The double standard of the Century of Turkey

Two days ago, two significant events that went largely unnoticed took place in two of Turkey's major cities.

Emine Karakaş, a teacher in Antalya, was dismissed from her position at TED Antalya College exactly three months after she gave a speech praising the Republic and the values of Mustafa Kemal to students during the October 29 Republic Day celebrations.

At the same time, an individual named Ahmet Bostancı was released from the Anatolian Courthouse amidst chants of “Long live Sharia, long live the caliphate.”

Ahmet Bostancı had faced public backlash on social media after a video surfaced of him reacting to an imam praying for Atatürk during a Friday sermon on November 10. He was facing a potential prison sentence of one and a half to four and a half years for the crime of “publicly insulting the memory of Atatürk.” The 20-year-old Ahmet Bostancı was released from the Istanbul Anatolian Courthouse to the sound of chants of “Long live Sharia, long live the caliphate.”

While Ahmet Bostancı was released under the scope of freedom of expression, literature teacher Emine Karakaş became a victim of the Disinformation Law. When the speech she gave on October 29 appeared on social media, she was first targeted by trolls, and then an investigation was launched against her under the censorship law, leading to her detention. Teacher Karakaş was referred to the courthouse on charges of “inciting or provoking the public to hatred and hostility” upon the instructions of the Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, on the grounds that she had targeted the Century of Turkey in her speech; she was released under judicial control by the duty judge.

However, the Ministry of National Education did not forget Emine Karakaş. The literature teacher was dismissed from her position at TED Antalya College with the signature of the Minister of National Education.

These two events in Antalya and Istanbul reveal the reality of the Century of Turkey. The double standard of the Century of Turkey tells the citizens of the Republic of Turkey a great deal.

Wishing Emine Karakaş well, let us conclude our article with the 100th Anniversary speech that ended her teaching career at TED Antalya College.

“They benefit from all the blessings of the Republic, yet they try to destroy it. On one side are those who sacrificed their lives 100 years ago to have the Republic written into the Constitution; on the other are those who are trying to make everyone believe in the fairy tale of the Century of Turkey while trying to destroy it today.

So, where are you while all this is happening? Did you realize the value of your Republic, which was founded 100 years ago? Did you truly grasp the meaning of freedom? Did you thank the Creator for every day you did not serve as a slave to another? While your vast country is being turned into a mint for Arabs, a shopping mall for Bulgarians, a maternity ward for Syrians, and a madhouse for us, where are you?”