24.02.2026 11:34
MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli stated regarding the Ramadan circular sent to schools, "The Ministry of National Education published a circular on February 12, 2026, regarding Ramadan activities within the framework of the Turkey Century Education Model. They have taken the right step in a timely and appropriate manner. We appreciate and congratulate them. Those who make a fuss about Talibanization for Ramadan activities are not truly bigots?"
In the group meeting of his party, MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli made evaluations regarding the agenda items and used striking expressions about the Ramadan circular sent to schools by the Ministry of National Education.
"A TIMELY AND APPROPRIATE STEP"
Bahçeli stated that they appreciate and congratulate the Ministry of National Education for the circular sent, saying, "The Ministry of National Education has published a circular on Ramadan month activities within the scope of the Turkey Century Education Model on February 12, 2026. They have done the right thing with a timely and appropriate step. Again, we wholeheartedly applaud the hymn titled 'Allah says Hu in the Kaaba' that has become a dazzling trend among all age groups, making people say Allah in the mountains and stones, and the brothers who perform this hymn."
"THOSE WHO CRY OUT ABOUT TALIBANIZATION AND REACTIONARISM."
Continuing his words, Bahçeli asked, "Is there anyone who sees the slightest sign that Turkey is becoming Talibanized?" He added, "Those who raise a clamor about Talibanization and reactionarism in Ramadan month activities are not truly bigots? Wouldn't the new bigotry be defined as foreignness and escape from our own sacred values? What harm is there in Ramadan activities at the heart of education? Let's hear and learn from the Republican People's Party chairman and the faction that unites in opposition to Islam. Those who are not enemies of religion but take a position only against Islam, thus giving their souls to the devil's trust, should openly state what they want."
"WE ARE REACTIONARY LIKE HONEY, LIKE ICE"
Bahçeli stated that they oppose the portrayal of faith in Allah as reactionarism, saying, "Due to the circular of the Ministry of National Education that I just mentioned, there is a reactionary, Sharia-compliant siege in Turkey. If believing in Allah is reactionarism, then we are reactionary like honey, like ice. If conveying the legitimate morality and meaning of the Ramadan month to our children is considered reactionarism, then we are fully partners in this."
Highlights from Bahçeli's statements;
"Esteemed members of parliament, valuable ladies and gentlemen, distinguished representatives of our press, I greet your esteemed assembly with my deepest feelings of respect and love at the beginning of our weekly ordinary parliamentary group meeting. I wish you a week filled with success. I send my regards and gratitude to our dear citizens who follow today's meeting from television screens, radio channels, and social media platforms, as well as to our valuable brothers who are fighting for a dignified life in every inch of our heart and cultural geography."
We are leaving behind a busy week in terms of domestic and foreign political agendas. I believe it would not be a mistaken prediction to say that this intensity will become more complicated and increase in the coming days. It is an essential and fundamental reality that we need to read the inner face of life flowing in the spiritual climate of the blessed month of Ramadan, and the legitimate essence of successive political developments with carefulness, patience, intelligence, and an awakened conscience. In this season of mercy and forgiveness that we are experiencing, it is crucial and absolutely necessary to act cautiously and prudently against those who plan to infiltrate the poisonous smoke of discord into our consciousness.
"SPIRITUAL DISSOLUTION HAS TURNED INTO A GLOBAL PANDEMIC"
In addition to interpreting the world in Turkish, embracing Turkey with the historical heritage of national unity and brotherhood is an undeniable necessity of our current high duty and status. The month of Ramadan is the pinnacle of solidarity and mutual assistance. The month of Ramadan is the lifeblood of the national and spiritual values that make us who we are. It should be our exclusive duty to teach the blessed etiquette, immense morality, and precious meaning of the month of Ramadan to the newly emerging generations. There have always been and will be rootless individuals who are disturbed by this in every era. However, the fundamental dilemma that we do not understand is this: In today's world, where spiritual dissolution and moral erosion have taken on a global state, and threats are being launched from every front, should we not think of our children? Should we not establish them with the traits and characteristics of the Muslim Turkish nation? Should we not be concerned for our future? What should we have done, let it flow? What should we have done? Should we have played the three monkeys? The dead are dead, the lost are lost, the consumed are consumed, what can be done, should we have said the remaining ones are ours? A chaste and dignified innocence is the rarest jewel found and to be found on earth. To explain or convince those who experience the deterioration of virtue and thought due to the compression of time and space is, if you want the truth, quite difficult. Because their languages are sealed, their wishes are sealed, their minds are sealed, and above all, their hearts are sealed. Every one of our children is the message and subsequent will of the future that has not yet been expressed in patience.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE MEB'S RAMADAN CIRCULAR?"
