Sezer Morkoç (43), a chemistry teacher at a Turkish school in Australia, died of cancer on Monday and was buried in Adelaide. Morkoç graduated from the chemistry department of Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ), one of the most prestigious universities in Turkey. He and his family moved to Australia in 2001. He had been teaching at Burc College, a private school founded by Turkish entrepreneurs in Adelaide.
Sezer Morkoç, an active volunteer for Turkish schools in Australia, died at his home at age 43 on Monday after a battle with liver cancer. Sezer Morkoç was known by his active volunteer activities in Australia. His ex-colleague Nail Kaleli recalls him by his volunteer character who would never refuse to help any educational initiatives. He involved in all the process opening of the Burc College in Australia, where more than 300,000 Turks live.
The smear campaign conducted by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government against Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody There) — a charity run by the Hizmet movement inspired by prominent Turkish scholar Fethullah Gülen — will affect the children, including victims of sexual assault, staying in the Women’s Shelter of Tacloban City in the Philippines.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government is aiming to take all steps to finish off Hizmet movement sympathizers by any means. Discrimination is one of these steps. Discrimination is a human rights violation. I would like to share five of my personal experiences, of many more, to show what kind of discrimination is being committed against the movement’s sympathizers.
Praising the Turkish schools operating in seven Nigerian provinces, Shekarau said his three children had graduated from the Turkish schools, adding that high-quality education provided at these schools is a “wonderful example” for other schools in Nigeria. Expressing his gratitude to Turkish educators and entrepreneurs for their contributions to Nigerian education, Shekarau said, “I will always feel indebted to the Turkish schools.”
In a statement that came as a confession, a reporter from the pro-government Sabah daily said a decision was made at the National Security Council (MGK) meeting on Thursday to wage an effective war against all religious groups in the country.
Republican People’s Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Faruk Loğoğlu criticized government, which signaled Hizmet Movement should be included in “Red Book,” a national security document in which major threats against the nation are enumerated, on Thursday.
Leading Turkish business group, the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) said on Thursday it will soon file lawsuits against certain government dailies which published allegations of irregularities regarding disputed land in İstanbul.
Dr. Selim Kaptanoğlu, former Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) politician and former doctor of late iconic MHP leader Alparslan Türkeş, said on Tuesday that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has replaced the National Security Council (MGK) of the Sept. 12, 1980 military coup by amassing power.
Former Director for East African Affairs for the US State Department Professor David Shinn said in an interview, “If the government of Turkey is trying to shut down Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody There) it would seem to be a case of hurting its own interests in Africa.”
Despite the latest step in a government crackdown on Turkey’s UN-affiliated aid organization, Kimse Yok Mu, in which two banks blocked the organization’s accounts, administrators for the charity have said they are still able to collect money through their other accounts.