"Religious Radicalism in Special Team Integrates with Nationalism"

We as bianet have spoken with Diyarbakır Bar President Tahir Elçi as to images of special operations police firing the gun into the air and writings they did on the walls.

Elçi expressing these displays remind of 1990s stated that special operations police used to be close to nationalistic ideology, but today radical religous-nationalistic perspective ie hegemonic. 

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"Esedullah team" sign on the walls have been written by these radical religious-nationalist groups under this special team, and that they act in jihadist understanding.

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Important remarks Elçi made for bianet are as follows:

"A more dangerous tendency than the one in 90s"

"In the 1990s, special operation team was mostly under influence of the MHP (Nationalist Movement Party) and its nationalistic ideology. In those times too slogans that insult Kurdish identiy were being chanted as 'down with human rights'. 

"In this period, the same special operation team is under the hegemony of religious-nationalistic ideology and we see a much more dangerous tendency is being developed".

"Fight against violence conducted by laws"

"There is a serious threat because there is a perspective which truly sees Kurdish society as enemy, knows no limits, feels obligated to no law, approach the matter only on shooting and killing.

"Even though you are special team,or you are fighting with violence, armed-activity, and battle armed militants, you must still act within the boundaries of law and legality".

"People see it as occupation force"

"While we talk about a danger that peoples in Turkey may confront each other, thanks to god that neither Kurdish nor Turkish society has such a tendency.

"However, this religious radicalism that integrates with ever-increasing nationalism in these security forces head to a very dangerous point.

"On the other hand, Kurdish society sees the security forces as occupation forces that try to kill them".

"Meaning of firing by saying allahuakbar..."

"What could be the meaning of firing the gun into the air by saying allahuakbar for Kurdish society that is deeply committed to religious values.

"We are facing a structure that gradually alienates from the society and sees the society as a threat. State-society relation is gradually falling apart. 

"Esedullah team acts in jihadist understanding"

"The structure called Esedullah team is seen in many places. This is a structure which introduces itself as religious-nationalist and act in a sort of jihadist understanding.

“Kürt toplumunu Müslüman olmayan bir toplum gibi görüyorlar ve bu durum tehlikeli hal alıyor.

"They see Kurdish society as a non-Muslim society and this is getting dangerous.

"This is related to [President Recep] Tayyip Erdoğan's speeches saying 'They are Zarathustra, and they have nothing to do with Islam'." (EKN/TK)

Click here to read the article in Turkish