Are you reading İbrahim Karagül's (Yeni Şafak's editor-in-chief ) articles? I do. These articles have a high educational value. It's not only activating our minds, but also our hearts. It also helps us become a possessor of compassion, together with attention. It's a new and local manner. I remember when İbrahim Karagül was writing his second or third article in Yeni Şafak's foreign news page, and his articles were publicated. I didn't know him then, but it was also the first time I've heard of his name. In my column in the Milli Gazete (National Gazette), I had made a short marginal note like “beware of this name". Was it almost fifteen years? Maybe even more. I need to look in my archives. Since that day, I can say that I'm reading all of his articles without delay. The first thing that attracted my attention in Karagül was his success in not approaching the developments in the Islam world as “foreign news". Because there are no differences between Baghdad and Konya, Damascus and Sivas, Jerusalem and Istanbul, Üsküp and Bursa, Erzurum and Buhara. All of them were ancient cities of the religious community. These are the words and letters of a sentence. We are reading about it and seeing it. Some writers have information, but not feeling. Some of them are quite contrary. Some of them are completely opposite. I can easily say that, as his speaker, Karagül possesses both of them. And besides that, courage.
As Muslims, we are passing through a problematic era. We are right in the middle of a mangle. The sickness is not at our door, it's already inside our house.
Yunus Emre said, “It turned the nation into a garden/ Death will upset whoever it wants". This is our situation exactly. Imperialist forces are regarding the Islam world as a garden, they are bombing, invading wherever and killing whomever they like. They are also declaring anyone that resists a terrorist. Finally, as we were sleeping, they've bombed Gaza. Can we do something? Official announcements and protesting demonstrations with a couple hundreds of people's participations.
On top of that, there are unforgivable deformities being experienced among Muslims, which is leading towards a sect war.
In every opportunity, we pray to God “to not to give an opportunity to the bad". Unfortunately, the confusion and chaos in the Islam world had given the opportunity to the bad people. Another negativity in the Islam geography is the swift liquidation of the local and national ones. Sometimes, I think that this liquidation task is more or less reflecting on our country.
The number of people, who are 'freedomists when they are cornered, socialist when they are hungry, free marketists when they become rich, and nationalists when they need to hide themselves, are constantly increasing. It's said that, if there is no long time interval in between, the inner face of a person cannot be understood. All we have written, far and close incidents/connotations are summarizing İbrahim Karagül's stance of being able to protect the authenticity from the first day and to be able to finish in the same way it started. Carrying trouble. The actual matter is to belong to a case, not to possess a case. The matter is to climb the fidelity slope without complaining. Fidelity, is equal being committed to the nation and religious community, it's being local and national.
It's to look for the cure on the inside, not outside.
Most of the time, Karagül performs an example of foresight and sagacity, and foresees the threat and suggests a precaution. From his article yesterday; “We couldn't develop a power, expression, stance or mind that will reverse the wind. The intellectuals, leaders, teachers of literature, artists of this geography couldn't show the courage, which will stand in front of the chaos hurricane that might cover a whole century!" Is it correct? Let me answer on my behalf; unfortunately, it is. Karagül is warning us about the Mecca War, which is being built over sect conflict and is coming closer. They said “No way" against the articles/foresights he made many times previously. Let me confess; even I've given this reaction a couple of times. We have witnessed that he was mostly right; wish we didn't. Let's say that this is a skill of seeing the future and showing it to others.
Now, it must be understood that the idea of saving the day is not serving any other purpose than sinking us. We are required to build a new future and take courageous steps towards it.
If we are to continue from his article yesterday; İbrahim Karagül is suggesting building an Istanbul Crisis Center and Istanbul Peace Center in order to turn the darkness covering the Islam world into light. This is a suggestion that should be taken into consideration. There are dozens of valuable and strong answers to the “Why Istanbul" question. This is also a reality; there are no good memories popping in people's minds and hearts when we say Ankara.
We are saying this for a wide geography.
Ankara and Istanbul… I have a canary in a cage. I'm taking the canary out of the cage and releasing it in the room. It wants to return to the cage. Because it only feels safe within the cage. Before even a minute is over, it's back in the cage.
Aren't we like that, even just a little? It's like outside Ankara and Anatolia is an unsafe region. I don't know what they did, but they had us believe that this is true.
Istanbul is outside of that cage. It's more than a city.
It starts from Sarajevo, Crimea, Gaza and Kashgar, and it never ends.
The deceased Necmettin Erbakan was one of the people, who knew what Istanbul meant for the Western world. This was the reason why the establishment of D-8 had been declared from Istanbul. (Istanbul Declaration) Let us remind you that the permanent secretariat is in Istanbul. As for AK Party government; they are trying to turn Istanbul into a finance center.
It's an important difference.
What I want to say is; it's not sufficient to be a believer only, we are also required to be credible.
I actually sat down to write about İbrahim Karagül's effort and difficult journey. I hope I managed to give him his due.
