Ahmet Karabay
There are still those who struggle to understand where Turkey is heading. Since coming to power, Erdogan’s AK Party has been laying the foundation for the regime it envisions. Political Islam, which labeled “taqiyya” as a hallmark of Shiites, has carried out the greatest taqiyya in history in Turkey. For quite some time, they managed to convince not only their own citizens but also leading European politicians that they were democrats.
As they solidified their power, they began revealing their true face. Over time, they became hostile to all colors outside their own. They attempted to assimilate all other identities into their own. Those who once visited taverns and spoke of brotherhood gradually became disturbed by the mere existence of such places.
The documents revealed on December 17/25 (2013) would have toppled any government anywhere in the world. However, in Turkey, those involved in bribery and corruption were rewarded by society instead. Those who say, “The reason we have come to this point is that the corruption and bribery investigations of December 17/25 were not embraced,” are making a spot-on assessment.
The French sages once said, “If you make a thief forget that he is a thief, he will start giving you lessons on morality!” The opposition must now be feeling the truth of this statement to their core.
A NEW STATE IS BEING ESTABLISHED, ITS FOUNDER IS ERDOĞAN
Since coming to power, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been working to transform the state. After July 15, 2016, these efforts evolved into a new phase. His attempts to reshape the state escalated to the level of founding a new one. When one of Erdoğan’s advisors, Ayhan Oğan, stated on a television program on August 3, 2017, “We are now establishing a new state. Whether you like it or not, the founding leader of this new state is Tayyip Erdoğan,” many people did not take it seriously.
Ayhan Oğan had difficulty convincing not only DEP’s Aytuğ Atıcı but also moderator Ahu Özyurt. Those in the studio, like the viewers at home, dismissed him as someone who did not know what he was talking about. However, both Erdoğan and his team knew exactly what they were doing, and Oğan was well aware of the meaning behind his words.
İMAMOĞLU ‘SPARKED SEDITION’
Just like previous caliphs, Tayyip Erdoğan sees himself as the 118th caliph and believes he has been chosen for this position by divine will. Therefore, he considers himself elected to this role “for life,” just like his 117 predecessors.
Three years ago, on January 5, 2022, I had explained in great detail that Erdoğan would not leave this position as long as he lived. At the time, many of my readers probably thought, “Where is this coming from now?”
Ever since Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu set his sights on the presidency, efforts to bring him down have been in motion. Social democrats, secularists, and even innocent religious people do not realize that aiming for the caliph’s position is considered “fitna” (sedition).
These groups are unaware that, according to Islamic tradition, the punishment for creating fitna is execution or having one’s hands and feet amputated in a crosswise manner. In some cases, the mildest punishment is exile.
By challenging Erdoğan, İmamoğlu has engaged in sedition. The punishment being applied to him now is being prosecuted as a “criminal organization leader” and thrown in jail.
Even before the court decision regarding his diploma, I had concluded my March 16 article, titled “İmamoğlu is Done, Yavaş is Next; But What About After That?”, by saying: “Forget all this. You should instead discuss where Ekrem İmamoğlu will serve his military service and who will visit Mansur Yavaş in prison.”
Now that they have labeled Ekrem İmamoğlu as a “criminal organization leader,” this means a trustee will be appointed in his place by early next week. When Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer was removed and replaced by a trustee, I had warned on October 31, 2024, in my article “Trustee for Istanbul, Next Stop: CHP”, that this was the beginning of the siege against İmamoğlu.
WHY ARE PROTESTS BEING ALLOWED?
Following the arrest of İmamoğlu and around 100 others, protests erupted across the country. While the Istanbul governor’s office banned demonstrations for four days, Istanbul University students still broke through police barricades to march. Similar demonstrations were held in Ankara and Istanbul.
Contrary to expectations, the police did not respond with excessive force. While tear gas was used in some places, overall, a high level of violence was not employed.
The reason for allowing these protests is simple: When the mayors of Esenyurt, Beşiktaş, and Beykoz were dismissed, there were a few days of protest, and then everything was forgotten. The government knows that after İmamoğlu’s removal and replacement by a trustee, demonstrations will last only a few days before dwindling to a small group of radicals.
And if the protests persist, the intelligence agencies know what to do. The demonstrations will quickly be escalated into violence and distorted from their original purpose. Then, officials will turn to the public and say, “See? We told you he was a criminal organization leader!”
Once Erdoğan eliminates all electable candidates and clears the political arena, he will call for elections at a time he deems appropriate.
THE CENTRAL BANK’S RECORD-HIGH FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES WERE MEANT FOR TIMES LIKE THESE
For some time, the Central Bank has been holding an unusually high amount of foreign currency reserves. The $170 billion accumulated was not sourced from foreign investments or exports but was gathered through high-interest rates—essentially borrowed at usurious rates.
On March 19 alone, the Central Bank intervened in the markets by selling $8 billion, according to Bloomberg. It seems they are determined to keep the exchange rate below the critical threshold of 40 TL per US dollar.
Even this figure alone is enough to completely disrupt Turkey’s economic balance. As of today, producers will start raising prices on everything. The year-end inflation target has already gone out the window. If the so-called “Nas economics” is not going to be followed, interest rate cuts will be shelved for quite some time.
All of this means that once again, the burden will fall on the people. The poor will pay the price for the establishment of the Turkish Islamic State.
