In the Wake of the Abant Meeting
The Abant Platform passed off this year with little clamor. Almost everybody, from participants to observers, was in agreement on this point at least. Are democracy and the lawful state trifling little issues? No. Were they not on the agenda? They were. But this time around there was no lively debate. One reason for the lack of fervor was undoubtedly the absence of any condition that could have created tensions this year, as opposed to previous years, when the platforms were held in the shadow of accusations levelled by the army at Fethullah Gülen. But another reason is probably that the intellectuals attending the meetings did not want to exacerbate Ankara's headaches, already throbbing over the EU accession process. But then again, thanks to the reconciliatory skills of professors Mete Tuncay and Mehmet Aydin, a final statement was produced that, while not being much of a speech in terms of claims and boldness, was enough to be able to see that an important agreement had been reached, especially when one looks at the signatures on it. Furthermore, under these sentences can be seen the signatures of right wing Turkish nationalist leaders who had come along to the meeting uninvited along with left wing intellectuals.
"Given that violations of human rights, the Southeast issue, torture, political murders, freedom to live according to one's beliefs and similar problems have to be solved within the framework of a lawful state, then the democratic lawful state is the prerequisite that will allow different segments of society, each with differing world views and cultural characteristics to be able to live in peace and develop a sense of compatriotism. And within this framework, it will be wholly unacceptable for any individual or group to be expelled from political or public life... We support initiatives for a civilian Constitution... It is a basic right to be able to express ones views and organize as long as this does not lead to violence... Administrative reforms are needed so that all local administrations, be they provincial, district or village can be established within the meaning of a unitary state..."
Looking at this I can comfortably say that this year's Abant, more than just publishing a declaration, was important from the point of view that, bearing in mind the fact that disagreements have reached the levels they have, lack of dialogue has become a thing of the past, that segments of societies which seem permanently at each other's throats or keep a safe distance from each other can be brought together in one place and find some common ground. However, it was not enough to ensure that all their differences were brought into the open.
Furthermore, there is no denying the Abant platform is the work of Fethullah Gülen's associates. One point driven home by the first two Abant meetings was that the debate would be on a topic called "Islam and..." But in this year's declaration, apart from a short sentence about Islam, religion was not on the agenda. The main points of the debates were the Kurdish question, the need to restructure the state, torture and violations of human rights and other obstacles to democracy. For this reason, there was some discussion as to whether the sentence "Islam is not an obstacle to democracy" should be included in the text or not, as it looked quite out of place.
Consequently, Abant braved the risk of losing its attraction, distanced itself from being an Islam-centered platform and adopted a broader outlook.
What does stick in my mind is renowned Islamic thinker Professor Hayrettin Karaman calling on Muslims to ask for forgiveness from Democracy [as opposed to Allah]. One of the leading names in the Virtue Party (FP) Bulent Arinc said, "If you listen to recordings of speeches I made 10 years ago, you will hear me accusing supporters of Europe of being traitors to the motherland. Today, I have seen the light and I also believe in Europe."
TURKISH DAILY NEWS
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