Is the Palestinian cause being used as a tool to interfere with lifestyles?

The Yedi Hilal Association is a relatively young organization. Its founding was 'blessed' with mass Quran reading ceremonies at the Üsküdar Mosque in Istanbul, and it is an association that many high-level AKP members, most notably Numan Kurtulmuş, have attended events for. It recently made headlines and drew backlash for distributing brochures reading 'every home is a mosque' in an attempt to attract students who could not find placement in KYK dormitories to 'their own homes'.

Now, it is at the center of controversy due to its latest actions. Why? The famous rainbow-colored stairs of Cihangir in Istanbul, which overlook the sea, have been a meeting place for young people for decades. Every evening, the stairs are filled with groups of young people who sit and chat while enjoying the sea view, sometimes drinking, and bothering no one. The Yedi Hilal Association, however, painted these stairs—where their own members and sympathizers never spend time—in the colors of the Palestinian flag yesterday.

An association called 'Yedi Hilal' announced on its X account that they were the ones who carried out the painting.

'THEY WILL NOW CLAIM RIGHTS HERE'

Critical comments directed at the association, which announced this painting move on social media, were not long in coming. Some of those reacting—as seen in the front-page headline of Sözcü newspaper today—were angry that it was not considered that people would be stepping on the Palestinian flag. Sözcü carried these reactions to its front page with the headline 'Palestinian flag underfoot.' However, the reaction on social media was not solely about disrespecting the flag. Many users wrote that this painting job was a move by the association to seize an area dominated by a culture that does not belong to them. Some predicted, 'First they painted it, then they will come and declare dominance in this area by saying, "You cannot step on the flag, you cannot sit here, you cannot drink here."'

Whether these concerns are justified, only time will tell, but for now, the only reality is that the rainbow of years past on the stairs is gone, and the Palestinian flag has taken its place. 

IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH ENSAR

The association, which also carries out activities for children in Istanbul, Kayseri, Kahramanmaraş, and certain other provinces, conducts presentations on jihad and conquest at camps organized under headings such as 'culture-arts,' 'excursions,' and 'idea workshops.' The association, which is in close contact with reactionary foundations and organizations such as the Ensar Foundation—where 46 children were sexually abused—in the provinces where they operate, also pays visits to the provincial directorates of national education in some cities, declaring in their publications that they are 'seeking ways to act together.'

News Source: 12punto