Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan and his wife Emine greet supporters near Tarabya mansion in Istanbul. Murad Sezer/Reuters

Turkey’s constitutional referendum: experts express fear for a divided country

Experts agree that Turkey is even further polarised after contested unofficial results show President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has won the right to expand his powers.
Following the failed coup in Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ordered the sacking of nearly 1,600 deans, 21,000 teachers and 15,000 education bureaucrats. Tolga Bozoglu/EPA

Turkey coup: why have teachers and academics been targeted?

The sacking of Turkish education staff speaks to a broader agenda of control through removing educated dissident voices.
Street protests in Turkey are denouncing the ‘traitors’, but the government has offered little solid evidence against those it accuses of plotting a coup. EPA/Cem Turkel

Turkey’s almost coup and the need for perspective

The Turkish government is accusing the Gülen movement of being behind the recent coup attempt, but there are reasons to doubt the claim.
Egyptian Muslim preacher Ahmed Mohamed Abdullah stands accused of blasphemy charges after burning a copy of the Bible during last month’s protests by Muslims against a film depicting the Prophet Muhammad. EPA/Khaled Elfiqi

Anti‑blasphemy laws don’t work in Muslim countries, and they won’t work here

In the wake of the violence sparked around the world by the anti-Islam video entitled Innocence of Muslims, the debate about the need for anti-blasphemy laws has re-emerged. The Organisation of Islamic…

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