İbrahim Kalın All daily Yeni Şafak Columns

On beauty

Jan 19 2016, Tuesday

The saying of Prophet Muhammed "God is beautiful and He loves beauty," sums up an essential part of Islamic aesthetics: Beauty is a divine quality and it is manifested in everything that is beautiful. Given the deepening ugliness of the modern world in which we live, we need to remember what this means.In most of the traditional societies, beauty was the rule and ugliness was the exception. Today, it is the other way around. Ugliness has become the standard and you have to look hard to find beau

On beauty

Jan 19 2016, Tuesday

The saying of Prophet Muhammed "God is beautiful and He loves beauty," sums up an essential part of Islamic aesthetics: Beauty is a divine quality and it is manifested in everything that is beautiful. Given the deepening ugliness of the modern world in which we live, we need to remember what this means.In most of the traditional societies, beauty was the rule and ugliness was the exception. Today, it is the other way around. Ugliness has become the standard and you have to look hard to find beau

Wisdom and Determination against Violence

Jan 14 2016, Thursday

Was giving a public lecture on Hoca Ahmet Yesevi (d. 1166/7) and his ideas on wisdom, love and tolerance when on the morning of Jan. 12 a suicide bomber carried out a terrorist attack near the Sultan Ahmet Mosque in Istanbul. By the time I finished my talk, the security officials had already sealed Istanbul's religious, cultural and touristic heartland. Ten foreign tourists lost their lives and 15 people were injured.According to the initial intelligence we have, the suicide bomber was a DAESH t

Wisdom and Determination against Violence

Jan 14 2016, Thursday

Was giving a public lecture on Hoca Ahmet Yesevi (d. 1166/7) and his ideas on wisdom, love and tolerance when on the morning of Jan. 12 a suicide bomber carried out a terrorist attack near the Sultan Ahmet Mosque in Istanbul. By the time I finished my talk, the security officials had already sealed Istanbul's religious, cultural and touristic heartland. Ten foreign tourists lost their lives and 15 people were injured.According to the initial intelligence we have, the suicide bomber was a DAESH t

Global order and power equilibrium in 2016

Jan 09 2016, Saturday

The new year did not come with any good news for the world. The global disorder and regional chaos of 2015 appears to have continued into 2016. Unless a certain degree of power equilibrium is achieved at the global and regional levels, we will see a deepening of current conflicts and possibly the emergence of new ones. Global and regional powers have a major responsibility to shape the course of events in the months to come. And it starts with the Syrian crisis.The war in Syria continues unabat

Global order and power equilibrium in 2016

Jan 09 2016, Saturday

The new year did not come with any good news for the world. The global disorder and regional chaos of 2015 appears to have continued into 2016. Unless a certain degree of power equilibrium is achieved at the global and regional levels, we will see a deepening of current conflicts and possibly the emergence of new ones. Global and regional powers have a major responsibility to shape the course of events in the months to come. And it starts with the Syrian crisis.The war in Syria continues unabat

A glimmer of hope in Syria?

Dec 30 2015, Wednesday

The U.N. Security Council (UNSC) Syria Resolution of Dec. 18 could be a game changer in the four-year bloody war in the country. But its success depends not on what is said in meetings but what is done on the ground.UNSC Resolution 2254 can be seen as a milestone development as it introduces for the first time a timetable and a road map for political transition in Syria. Its 18-month time frame involves a cease-fire, talks between the Syrian opposition and the regime, formation of a transitional

A glimmer of hope in Syria?

Dec 30 2015, Wednesday

The U.N. Security Council (UNSC) Syria Resolution of Dec. 18 could be a game changer in the four-year bloody war in the country. But its success depends not on what is said in meetings but what is done on the ground.UNSC Resolution 2254 can be seen as a milestone development as it introduces for the first time a timetable and a road map for political transition in Syria. Its 18-month time frame involves a cease-fire, talks between the Syrian opposition and the regime, formation of a transitional

Trenches as PKK's political graveyards

Dec 22 2015, Tuesday

After squandering numerous opportunities to disarm and make peace, the PKK is seeking to start a new urban war in Silopi, Cizre and other cities in the southeast. It is sure to fail because it has neither the military capacity nor the popular support to sustain this new wave of violence. This is only the latest example of the colossal miscalculations that the PKK and its political outlets are making. The trenches the PKK is digging in southeastern towns and cities are becoming its own political

Trenches as PKK's political graveyards

Dec 22 2015, Tuesday

After squandering numerous opportunities to disarm and make peace, the PKK is seeking to start a new urban war in Silopi, Cizre and other cities in the southeast. It is sure to fail because it has neither the military capacity nor the popular support to sustain this new wave of violence. This is only the latest example of the colossal miscalculations that the PKK and its political outlets are making. The trenches the PKK is digging in southeastern towns and cities are becoming its own political

