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Category: Middle East

  • Is it true that Iranians have positive view on Turkey?

    Is it true that Iranians have positive view on Turkey?

    Mehrdad Touraji answers the question:

    I visited Turkey about 3–4 months ago. Landed in Ataturk airport. Passport control, a long long line where most of people from different nationalities were waiting to get through. Some got rejected upon the arrival, apparently they had to pay a fee and some other issues which made me absolute nervous about what’s about to happen! European citizens been rejected for some reasons and for me, an Iraninan passport holder…our father in heaven, even though I haven’t been a good son, just this one time please.

    “Passport, please!”. Now let me get this straight that up to that time I’ve had loads of experiences on passing passport control. Most of the time, border officers take more time on checking my passport. Sometimes they go through all the pages, ask loads of questions and etc. These officers didn’t even look at my face for more than a second or two or they didn’t ask any questions whatsoever regarding to my travel plan or anything else. They stamped the passport and said: “Welcome to Turkey!”. They even answered my question regarding to which border I have to reach out to go to Gerogia and whether I need to leave the country a day before the 90 days visa or it’s alright if I leave on the last day.

    Big smile on face, ready to collect my Backpack…disaster! My Deuter backpack was ripped off thanks to AirAstana! I asked an officer to help me reach to AirAstana or relative authorities to file a report regarding to my ripped off backpack!

    My bad, I left the airport because I followed a wrong direction and when I got back, the information called for someone. A Turkish woman’s reaching to me. “Hello this is …, I’m sorry for what happened. Please, follow me.” Well, at least they’re polite, one of many things to dig to see when you enter a country. Long story, short they said even though I left the airport, they helped me file a report, and God they were polite.

    Trying to catch the train from airport and I realise I don’t have small changes at all. I see some officer, dude they looked scary I tell you that. I ask some people and they seem like they don’t understand me, so I reach out to the officers and one of them ask me to follow her. She reach out to a small kiosk where they refused to give me small change first time I asked them, but then they changed a 50 lira note to smaller notes. I thank them all and get myself a card. Later on, I realised its not that cheap to travel around the town so, waste of time changing the money.

    Next day, I arrive at my host’s house. Named Ali, a good looking lawyer in his mid 40. He invited me for dinner with his family, spent a great deal of time with them. Learnt so much about what’s really going on in Turkey from a well educated man. You then can realise what medias can do to a country, anyhow…not the main topic in here. They were absolutely lovely. Unfortunately, he had to go for a trip after my second day of stay, but he left me his keys!!! Unbelievable!! He left his house keys to a stranger from Couchsurfing. One of many things that you do not see at all.

    The other days, walking in Bazzar, it’s enough if they catch your eyes direction on tea. You can’t get away from there without drinking at least 2 cups of tea. One guy even invited me and my wife for Baghlava. Hospitality, 10 out of 10. These stories can go on and on. I once catched a wrong ferry, and a girl on board guided me on how to deal with somehow Istanbul confusing ferries routes. And, she used her card for me to get pass through the gate when I wanted to go back to where I got on board the first time. Apparently, students get some sort of discount for public transportations. Interacting with polices, I reached one of Prince Islands and two police men gave me a ride to a campsite called madam Martha when they saw I was carrying a heavy bag. They didn’t even ask me to show them my passport or anything. Brilliant!

    84 days of stay in Turkey. Istanbul, Bodrum, Antalya, Ankara, Samsun. Spent most of our -I and my wife- time with locals from different backgrounds, Turks, Syrian, and Kurds. They welcomed us to their houses, picked us up when we were pointing our fingers toward the road, and showed us the true face of Turkey and its people.

    Sure, we had bad experiences too, but we mostly had good experiences. So, answering your question, I alone and many other people from Iran, at least those who seek for a deeper understanding of the people, and it’s culture, send our love to the people of Turkey. Thank you for the amazing time.

  • Is Hamas a terrorist organization?

    Is Hamas a terrorist organization?

    Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, including the United States, Canada, the European Union, Israel, and others. However, it is important to note that opinions on this matter can vary, and different countries and entities may have different perspectives on the classification of Hamas.