I will, of course, explain why I brought this up and why I made this much explanation, relying on your patience. The Ministry of National Education published a circular on Ramadan month activities within the scope of the Turkey Century Education Model on February 12, 2026. They have done the right thing with a timely and appropriate step. We appreciate and congratulate them. Again, we wholeheartedly applaud the hymn titled 'Allah says Hu in the Kaaba' that has become a dazzling trend among all age groups, making people say Allah in the mountains and stones, and the brothers who perform this hymn. The aforementioned circular of the Ministry of National Education states that the general aim of Turkish national education is to raise individuals who adopt, protect, and develop national, moral, human, spiritual, and cultural values, and have turned these values into behavior. Which member of the Turkish nation, possessing common sense and conscience, could deny or neglect these truths? Another important fact that should be emphasized in the circular is this: Primary education is a fundamental educational process that serves the physical, mental, and moral development of students.
The Turkey Century Education Model is based on a holistic education system that addresses the individual within the integrity of spirit and body, integrating knowledge with moral responsibility. As stated in the circular, the center of this model is the framework of virtue, values, and action. It is essential that values are internalized by our students and transformed into behavior in their daily lives. In summary, the importance of planning and implementing educational and social activities aimed at developing our students' awareness of sharing, helping those in need, and strengthening feelings of solidarity throughout the month of Ramadan has been expressed in the aforementioned circular and announced in the form of instructions. What is wrong with this circular? Put your hand on your conscience and think. Is there anyone who sees the slightest sign, the smallest evidence that Turkey is becoming Talibanized?
Are those who raise a fuss about the Ramadan month events being Talibanized and reactionary not truly bigots? To quote the late Cemil Meriç, wouldn't the new bigotry be defined as the act of closing our ears to our own sacred values and fleeing from ourselves?
"LET THE ROTTEN INTELLECTUALS SPEAK UP"
The leader of the Republican People's Party and the ruling elite united against Islam should explain themselves so that we can hear and learn. Let the rotten intellectuals, who we do not know if they are enemies of religion and who only approach the issue through Islamophobia, and who have thus entrusted their souls to the devil, speak openly about what they want. Where is the flaw in sincere activities that strengthen our cultural heritage and promote the consciousness of sharing and being together? How can we remain silent against the group that dares to discuss the love and affection of the Ramadan month and the moral and spiritual responsibility it instills, while not making an issue of children who go to church every Sunday in foreign countries? How can we remain indifferent as if nothing has happened? Do they not have any sense of shame left?
A total of 168 individuals composed of so-called experts and academics have come together to share a declaration titled 'We Defend Secularism Together' with the public. If you ask me, even if you put these 168 people side by side or on top of each other, they wouldn't make up even one person. They say that defending secularism is not a crime. They say they reject the impositions of Sharia. They say they will not surrender to darkness. You are all in darkness, you are all in darkness, and you are unaware of it.
"KNOW YOUR LIMITS, KNOW YOUR BOUNDARIES"
According to the circular I just mentioned from the Ministry of National Education, there is a reactionary, Sharia-imposing siege in Turkey. If believing in God is reactionary, then we are indeed reactionary, as clear as ice. If conveying the valid morals and meaning of the Ramadan month to our children is considered reactionary, then we are partners in this to the end. What did the late Cemil Meriç say? Let's listen. 'If soaring from a rotten state to a magnificent past is reactionary, then every honorable person is reactionary.' If you gather them all, the 168 people will not even make one person; they represent the current face of darkness.
