstruments,it became easier for me to accompany. This skill, which almost anyone following Namlı's method could acquire, had excited me.

However, his original contributions are not limited to this. When you apply the şelpe technique developed by Namlı to a bağlama strung entirely with gold-wrapped strings, you can accompany almost alljazz pieces.Moreover, the opportunity arises to perform traditional melodies beyond a fewhabitual movements.You are no longer confined to performing deyiş (devotional songs) in the "first root note" position purely out of muscle memory. working musiciannot using the bağlamato its full potential is beyond doubt.However, there is now an opportunity to combine the şelpe technique with harmonic knowledge and to internalize this knowledge on the bağlama.it exists.

Zeki Çağlar Namlı's originality, some performers and instructors who have been capitalizing onit have been for some timenow disclosures are being made via theseInstagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/gerceksanatcilarikorumabirligi/ https://www.instagram.com/zekicaglarnamli/

Despite all these disclosures, those employedin institutions affiliated with YÖK(Council of Higher Education), who feed off Namlı's methods, techniques, and scores, but who original workseither work is being done with people who do not cite their sources, or these individuals are being favored. Even worse,some of theseindividuals themselves hold the title of "academic" and are committing the most blatant forms of plagiarism.

 Zeki Çağlar Namlı is tirelessly trying to explain his case. Theargument they are facingwhat isit? They say, "It is up to the appreciation of our people," and moveon. Relying on the favorof the crowds,they try to cover up their attitudes that do not fitacademic ethics. They try toconceal it. When it comes to rights, law, and ethics, they talk bigthose who leave notrace, remain indifferent to Namlı's justified case. TheCouncil of Higher Education (YÖK), the Interuniversity Council (ÜAK), and relevant institutionsshould not remain silent on this situation. Since theyrely on the crowds, then they should alsoshare theirthoughtssays: Do not remain indifferent to plagiarism and the plagiarist. Do not be afraid to criticize the artists you admire when they make amistake. Because remaining silent in the face of plagiarismdiscourages original creators andmakes you a partner in thismakes them a partner in the life story.