    Some people such as Turkish president Erdogan have the opposite opinion. Turkish president Erdogan said that Hamas is not a terrorist organization.

    filistin hamas askerleri

    Some people agree that Hamas is not just a terrorist organization, but far worse and too big to be labeled as terrorists. They believe that they are a political party that also has its own military and enforcement.

    hamas militanlari

    The foot soldiers are trained radicals who blindly follow their billionaire leaders.

  • Britain in Palestine

    Britain in Palestine

    Britain in Palestine 1917-1948

    Britain in Palestine 1917-1948 investigates the contradictory promises and actions which defined British Mandatory rule in Palestine and laid the groundwork for the Nakba (the catastrophe) and the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. The roots of the contemporary social, political, economic, and environmental landscape of Palestine and Israel can be traced back to this period, making it essential viewing for understanding Britain’s legacy in the region and the situation on the ground today.

    To access English, Arabic and Hebrew subtitles click on the CC link on the video. For further analysis of the events outlined in the film see the Companion Guide to Britain in Palestine 1917-1948.

    Reviews

    “A very useful explanation of how we got to where we are today. Fascinating photos I had not seen before. A great resource to show in any classroom or forum to people who want to learn more about this region, and specifically, Britain’s involvement. Afif Safieh, Former Palestinian Ambassador

    “…This film brilliantly puts into perspective the role the United Kingdom played in Mandate Palestine from 1917-1948.” Rabbi Howard Finkelstein, Ontario, Canada

    “This is an excellent short 18-min video from @BalfourProject explaining briefly but super-clearly how British colonialism has caused a century of war in Palestine.” Matthew Teller, Journalist and author of Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (2022)

    “Britain in Palestine 1917 – 1948 is a clear, precise and factual explanation of the historical origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict. For anyone who wants to develop a real understanding of the issue but is intimidated by it’s complexity, this film is the place to start.” Judah Passow, Photojournalist

  • Letter of European Rabbis

    Letter of European Rabbis

    A group of 50 senior leading European Rabbis have signed a joint letter condemning the leaders of Armenia for using holocaust rhetoric in its campaign against its neighbor, Azerbaijan.

    hahamlar rabbis

    RABBINICAL CENTRE OF EUROPE
    RCE
    B.S.D. Brussels, September 6, 2023

    Mr. Yitzhak Herzog, President of the State of Israel, Jerusalem, ISRAEL

    Dear Mr. President,

    As rabbis serving the Jewish communities across the European continent, we are writing to you following interviews given by senior Armenian government officials in the international media on matters related to the political conflict with the government of Azerbaijan. They employed the language and comparisons that are appropriate solely to describe the deliberate, systematic and largest genocide in the history of mankind, which the Jewish people have been subjected to: The Holocaust.

    During WWII the Jewish people were persecuted, murdered, butchered, burned, tortured, drowned and buried alive. The Holocaust was not limited to a single place but occurred throughout almost the entire European continent and with the collaboration of too many nations.

    Such words as “ghetto”, “genocide”, “Holocaust” and the like in no uncertain terms inappropriate to be part of the jargon used in any kind of political disagreement. Usage of these terms belittles the terrible suffering experienced by the Holocaust victims and the entire Jewish people, which still bears the indescribable pain of the largest tragedy ever experienced by a single group.
    We call upon you to explicitly and unequivocally clarify to the Government of Armenia and all other countries that they should recognize and respect the terrible human suffering endured by the Jewish. We urge you to make them aware that the practice of minimizing and downplaying the suffering of the Jewish people for furthering any political agenda through the continued use of Holocaust-related phrases should be ceased immediately and completely.

    Respectfully,

  • Russia develops long-term ties with UAE and Turkey in a highly polarized world

    Russia develops long-term ties with UAE and Turkey in a highly polarized world

    RIA 8460564.HR

    Russia’s largest economic forum (SPIEF) held in St. Petersburg on June,14 – June, 17 has resulted in strengthening ties with the two strategic partners – the UAE and Turkey.

    UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, while on a working visit to Russia, held a meeting with Vladimir Putin at the SPIEF.

    “I am pleased to be here today with you, your Excellency, and we wish to build on this relationship and we put our trust in you to do so,” Sheikh Mohammed told Putin.

    According to Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, “for the UAE, this is a “calculated risk” it is willing to take, part of the Gulf nation’s policy of de-escalation and dialogue in an increasingly polarized world”.

    “This polarization has to be broken”, – he added. “[UAE President] meets a lot of Western leaders, it is also important for him to hear from President Putin to be able also to support the international community’s collective effort, in order to go beyond the current polarization,” Gargash said.

    Meanwhile, Alexey Sazanov, Russia’s Finance Minister Deputy, said that Moscow is now seeking new opportunities to strengthen economic and trade ties with UAE, Turkey and Malaysia. Among highly debated issues is a dialogue to make double taxation agreements with these countries more flexible.

    At the beginning of 2022, the UAE Ministry of Finance announced the introduction of federal corporate income tax at a rate of 9% from June 1, 2023 for medium and large businesses. For companies with a profit that does not exceed 375,000 dirhams ($102,000) per year, the rate remains zero. The changes also did not affect charitable organizations, investment funds, state corporations and enterprises engaged in the extraction of natural resources.

    Meanwhile, Turkey received the Russia’s SPIEF delegation in Istanbul in May, 2023.

    During the meeting, SPIEF Director Alexei Valkov, Professor Ahmet Kasim Khan and IC Holding CEO Murad Bayar made presentations, discussed Russian-Turkish economic relations, strategic cooperation and investment opportunities.

    “Today, diplomatic and trade relations between Russia and Turkey reflect a long-standing friendship that persists despite the prevailing political circumstances. It is especially worth highlighting the economic potential of Russian-Turkish relations, which represents significant commercial opportunities in the market,” said Professor Ahmet Kasym Khan.

  • Do all Turks and Iranians want secularism, and why?

    Do all Turks and Iranians want secularism, and why?

    I can’t speak about Iran, because it’s mostly very closed society, at least when you look from outside. But when I have travelled over there, that I felt, that especially the cities in Iran are actually very liberal in comparison to their state. When you go more into rural areas, you’ll meet some more conservative people.

    When we talk about Turkey, there was actually never a ‘’real discussion’’ about Secularism or Religious rule. It was over the years and decades an artificial debate between both intellectuals, liberals, and conservatives.

    The fight was always about ‘’If you rule the country or me…’’

    Over the last 50 years, the fight of the conservatives in Turkey was to become a ‘’face’’ inside of the society and reach the same privileges of the chosen white Turkish bureaucratic oligarchy. Since 2002 they became finally this face, even with loads of setbacks, but after 2013, for sure, they have also arrived at the top of the state and critical positions inside of the society.

    And anything has changed? Well, not much. They have reached the same level of ‘’arrogance’’ that the previous secular oligarchy has shown to the rest of the population. So it turned out very clearly, that the problem of Turkey was never about secularism, or becoming a face, but it was about ‘’power for me or for you’’ and more structural and moral aspects of the society.

    If I speak to most of the Turks, even though the divide is generally nowadays 50/50, around 80 % of the Turks are happy with Secularism. This includes readers of Hurriyet, Cumhuriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Sözcü newspapers.

    The rest of the 15 % would love to see some more harsh penalties regarding horrible crimes and they think regarding this subject that if there are some more Islamic laws also incorporated into the secular system, that the crime rate would go down. You would land in that particular thought more by newspapers like Yeni Şafak etc. Similar to the conservatives in the US who debate about the death penalty etc. But that’s all about.

    And people who advocate for a change from Secularism into Shariah law has never exceeded in Turkey 3–5 % at all. Those are mostly people who read the crap like Yeni Akit newspaper.

    There is no real problem in Turkey regarding Secularism, they have other sociological and political things to solve. Secularism-Conservative divide generally has served over 50 years to distract the people from the real problems of the country. Sad, but this is the reality.

    Thanks.

    Alexei Yahontov