Newspapers fabricated reports in line with military plot

The plan was exposed on Sunday with the emergence of a third letter by an unnamed military officer. The officer sent 590 folders of confidential military documents in a CD to civilian prosecutors in İstanbul, which revealed the TSK plan against the government and the nation. One of the plans suggested that the nation would be conditioned against the threat of “reactionaryism” through news reports. On a regular basis, newspapers would feature provocative news with such headlines as “Reactionary capital defrauds the public,” “Sect member father locks daughter at home,” “Reactionary family marries young daughter to old man” and “Money collected from religious group sent to sheik; sheik spends it on luxurious holiday.” The newspaper articles were almost a reproduction and implementation of a TSK plan which suggested that newspaper reports be written about the “luxurious” and “anti-Islam” lives led by prominent Muslim figures.

According to Star, some newspapers started to feature reports, mentioning the threat of approaching reactionaryism on their front pages in line with the plan. The Hürriyet daily, for example, wrote on April 24, 2008 that the leader of the İsmailağa religious community, Mahmut Hoca, bought two villas in the Beykoz neighborhood in İstanbul. Because of this, chador-wearing women started to congregate in Beykoz streets, added the daily. On Jan. 21, 2008, the Radikal daily claimed in a report that one of the rooms on the first floor of the Erkan Avcı Anadolu Technical High School was being used as a masjid -- a small mosque -- where students and teachers prayed together.

The Milliyet daily wrote on Nov. 24, 2007 that students at Amasya Anadolu Vocational High School had to pretend as if they were observing the Muslim fast during Ramadan out of fear that their grades would be lowered by their teachers if they learned that they were not fasting at all. “We are Alevis. We fast in a different way [from Sunni Muslims]. I told the dormitory director that my daughter underwent an operation and that she was not able to fast.

“The director, however, said fasting would not harm the girl’s health and urged her to fast,” the daily reported a father of a student at the school as saying. The claims were immediately denied by the school administration.

The reports were in line with heated debates over the likelihood of Turkey turning into another Malaysia which began after the prospect of allowing headscarf-wearing students onto university campuses. Opponents of the lifting of a headscarf ban claimed that allowing covered students on campuses would force other girls to cover their heads. Some sociologists called that probability “neighborhood pressure” or “peer pressure,” which coerces people to adjust their behavior according to that of others.

On Dec. 23, 2007, the Cumhuriyet newspaper claimed that the greatest danger looming on the horizon for Turkey was the country becoming an “Arabian-like state” rather than becoming a “religious society.” The claim was put forward by Şahin Filiz, an academic on the faculty of theology of Selçuk University.

According to the Star report, the dailies had focused earlier on fabricated news against Kombassan Holding, labeled as “green capital” because it had many Muslim shareholders. Cumhuriyet claimed on Jan. 4, 2004 that one of the shareholders, Ahmet Kadayıfçı, was defrauded of TL 60,000 by the holding. Kadayıfçı was planning to spend the money on the treatment of his child, who was fighting leukemia. On May 23, 2004, Hürriyet alleged that another shareholder of the holding, Hanifi Doğan, was defrauded of 550,000 Deutsche marks and had staged a demonstration in front of the Justice Ministry.

The reports were in line with a TSK plan to urge newspapers to produce news about fraud committed by green capital companies.

Other reports claimed that the number of headscarf-wearing women has been on the rise for the past few years, especially after the AK Party came to power in 2002. A survey conducted by research company Konda for Milliyet in 2007 asserted that the number of covered women rose to 69.4 percent from 64.2 percent in four years. Turban-wearing women jumped to 16.3 percent from 3.5 percent in the same period. The turban is a more conservative way of covering one’s head in Turkey.

‘Güzin Abla’ focuses on headscarf complaints

The TSK plan also suggested that manufactured letters be sent to Hürriyet’s Güzin Abla, an advice column that counsels people on issues related to marriage, love, friendships and broken hearts. The letters would be focused on the difficulties faced by headscarf-wearing women and their complaints due to having been forced to cover their heads by their families or husbands.

