Mom, What Does “Coup” Mean?

The generation that struggled the most to understand the recent coup attempt was the youth—and they were right. A group within the military had martyred 248 civilians. How could such a thing happen?

Violence against children, women, the parliament, or society is equally cruel, unjust, and disgraceful. The new method of Western colonialism and capitalist imperialism—asymmetric warfare—is also cruel and disgraceful.

Pursuing worldly interests by exploiting religious values, appearing charitable while growing through Machiavellian strategies, and attempting a military coup are likewise cruel and disgraceful.

The public’s perception of religious individuals suffered greatly; the quality of being “trustworthy,” once central to religious identity, became questioned. Those who caused this have harmed religious values as much as declared enemies of religion.

Community and sectarianism are not the same. Religious communities must examine and critique their deviation from the traditional foundation-of-charity model that once defined them.

Military personnel, responsible for society’s safety yet unable to ensure their own, have harmed the army as much as its adversaries.

The ideology that nurtured coup plotters has not truly changed. If a hierarchical coup occurred today, a large segment of the military might still support it. There is still no institutional effort within the Turkish Armed Forces to analyze and criticize coups. Despite a near-constant history of coups, real accountability has never been established, and no genuine self-critique of coup culture has taken place.

Unfortunately, “intern coup-plotters” still remain in duty and resist the restructuring of the army. As someone who graduated from Kuleli Military High School and served as a psychiatrist within the Turkish Armed Forces up to the rank of colonel, I could not remain silent. The reputation of our military was deeply damaged, and its institutional identity needed protection.

Freedom of religion and conscience—as well as all fundamental freedoms—must be fully experienced, without being abused. Moreover, new generations must understand that democracy is both a value and a method—indeed, the “spirit of the times.” Without analyzing the theoretical foundations of coup-making and sectarianism, no true solution can be produced.

With these concerns and this purpose, I wrote this book.

Wishing you insightful reading.

Nevzat Tarhan
February 2017, Istanbul