White man's burden

Dec 12 2015, Saturday

"Not all cultures are equal." Last time we heard such statements, Western colonialists were pulverizing the world from the Middle East to Africa and Australia all in the name of civilization. Now it has come up again in the rush to attack Islam and demonize Muslims in order to create new oppositional identities. Since the Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump called "for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States," anti-Muslim hysteria has reached new heights. Dis

White man's burden

Dec 12 2015, Saturday

"Not all cultures are equal." Last time we heard such statements, Western colonialists were pulverizing the world from the Middle East to Africa and Australia all in the name of civilization. Now it has come up again in the rush to attack Islam and demonize Muslims in order to create new oppositional identities. Since the Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump called "for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States," anti-Muslim hysteria has reached new heights. Dis

Recovering the middle path in a world of extremes

Dec 05 2015, Saturday

The recent terrorist attacks in Ankara, Beirut, Paris and most recently inSan Bernardino, California once again brought violent extremism to the top of the global agenda. Whether driven by religious zeal, ethnic nationalism or ideological motives, violent extremism is a global phenomenon and requires an integrated approach to contain it. Such an approach requires work mainly at two levels: the level of ideas and the level of facts. Violent extremism as an idea is a driving force for various terr

Recovering the middle path in a world of extremes

Dec 05 2015, Saturday

The recent terrorist attacks in Ankara, Beirut, Paris and most recently inSan Bernardino, California once again brought violent extremism to the top of the global agenda. Whether driven by religious zeal, ethnic nationalism or ideological motives, violent extremism is a global phenomenon and requires an integrated approach to contain it. Such an approach requires work mainly at two levels: the level of ideas and the level of facts. Violent extremism as an idea is a driving force for various terr

Syria War and Turkish-Russian Relations

Nov 28 2015, Saturday

The downing of a Russian jet fighter over the violation of Turkish airspace is another casualty of the Syrian conflict. The incident has created short-term turbulence in Turkish-Russian relations but will not derail it. The relationship has enough depth and political-economic capital to overcome it. Russian jets violated Turkish airspace multiple times in the past. Turkey's warnings seem to have gone unheeded by the Russian military. Recently at the G20 Leaders Summit in Antalya, Presidents Rec

Syria War and Turkish-Russian Relations

Nov 28 2015, Saturday

The downing of a Russian jet fighter over the violation of Turkish airspace is another casualty of the Syrian conflict. The incident has created short-term turbulence in Turkish-Russian relations but will not derail it. The relationship has enough depth and political-economic capital to overcome it. Russian jets violated Turkish airspace multiple times in the past. Turkey's warnings seem to have gone unheeded by the Russian military. Recently at the G20 Leaders Summit in Antalya, Presidents Rec

Terror, the Assad Regime and Paris

Nov 24 2015, Tuesday

Voltaire was once asked what he thought about the Holy Roman Empire. His witty response was that "it is neither holy, nor Roman nor empire." DAESH or the so-called Islamic State warrants a similar response. It is neither "Islamic" nor a "state." Rather, it is a terrorist brand that uses the war in Syria to sow chaos and terror in both the Muslim world and Europe. Confronting DAESH terrorism requires a battle of ideas against extremism but also a battle of facts on the ground. For the last two ye

Terror, the Assad Regime and Paris

Nov 24 2015, Tuesday

Voltaire was once asked what he thought about the Holy Roman Empire. His witty response was that "it is neither holy, nor Roman nor empire." DAESH or the so-called Islamic State warrants a similar response. It is neither "Islamic" nor a "state." Rather, it is a terrorist brand that uses the war in Syria to sow chaos and terror in both the Muslim world and Europe. Confronting DAESH terrorism requires a battle of ideas against extremism but also a battle of facts on the ground. For the last two ye

Western and Muslim nations must unite against terrorism

Nov 21 2015, Saturday

The attacks in Paris on Nov. 14 as well as the hostage situation in Bamako, Mali on Nov. 20 are the latest incidents in the short yet deadly history of DAESH and the likes. From Ankara and Beirut to Baghdad and Paris, terrorism is a global phenomenon and requires a global response. The world leaders at the G20 summit held in Antalya on Nov. 15-16 called for solidarity and cooperation against terrorism in all its forms. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan invited Western and Muslim countries to step u

Western and Muslim nations must unite against terrorism

Nov 21 2015, Saturday

The attacks in Paris on Nov. 14 as well as the hostage situation in Bamako, Mali on Nov. 20 are the latest incidents in the short yet deadly history of DAESH and the likes. From Ankara and Beirut to Baghdad and Paris, terrorism is a global phenomenon and requires a global response. The world leaders at the G20 summit held in Antalya on Nov. 15-16 called for solidarity and cooperation against terrorism in all its forms. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan invited Western and Muslim countries to step u