For some commentators, participation of Muslim
Anti-Capitalist Youth to the May Day in Taksim Square is the most important
event about May Day.
Lale Kemal said this is "not an ordinary May
1" in her column at Today’s Zaman[1].
Taha Akyol argued the matter could it be a "leftist Muslim" in
Hurriyet[2].
Some others discussed on effect of Muslim Anti-Capitalist Youth on Turkey’s
politics too:
“The left-wing columnist Oral Calislar wrote in the Radikal daily, “Since most workers are pious, this new movement could open new doors to the organization of the workers.”
In The Star daily, the columnist Fehmi Koru, a staunch supporter of the A.K.P., warned the government to heed the movement’s message. “The nature of power, with its daily decisions and constraints, can drag politicians far from their original positions,” he wrote. The appearance of the Muslim anti-capitalists should serve the A.K.P. as a reminder of its roots and as a warning to adjust its policies, he added.
Mr. Eliacik, the theologian, believes that will not be enough. “This movement will grow, in Turkey as well across the region,” he said, pointing out that young protesters in Egypt or Syria had rallied under similar slogans. “God, Bread and Freedom — those demands express the soul of this region and its societies,” he said.”[3]
In Turkish left, some of them get excited from
the events but most of them were at least suspicious on Muslim Anti-Capitalist
Youth.
To find out the answer of the question in the
title, i want to argue about “timing” of the emergence of the “pious left”.
“It’s time has come!”
The question is why did “pious left” come in view
in 2012? Was everything OK in 2004, 2006, 2008 etc? Or they inspired ywo weeks
before the May Day 2012? Ofcourse there are some important reasons to set up
why and how.
Firstly, religious is one of the important
matters about politics in Turkey and political Islam has been suppressed by
Kemalist politics for decades. But political Islam create effective relations
with imperialist powers like US or EU.
And political Islam won the struggle with the
support of US:
In 1997, Turkey has an other military memorandum for Erbakan to overthrow. After this memorandum, islamist movement has devided in two parts. One of them were followers of Erbakan, others were the followers of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Indeed, Erdoğan was a clever stdent of Erbakan but his secret negotiations with US caused his distinction with Erbakan. After this time, Erbakan accused him as a puppet of US. But Erdoğan has established Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2001 and won first elections %34 percentage in 2002.
2002-2011 was a war against kemalists and reactionist on future of Turkey. With 2011 elections, first Republic of Turkey is death. Now we are in the Second Republic era.[4]
Then, religion became the most important
ideological platform to argue everything and you can see this about
international affairs era more cleary.
With the begining of Obama era in the USA,
political Islam’s view in the West started to change. In the Bush era, Muslim people has been described
as “fundamentalist, terrorist and the major enemy of the western style of life”.
But with Obama, it was time to change codes of political Islam and Turkey’s
role:
…Turkey acknowledged that she could improve international role as a Muslim power which angaged imperialist interests. But to play a good role, she should be look as if "against" Israel and an insider for Middle Eastern peoples. Now, you should noticed difference between Bush's "crusade" and Obama's speech at Cairo University in 2009.[5]
Because of transforming both Middle East and Turkey,
religion started to extend his context to whole matters which are the main
discussioıns in Turkey.
Srike in the way of prophet?
Indeed, Has Party (Voice of People Paty) is a
kind of Islamic party which try to use working class and other oppressed people
as a discourse. Has Party and new emerged Muslim Anti-Capitalist Youth are try
to steal role from original Trade Unions and leftist parties. Political Islam
try to determine all topics which are important for people.
If you wanna be a revolutionary? Islam can give
you what you want:
İhsan Eliaçık, a pious author known for his critiques of capitalism, said he would participate in the Fight Against Capitalism cortege. "[It is] time for May 1 to see the revolutionary face of Islam and for Islam to gain May 1 consciousness.[6]
Do you need any political ideology to fight with
inequalities? Pry and with Muslim youth:
“It was an emotional moment,” Mem Aslan, 29, one of the organizers of the Anti-Capitalist Muslim Youth march, said last week, recounting how an aged Communist had embraced him with tears streaming down his face. “It proved that we can overcome the division of the people into left and right, created by our common enemy, the ruling class, to pit us against each other and enslave us all.”“We want to take the Prophet as a role model for our time and ask the questions he would ask,” he said. “Why do workers in this society work such long hours, why are they oppressed, why are they scorned? Why are the Kurds treated as they are, why are the Alevi treated this way? These are questions the Prophet would ask, because this society is very far from the ideal society of the Koran.”[7]
I think, political Islam started to infiltrate
the every discussion and there is no reason to get excited.
Political Islam still a part of capitalist worl
order. And it will be replaced for new missions for oppressors wish.
So Muslim Anti-Capitalist Youth can only play a role like Marx's words, but not any more:
Religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.[8]
