Realistically, Turkish authorities are so unserious and hypocritical in terms of Jihadism as a political current. Yes, they condemned the attack and attackers. But, although there were warnings by the American authorities like the CIA, as it was claimed in the mass media, they didn’t take strict measurements.

After all, ISIS has released a statement to take responsibility for this attack. However, interestingly, for the first time, ISIS used, clearly, one of their attacks as a way of propaganda in Turkey.

Why?

Several Turkish Islamist political groups have been, regularly, doing anti-new year propaganda in the last weeks of the year. But, in this year, they escalated the level of this anti-new year campaign. They say “noel/new year is a Christian tradition.”

Obviously, noel and new year celebrations have different ways. But people can celebrate whatever they want.

But, in this year, even department of religious affairs of Turkey declared that new year is illegitimate. Santa Claus mascots were burned and knifed as ‘street plays’ by radical Islamist youth groups. So, the ISIS attack and its following propaganda was targeted to use this atmosphere in order to gain political and organizational influence along with ‘radicalizing’ youth through Jihadist ideas.

These tactics of the ISIS depend on fault lines in a country. In brief, Turkey has three fault lines: a tension between Turks and Kurds, a tension between Sunnis and Alewites, and another tension between conservatives and secularists.

Until now, ISIS had targeted the peace forces and Kurdish people to break down the attempts of the fraternity between Turks and Kurds; as well as foreign tourists.

But the nightclub attack aimed the third fault line, which is an attack to secularism, as a lifestyle and a democratic acquisition. It is certain that ISIS is willing to strengthen its existence in Turkey with different aspects.

Predictable consequences of ‘active’ foreign policies in the Middle East

ISIS has been organizing in Turkey. Especially, expressions of local people and democratic forces, as well as in police records, demonstrate that ISIS has chapters in Antep, Kilis, Adiyaman, Ankara, Istanbul, Bingol, Konya, and Izmir.[1] Although Turkish security forces had raid some ISIS cells, they were limited attempts. It can be thought as a ‘security’ problem. But the existence of ISIS has developed roots into the people of Turkey. The recent government intervention to social life in authoritarian and conservative ways directly and indirectly provides a great opportunity to the jihadists to organize among conservative masses.

And it is clear that the last attack and following statements of ISIS are a declaration of war against Turkey. By an article in The Independent, Abu Mutassim, an ISIS defector, describes the level of the hate of ISIS leadership against Turkey: “It is a Muslim country whose rulers have turned against Islam, allying themselves with the Americans and the Russians,” he told The Independent. “They are seen as the worst of enemies – Daesh [Isis] has declared war on Turkey.” [2]

Especially, the advance of the Turkish army and its clashes with ISIS, and the military operations of Iraqi, Syrian, and Kurdish forces towards Raqqa and Mosul push ISIS to find a way of escape.

Consequently, it is not a bomb attack. It was a mass shooting, which was so professional, and clearly is an organized act. The attack was not done by a lone wolf (or lone wolves). The attack targeted, directly, secularism in Turkey. And the attack was a result of interventionist foreign and reactionary-driven domestic policies.

This is a new era for Turkey. There is no light at the end of this tunnel. But there are honorable and courageous forces of labor, democracy and peace, who need to get more international solidarity than in the past.

[1] How Did Turkey create its own ISIS: Urban city ISIS cells

[2] Why the Istanbul attack should be read as a declaration of war by Isis

#UnitedStates #PeoplesStruggles #turkey #ISIS #Asia

Tampa, FL – Activists from the Tampa Bay area organized a protest on June 27 in response to a U.S. intervention in Iraq. It was an emergency action in response to President Obama’s sending military advisors to Iraq, and the flying of U.S. drones over Baghdad.

Speakers addressed an array of issues, from President Obama’s continuation of U.S. wars,to the oppression of nations by imperialism, as well as anti-war activists facing political repression by the FBI—for speaking out against US wars.

“The US has no interest in the wellbeing of the Iraqi people, and the millions of dead Iraqis from the past 94 years of US and British domination are a testament to that,” said Gage Lacharite from Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society.

Jesse Nevel of the Uhuru Solidarity Movement facilitated the rally and stated, “Up with Iraqi liberation. Down with war and occupation” and described the US government’s foreign policy as “parasitic”, connecting current US imperialism to the history of enslaving and murdering African people.

Jessica Schwartz from Stop FBI – Tampa Bay talked about the U.S. government persecution of Arab Americans and Muslims for their political activity, as well as the Antiwar 23 who were raided by the FBI in 2010. “People fighting against the system and opposing U.S. wars, occupations, and military interventions like the one in Iraq are attacked by the US government, which prides itself on so-called ‘freedom of speech’”.

Marisol Marquez from Raices en Tampa linked the US meddling in the Middle East with the history of oppression in the US. “With its history of seizing Mexican land, committing genocide against Native Americans and enslaving Africans, how can this country possibly know what another country needs? Invading another country was not okay back then, and it sure as hell is not okay now.”

Jared Hamil from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization explained about the current situation in Iraq: “Sometimes there are many forces and groups at play. It can be confusing. And we ask ourselves where do we stand. We must always stand on the side of the people, not with those who attempt to build the US Empire. History shows that those two are never on the same side. We must stand with those who oppose imperialism, with those who fight imperialism”.

Organizations included in the protest were St. Pete for Peace, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, the Uhuru Solidarity Movement, Stop FBI Repression – Tampa Bay, Raices en Tampa, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society, and Tampa Dream Defenders.

#TampaFL #AntiwarMovement #Obama #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #SDS #Iraq #Imperialism #Bush #DreamDefenders #Intervention #RaicesEnTampa #USF #War #2001 #ISIS #MiddleEast