I congratulate our Minister of National Education and the ministry staff. I fully support the circular published by the Ministry of National Education on February 12, 2026, regarding Ramadan month events within the framework of the Turkey Century Education Model. I also condemn the 168 signatories, each of whom is today's Haluk, to Adam. Do not play with the dignity of the Muslim Turkish nation. Do not dare to dilute, question, or slander our Ramadan month. Know your limits. Know your boundaries. Do not stir our ayran. Do not increase the pot on your head.
"THE FOUNDING SPIRIT OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY."
At this stage, what I will say is this. The Republic of Turkey is based on a unitary state structure governed from the capital Ankara, a national state structure built on the reality of the Turkish nation, and a secular state structure where the relationships between our beliefs and governance are defined. This structure has been determined by the founding heroes and cadres of our Republic with a perfect vision that takes into account the age and beyond. The minimum rules for us to live together under a state roof were established on October 29, 1923. It has been determined that our capital is Ankara, our language is Turkish, our flag is the red flag with a crescent and star, and our national anthem is the Independence March, all of which are guaranteed by our constitution. There is no turning back from this. There is no room for compromise, hesitation, or contradiction. The 103-year history of the Republic has witnessed the futile attempts of the unfortunate who struggle to adopt, reject, or try to change these principles. These attempts have been condemned each time by the great Turkish nation, and the perpetrators have faced the consequences they deserve.
"WE WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE CEMENT OF PEACE WITH DETERMINATION"
Dear comrades in the cause. Gazi Mustafa Kemal Pasha, in his speech on December 1, 1921, with the title of President of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, deeply described the backbone of the founding philosophy. As you know, the legal foundations of the Republic of Turkey were laid on April 23, 1920. The backbone of the founding philosophy is formed by national sovereignty. Populism has also built the social base of national sovereignty. Gazi Mustafa Kemal Pasha said in one part of his famous speech: 'The nation has chosen its path with great accuracy. And at the end of this road, it sees the shining sun of happiness with its whole being. This nation will reach that sun, and no power will be able to prevent it.' It is not possible to rewind history or turn back time. At the same time, history is like a flashlight. Wherever you point it, it illuminates that place, and the rest remains in darkness. As Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk also expressed, the result we have reached today is the product of the pain caused by national disasters endured for centuries and the price of the blood of martyrs that waters every corner of this sacred homeland. We know where we came from and how we came. We are filled with dreams and goals of where we want to reach. The existential rights of the Turkish nation, the founding spirit of the Republic of Turkey, and the law of sovereignty are always eternal. They are alive in every sense, and they are the national honor we are sworn to protect and defend at all times. By benefiting from the experiences of the past, we are in search and desire to propose a peaceful, developed, secure, and peaceful Turkey for the future based on solid foundations. Even if it means picking out the white stones from the rice, even if it means catching a bird with our mouths, searching for a needle in a haystack, or making a camel jump over a ditch, we will not turn back from our path. With every step we take and every move we make, we will continue to be the hope banner, the horizon line, and the cement of peace for our country and nation with determination. We will fulfill our democratic and political responsibilities not by scattering, quarreling, and remaining disorganized, but by consulting, relying on each other, and embracing one another.
"EVERY BROTHER OF OURS HAS BEEN ACCEPTED AS AN EQUAL AND FREE CITIZEN"
First of all, I want to open the compass of my thoughts with a reminder. There are two paradoxical wings of the constitutional and democratization processes that have lasted for 118 years, depending on how you look at them. One of these wings is equality, and the other is freedom. The second constitutional period, which was initiated with the declaration of freedom, prioritized freedom but did not reach a conclusion. The Republic of Turkey, from the very moment it was established, has regarded the principle of equality as a core value and has defined the state-nation relationship in accordance with it. The prominence of equality should not mean that freedom is pushed to the background. Every person connected to the Republic of Turkey by citizenship, every brother of ours, has been accepted as an equal and free citizen. No citizen has been treated as a second-class human being in this country, morally, legally, or politically.
