In a November 18, 2019 column titled[1] "Erdoğan Is The Embodiment Of Anti-Colonialist Policy" in the Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (AKP) mouthpiece Yeni Şafak, Turkish columnist Selçuk Türkyılmaz wrote that "the bells are ringing for the truly colonial West. In a vast world from Central and Latin America to Africa and Asia, different power centers are being formed and these centers can create lines of resistance against the West."
Türkyılmaz wrote: "It is clear that people and groups who are deemed useful by America and Western European countries use certain ideas, beliefs and identities as tools... We know that those who are hostile to Erdoğan day in and day out have caused harm to this country." Defining Turkey's policy as anti-colonial rather than anti-Western, and Erdoğan as its embodiment, Türkyılmaz wrote: "Turkey is neither the enemy of America nor the West. Turkey is following an anti-colonial policy that is called anti-imperialism and anti-colonialism. Erdoğan is the embodiment of this policy... Erdoğan is trying to keep a region on its feet in spite of America and Russia."
Selçuk Türkyılmaz writes for AKP mouthpiece Yeni Şafak.
Following is Yeni Şafak's translation of Türkyılmaz's column:
"The Bells Are Ringing For The Truly Colonial West – In A Vast World From Central And Latin America To Africa And Asia, Different Power Centers Are Being Formed And These Centers Can Create Lines Of Resistance Against The West"
"We are going through a period when the West is being openly questioned by its former spheres of domination. If this were but a mere lapse of conviction, we would not have considered it as an ideological extremism (!). We are at a time when questioning is more than an intellectual pursuit, and the bells are ringing for the truly colonial West. In a vast world from Central and Latin America to Africa and Asia, different power centers are being formed and these centers can create lines of resistance against the West. It is not possible to understand this new situation using the concepts of liberal thoughts and practices.
"Turkey was also in the West's sphere of influence and impact. This can even be called a shackle. After the loss of the First World War, this headlock occupied our minds. We know this is an issue that unfolds over time. Certain evaluations of people and periods can be made, of course, but this can turn into shortsightedness that prevents us from grasping reality. If we take it in a continuum, we can better understand reality; individuals and practices are important, however, they are not the only determinants. We lost a great war and vanished from history for a long time.
"Statements such as 'The World is Greater Than Five', 'Oh Europe!' and 'You know well how to kill' sum up this new policy.
"Islamophobia rising in the West should be seen as a continuation of the struggle for independence that took place after the Second World War. We can say that 'Islamophobia' and 'xenophobia' overlap. Recently, we have seen that Western sentiment has intensified in the first. It will come as no surprise that this hostility took the form of anti-Muslim and anti-Turkish sentiment over time.
"Footage showing the moment a group of worshippers on their way to perform morning prayers were verbally attacked by a mob was shared on social media. The possibility that the attacker and the person who shared the video are the same person can open the door to different interpretations. Almost the same day, a girl wearing a headscarf, was beaten for being covered. 'Islamophobia' in the West began to be reflected in the Turkish and Islamic world. There is a civilian (!) situation that cannot be explained away by the prohibitive mentality of certain elements once clustered in the state.
"Islamophobia was a very useful tool. It was important for the West to be positioned against Islam and to build a new identity, but this hostility was also used as a tool to pave the way for military, political, economic and other types of interventions in the East. For the Muslim world, the painful reality of the last thirty years is truly frightening. States were destroyed, cities were devastated and hundreds of thousands, even millions of people died, or were displaced, and impoverished. These are the results of a systematic process. From now on, it will not be surprising to see new interventions in different regions of the three continents. The lines of resistance on these three continents outside the West allow the creation of new centers. It is clear that other countries will be impacted by the same process that Turkey had gone through. We have to admit that the West wants to destroy these lines of resistance."
"Turkey Is Following An Anti-Colonial Policy That Is Called Anti-Imperialism And Anti-Colonialism – Erdoğan Is The Embodiment Of This Policy"
"Our aim is not to create new areas of hostility or to define enemies. We need to see what's happening. We have seen ideologies and religious understandings divide Turkey. It is clear that people and groups who are deemed useful by America and Western European countries use certain ideas, beliefs and identities as tools. As a matter of fact, we have proved time and again that we're able to unite around new ideas in the same environments with people who adhere to different ideologies. As we see those who try to create hostility on every occasion, it is better to understand that we are involved in issues independent of internal dynamics. We know that those who are hostile to Erdoğan day in and day out have caused harm to this country. You should see that they want to spread this hostility on the street.
"Turkey is neither the enemy of America nor the West. Turkey is following an anti-colonial policy that is called anti-imperialism and anti-colonialism. Erdoğan is the embodiment of this policy. Erdoğan's words to Israel's former leader Shimon Peres reflect a sensitivity that has formed in the conscience of our geography after 1917. The 'one minute' incident was not an outburst. Erdoğan is trying to keep a region on its feet in spite of America and Russia. You need to know who your hostility is directed at. The target of your hostility is Turkey and the region."
[1] Yenisafak.com/en/columns/selcukturkyilmaz/erdogan-is-the-embodiment-of-anti-colonialist-policy-2047235, November 18, 2019.
