They claim that they will establish a caliphate that will extend from Vienna to China and include Spain. Their primary source of power is the slogans they shout while the cameras are on. These slogans are intended to bring order back to the world and scare everyone away so that they can find room to do what they want freely.Actually, they are like actors. They emerge out of nowhere when they are needed. They hold showy unauthorized rallies so that they can start skirmishes with the police, and they shout slogans meant to demand the introduction of Shariah. Such rallies have a long history. In the 1950s, there was Kemal Pilavoğlu, who was leading such a group of people who called themselves "Ticaniler." The followers of Pilavoğlu had even been registered as members of the Republican People's Party (CHP) ahead of the election. They had campaigned hard against the Democrat Party (DP) before the election and launched acts that would be to the disadvantage of the DP after the election. For instance, they attacked statues of Atatürk. As they attacked the statues, the supporters of the CHP would hold rallies in protest of religious people and the ruling DP. These rallies forced the government to pass a law protecting images of Atatürk in order to discourage Ticani activists from attacking the statues. These Ticani activists were following in the footsteps of the CHP, but they would perform provocative acts in order to corner the DP.
Since their early years, the activities by Hizb ut-Tahrir sounded funny to us, but they were surely causing fears in many people. Throughout history, every demand voiced for introduction of Shariah or a caliphate was nothing but pure provocation. Those who paved the way for the Operations Army in Selanik to overthrow the İstanbul administration in the run-up to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire were those who rushed into the streets demanding Shariah. Unofficial history has shown that the ringleaders of these Shariah supporters are nothing but provokers in disguise. Just like those in Menemen, and just like the Ticaniler.
For about a century, a play named "We Want Shariah" was performed in this country. Those who wanted to rule this country through coercion would send these actors out on the streets. But their job is no longer as easy as it was in the past. Today, we have the facilities to discover the ties of these players. Thanks to technological developments, Hizb ut-Tahrir's connection with Ergenekon and Israel has been disclosed clearly. Now, they can do no more than merely be actors on the stage.
I fear those seeking to implement psychological warfare in this country will find the task quite difficult. In the first place, there is a police department that fights against these networks and discovers their evil acts using the technological facilities available to them. Most importantly, it seems that it is no longer possible to transfer the judges and prosecutors dealing with such critical cases to other positions through the operations of the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK). Indeed, from now on, the general public will always turn a critical eye to the HYSK and its appointments. Turkey is quickly becoming a modern, democratic country. Today, life for psychological warfare networks is hard.
