Echoing my thoughts of yesterday, Mustafa Akyol in AL Monitor connects the fearful collapse of a satirical magazine to the collapse of Turkey into a second-rate power:
In short, a Moses cartoon brought about the demise of a satirical magazine [Girgir] even without a political or legal decision having been made. Was this the intention of everyone who condemned the cartoon? Not really. Molinas, a Turkish Jewish businessman who also is editor-in-chief and a writer for Shalom, told Al-Monitor, “The cartoon went beyond the freedom of expression and no wonder its artist made a strong self-criticism.” However, he added, “The closure of Girgir is very saddening for Turkey’s satirical culture.”
What is also sad is that Turkey, once again, is heading toward being a closed society where a dominant point of view intimidates and silences whatever it finds disrespectful. Even mild satires about Ottoman history can be banned — as happened recently to a new film by a prominent actor/director. Religious conservatives now think that they own the state, and they seem quite willing to use it to suppress any form of speech they dislike.
Little do they realize that the more closed a society is, the less dynamic, creative and intelligent it becomes. Little do they realize, in other words, that if they go down this road, Turkey will not become the great power that they dream of. It will become a dull, monotonous and parochial nation producing not much other than mediocrity and conformity.
Not that the leader will admit to it, of course. In his eyes the State will be exalted and first-class.
Because of himself, of course.
