Headlines:
- No Khilafah for Turkey?
- Extend Payroll Schemes or Risk Wave of Joblessness, Think Tank Warns
- Turkey Sells Out the Uighur Muslims
No Khilafah for Turkey?
A Turkish government-aligned news magazine triggered a debate in Turkey, with its new front page suggesting the time has come for the redeclaration of the Islamic Khilafah in the country following the restoration of the Aya Sophia into a mosque. Gercek Hayat, has 10,000 subscribers and is owned by the pro-government Yeni Safak media group, featured a red Khilafah from the Ottoman Khilafah on its cover and asked in Turkish, Arabic and English: “Get together for caliphate. If not now, when? If not you, who?” The cover provoked a response from Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) spokesperson Omer Celik. “The Republic of Turkey is a democratic, secular and social state governed by the rule of law,” Celik tweeted, echoing the first article of the Turkish constitution. “It is wrong to create political polarisation regarding Turkey’s political regime. Our republic is the apple of our eyes with its all attributions. The unhealthy debate and polarisation on social media since yesterday on our political regime isn’t on Turkey’s agenda.” It seems the AKP like to pick and choose which parts of Islam they will implement. The Khilafah is not on their horizon.
Extend Payroll Schemes or Risk Wave of Joblessness, Think Tank Warns
Britain’s finance minister should extend the government’s job retention scheme until the middle of next year to stop a surge in unemployment to levels not seen since the early 1990s, a top think tank said on Tuesday 28 July. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) said the furlough programme for workers at companies hit by the coronavirus outbreak should run until June 2021. It is due to wind down at the end of October. Governments across the world intervened on unprecedent scale as they shut down their economies in order to stop the spread of COVID-19. The health pandemic is now moving onto a major economic crisis and rather than support the public government in especially the G7 nations are looking to end such programs. Trillions were spent on bailing at the banks in 2008, the public it seems will ne be treated like the bankers were.
Turkey Sells Out the Uighur Muslims
A new report extensively documents the innovative ways through which Turkey extradites Uighur Muslims. The UK’s Telegraph with access to the report found several Uighurs were sent to Tajikistan – a country that readily complies when China files an extradition request. According to one estimate, 50,000 Uighurs have sought refuge in Turkey. They are trying to evade repression in China but the Dragon’s long arm has now reached them. Beijing sends requests to the Turkish government to extradite Uighurs after identifying them, then Turkey sends them to a third country and from there China can secure their extradition. One example was Enver Turdi. He had shared information about the Chinese government’s abuses with the Western press. In 2015, the Chinese embassy in Turkey refused to issue him a passport. As a result, he couldn’t renew his temporary residence permit for Turkey. Two years later, Enver Turdi was placed in a deportation facility and interrogated by Turkish authorities. Erdogan wants the Chinese to keep cutting the cheques. In 2010, China and Turkey had signed eight strategic cooperative pacts. Last year, China’s central bank made a $1 billion cash infusion into the Turkish economy with struggling banks receiving bailouts from China. Beijing has even sanctioned a $3.6 billion package for Turkey’s energy sector.