Military planned to shoot film to destroy anti-Islam image

The film would tell the story of a headscarf-wearing girl who lives with her brother, a sergeant, in the TSK’s public housing. Initially, the girl has difficulty adapting to living in the military housing. She starts working for a private company deemed “reactionary” and is totally opposed to the armed forces’ image of religion.

The girl, however, starts to question her way of life as she becomes accustomed to living with a group of soldiers. She is surprised to see that the soldiers are free to pray and follow their religious beliefs. She later acknowledges that the TSK is the victim of a smear campaign and is not against Islam.

The plan proposed that the film be made by a famous director such as Mustafa Altıoklar, Ali Özgentürk, Yılmaz Erdoğan, Şerif Gören, Fatih Akın, Osman Sınav, Yavuz Tuğrul, Çağan Irmak, İrfan Tözüm, Zülfü Livaneli or Sinan Çetin to attract more public attention. The film would later be shown on popular TV stations, and its participation in national and international festivals would be supported.

The film’s script advisors were to be Fehmi Çalmuk, Ömer Lütfi Mete, Emin Çölaşan, Yaşar Nuri Öztürk and Zekeriya Beyaz.

The TSK also detailed a plan to destroy the image and undermine the credibility of the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) and the Human Rights Association (İHD).

As part of the plan, the armed forces would collect private information about the officials and founders of both organizations. The TSK would later manufacture news that these foundations were working for the benefit of “foreign powers” and that they received financial aid from “Turkey’s enemies.” The armed forces would also claim that the studies of both foundations had no scientific basis and that its officials were citizens of foreign countries and sent their children to those countries to receive an education.

The armed forces would, however, lend financial support to associations it categorized as “friends.” Among those associations were the Turkish Retired Army Officers Association (TESUD), the Atatürkist Thought Association (ADD), the Turkish Search and Rescue Society (AKUT), the Turkish Foundation for Reforestation, Protection of Natural Habitats and Combating Soil Erosion (TEMA) and the Support for Modern Life Association (ÇYDD).