Tag Archives: activist

Atheists and free speech in Turkey

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There are a lot of atheists in Turkey. But they are mostly active on the internet. For a lot of atheist activists, it is still not advisable to carry out activities in the real world, with an openly atheist identity. A lot of atheist activism can be carried out as an evolutionist, or someone who supports humanism and/or secularism, etc but usually not as a plain atheist.

With an increasing pressure from the current islamist government, and no civil rights organizations to help them, Turkish atheists are imprisoned on the internet.

One of the biggest problems Turkish atheists have is the organized campaigns designed to pressure and silence them. Especially the constant pressure of lawsuits they face in the recent years that are usually filed by some islamist groups, the most active one being Harun Yahya (Adnan Oktar)’s group.
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Book: “Ateizmi Anlamak” (Understanding Atheism)

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Title: Ateizmi Anlamak (Understanding Atheism)

Author: Aydin Turk

Publisher: Propaganda Yayinlari

ISBN: 978-0-9879366-7-7

Language: Turkish

Length: 267 pages (e-book version), 327 pages (printed version)

Availability: Available as an e-book from iTunes, Smashwords, Sony, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Baker Taylor, etc. Printed version is also available at http://www.lulu.com/shop/ayd%C4%B1n-t%C3%BCrk/ateizmi-anlamak/paperback/product-20333365.html

Summary: This book is the first one of its kind. It is written by a Turkish author, who is an atheist with a muslim background, on the subject of atheism. It is written for the muslims, looking at atheism from their point of view, and answering their questions about atheism and explaining atheism to them. Read More »

FoRB (Freedom of Belief Initiative) Interview

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The following interview is originally published at: http://inancozgurlugugirisimi.com/2012/06/19/iog-turkey-freedom-of-belief-initiative-interview-with-atheist-forum-editor/

FoRB (Freedom of Belief Initiative)’s interview with me (Aydin Turk):

İÖG (Turkey) / Freedom of Belief Initiative Interview with Atheist Forum Editor on Freedom of Thought, Religion or Belief in Turkey, state-religion relations, new Constitution and Article 216 of the Turkish Criminal Code.

İÖG (Turkey) / FoRB Initiative): How many atheists/agnostics do you estimate are in Turkey?   Is there official data or research on which this estimate is based on? 

The general thought is that the percentage of atheists in Turkey is very low, approximately 1-3%.   But I am unaware of any concrete or reliable statistical work on this.  Most of the existing work applies to certain groups, such as university students etc.   Read More »

Godless Universe

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Why God is not a valid explanation

Most people do not base their religious beliefs on scientific or logical reasoning. People generally believe because other people around them believe.

But these beliefs should still appear to be scientifically justified, otherwise the skeptic and scientific part of the human mind, which is possessed by everyone to some degree (more for some people and less for others), is not satisfied.

That is why most people try to provide evidence, or at least some ‘reason’ for their beliefs. As we mentioned so many times in the past, the evidence they provide is always flawed. But two of the arguments they provide are worth consideration, and these are usually the main reasons why most people think there is a God.
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