On Feb. 25, 2008, a letter sent under the pen name “Çözüm Arıyoruz” (We are seeking a solution) complained that a 32-year-old woman was forced to wear the Islamic headscarf by her family but wished to get rid of the scarf. “I shared my decision with my husband, and he respects me. But the pressure of my friends and family discourages me. My husband’s family accused me of corrupting the beliefs of their son. My husband and I love each other very much, but we do not lead the lives we wish. Please show me a solution. Maybe you will also help other people in my situation with your advice,” read the letter.

Another letter was sent by a 16-year-old girl who was rejected by her girl friend after she was forced to wear the headscarf by her family. “I would like to choose the dresses I am supposed to wear by myself, put on make-up and swim in swimsuits. But I cannot. I plan to leave home. What should I do?” asked the girl.

Yet another letter, again written by a scarf-wearing woman, expressed her surprise to see covered students willing to attend universities. “Universities are a home of science and wisdom. What does the headscarf do there? No matter how educated or wise you are, you look ignorant if you wear the headscarf. For example, I do not want to cover my head anymore. I started to wear the headscarf under the pressure of my in-laws. My family is afraid of our friends. How can I save myself from external pressure and rumors? Please advise me,” begs the letter.

TSK plan urges newspapers to feature fabricated reports 

According to Star, some newspapers started to feature reports, mentioning the threat of approaching reactionaryism on their front pages in line with the plan.

Some example of fabricated reports:

Sheikh’s luxurious life (Hürriyet, April 24, 2008): Mahmut Hoca, the leader of the İsmailağa religious community, bought two villas in Çavuşbaşı, in İstanbul’s Beykoz district. … The neighborhood was soon filled with followers donning black gowns and chadors. Among the stories to be leaked to the press was the news that “money collected from community members by reactionary members went straight into the sheikh’s pocket” and that “the sheikh leads a very luxurious life.”

Dear Güzin Abla (Hürriyet, Feb. 25, 2008): I am a 32-year-old covered woman. But I no longer want to wear the headscarf. My husband respects this choice of mine. But I have not been able to fully take it off because of fear of pressure from our neighborhood and inappropriate comments and even malicious gossip. Pseudonym: Lonely Girl

‘I’m 16 years; my family forced me to cover’

Hello Güzin Abla, I am a 16-year-old young girl. My family has forced me to cover but my heart isn’t in it. … I want to choose my own outfits, wear a bathing suit and put on makeup. But I can’t. I’m even thinking about running away from home. What should I do?

‘Scarf makes one look uneducated!’

No matter how intellectual, cultured or elite you may be, if you have a scarf on your head then you project an image of an uneducated person. For example, I no longer want to wear the headscarf. I covered due to pressure from my mother-in-law and father-in-law. Please suggest a solution, give me an answer.

87 percent say TSK most credible institution Milliyet (Dec. 4, 2007): Surveys that portrayed the military as the must trusted institution in Turkey were among the pieces of news run in the media. According to the TNS Piar poll broadcast on a national television channel, 87 percent of Turkish people pointed to the TSK as the most trusted institution.

Spread news that the number of covered girls increasing Milliyet (Dec. 4, 2007) The daily featured a “religion and headscarf” poll conducted by the Konda Research Company, which found that the number of covered women in Turkey had dramatically increased. The number of women who wear the headscarf increased from 64.2 percent to 69.4 percent in the last four years under the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) administration and the percentage of women who wear the “turban,” a more conservative way of covering the head, increased from 3.5 percent to 16.3 percent.

Education turning into religious education Milliyet (Nov. 24, 2007): The father of Ş.D., a student at the Amasya Anadolu Vocational School, said: “We are Alevis. Our fasting practices are different. I told the lady in charge of the dormitory that my daughter was sick and she would not be able to fast. But the dorm lady said my daughter should still fast.”

Radikal (Jan. 21, 2008): A room at the Erkan Avcı Anadolu Vocational School is being used as a prayer room. Teacher and students perform the daily prayers there together.

Hürriyet (Apr. 24, 2008): The principal of Kartal Atatürk Primary School cancelled performances planned for April 23 festivities, when the opening of Turkish Parliament is celebrated, on the grounds that the costumes the girl students were wearing while performing were too revealing.

Turkey is becoming Arab Cumhuriyet (Dec. 23, 2007): Selçuk University faculty of theology Professor Şahin Filiz  highlighted that the real danger looming over Turkey was not of becoming religious but of becoming like Arab countries.