Wherever you look in our valley of history and culture, you will hardly find traces of discrimination or reflections of othering on these lands.
"THE COMMISSION HAS BROKEN THE MOLD WITH ITS HISTORICAL ROLE"
The most important pillar of sincere efforts and initiatives regarding the goal of a terrorism-free Turkey has been established with the commission report. Those who call this report a manifesto of misery are themselves miserable and wretched. The National Solidarity, Brotherhood, and Democracy Commission, established on a democratic, participatory, and inclusive understanding, has broken taboos and shattered stereotypes with its historical role. No one should underestimate the work done. No one should attempt to obscure the aim of reinforcing our national unity and brotherhood with an environment of peace and tranquility. This is the era of the Turkish and Turkey century. In the new century, reviving a terrorism-free and unwavering Turkey should be a common goal for everyone united in love for the homeland and the nation.
Democratization, common citizenship, and the guarantee of rights and freedoms will raise the bar for economic prosperity. The winner of a terrorism-free Turkey will be everyone, all of us, the entirety of our nation. This is not enough; with the goal of achieving a terrorism-free region step by step, our surroundings will be surrounded by a belt of peace and brotherhood. Thus, as soon as the legal arrangements regarding the dissolution of the terrorist organization and the laying down of arms are clarified, it will become possible for these arrangements to be swiftly and transparently implemented without undermining the sense of justice, tarnishing the memories of our martyrs, or casting a shadow over the struggle of our veterans. The reintegration of those who transition to a disarmed period will be carried out step by step.
"THE FRAMEWORK OF LEGAL ARRANGEMENTS MUST BE DRAWN WITHOUT GIVING IN TO THE PERCEPTION OF AMNESTY AND IMPUNITY"
As recorded in the report, the consensus that has emerged regarding the legal arrangements needed during the process of the dissolution of the organization with all its elements, the surrender and laying down of arms, is very valuable. It is also important to emphasize the need for a separate and temporary legal arrangement to manage the process that operates alongside the laying down of arms to strengthen social integration. The framework of the necessary legal arrangements should be drawn without giving in to the perception of amnesty and impunity. The honor of the Turk is the honor of the Kurd. The chastity of the Kurd is the chastity of the Turk. The dignity of the Turk is the dignity of the Kurd. Their existence is also the glory, honor, and dignity of the great Turkish nation.
"OUR REGION IS GOING THROUGH A HISTORICAL TEST"
My dear friends, when we look around us and glance at the vortex of chaos and crisis that the world is engulfed in, it is clear how much the goal of a terrorism-free Turkey and a terrorism-free region will fill a significant void. Bets are being placed on the date when the United States will attack Iran. Our region is undergoing a historical test. The extraordinary military buildup of the U.S. provides insight into the magnitude of the threat. More impactful new generation war scenarios will negatively affect regional dynamics, global economy, and political balances. The threat is close and hot. An attack by the U.S. on Iran will disrupt the balance of geographies and open the door to a widespread war period beyond predictions. While the U.S. claims negotiations are ongoing with Iran, and although the table set in Geneva is active and Arab mediators are involved, Iran, Russia, and China are conducting joint military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz, the Sea of Oman, and the Indian Ocean. At the same time, while peace meetings are being held in Washington for the reconstruction of Gaza, discussions about preparations for war against Iran are taking place simultaneously. It is incomprehensible that Trump, who should take the lead in restraining the Israeli administration, challenges Iran under the influence of the Zionist lobby. The U.S. Ambassador to Israel bringing up the narrative of promised lands with theological and ideological obsessions, the mention of potential cross-border targets, and the opening of discussions on the sovereignty rights of regional states demonstrate how much of a threat Zionist expansionism poses. Now, let us return to the goal of a terrorism-free Turkey. While there is turmoil outside, we must unite within. While there is a fire outside, we must hold each other tighter within. The declaration made on February 27, 2025, has a significant contribution to the call made by the PKK regarding the implementation of the goal of a terrorism-free Turkey. This call also binds the KCK in the same way. The dissolution of the organization's upper structure must be ensured immediately.