Ekrem Güzeldere

Author: Ekrem Güzeldere

Arabic bookshop in Istanbul

"We want to be a cultural centre"

The first Arabic bookshop in Istanbul opened its doors in June. It is run by Syrian refugees, together with Turkish publishers. They want the shop to become a meeting place for Arabs and Turks. It already offers much more than just Arabic literature. Ekrem Guzeldere took a look around "Pages"More

The Hakawati bookshop for children and young people in Amman: Huge appetite for exciting stories German Bookshop Lehnert & Landrock: The dangerous job of selling books in Cairo The Sabha Bookshop in Tripoli: Filling the intellectual void Interview with literary translator Hartmut Faehndrich: "What I don't see is an on-going interest in Arabic literature"Amjad Nasser on the role of Arab writers in Arab society: Speaking out in societies without words

Yusuf and Xezal Erdem in Taqa (photo: Ekrem Guzeldere)

Yazidis in Turkey

Old homeland, new homeland

Despite the alarming situation in the Kurdish region of neighbouring Iraq, some Yazidis have recently returned from Germany to their native villages in south-eastern Anatolia. The coming years will indicate whether the resettlement is a lasting one. By Ekrem Guzeldere in the Turkish province of MardinMore

The culture and faith of the Yazidis: Demonised and eternally misunderstood The abduction of women by IS: Traded like cattle Persecution of the Yazidis in Iraq: Don't abandon us! Between fear and annihilation: Yazidi refugees in Iraq

The sign for the Kazova shop and cultural centre, Istanbul (photo: Ekrem Guzeldere)

Istanbul's Kazova textile co-operative

Fighting on alone

Kazova, a textile firm that began production in 1947 but went out of business in January 2013, is about to re-open as a workers' co-operative. The 11 men and women who want to relaunch Kazova following the conclusion of the legal proceedings relating to the closure of the factory have a motto: "production without a boss". They were inspired by the spirit of Gezi. By Ekrem GuzeldereMore

"Open Forums" in Turkey: New forms of participation Turkey a year after the Gezi protests: The dream is over Interview with Turkish composer Tolga Yayalar: Inspired by the sound of Gezi Culture in Turkey before and after Gezi: The end of Cool Istanbul

A Kobani solidarity demonstration in the centre of Erbil on 8 October (photo: Ekrem Guzeldere)

Turkey, IS and the Kurdish conflict

"Kobani is now everywhere"

The deputy chairman of the PKK, Cemil Bayik, accuses Turkey of supporting IS and consciously ending the peace process. He views the recent Turkish parliamentary motion authorising the use of force in Syria and Iraq as a preparation for war – albeit a war against the PKK rather than against IS. Difficult weeks now lie ahead for Turkey and the Kurds. By Ekrem Guzeldere in ErbilMore

Turkey, IS and the Kurds: Powder keg on the Turkish-Syrian border Military strikes against IS: Fragile alliance Islamic State (IS): A totalitarian, expansive and hegemonic project

Breaking the fast in Brazil's "Islamic heartland", Recife. Photo: Ekrem Güzeldere

Ramadan in Brazil

Maintaining the tradition

The small Muslim community in the Brazilian metropolis Recife meets every evening in the city's only Muslim centre to break their fast with the iftar dinner. Most of the people in the community are African immigrants. Ekrem Güzeldere reportsMore

Muslims in Brazil: A culturally vibrant minority Qantara Dossier: Ramadan The Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar: In the shadow of an icon

Interior of the dome of the mosque in Jundiaì. Photo: Ekrem Güzeldere

Muslims in Brazil

A culturally vibrant minority

Brazil has a very small Muslim population, but it is one with a long history. The ancestors of many of today's Brazilian Muslims arrived in successive waves of immigration from Africa and Europe, later also from Syria and Lebanon. As Ekrem Güzeldere discovered, they are now a well-integrated minorityMore

The Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar: In the shadow of an icon Afghan refugees in Iran: Treated like second-class citizens Muslims in Laos: Hidden beyond the Mekong

The BDP's victorious candidate in Agri, Sirri Sakik (photo: Ekrem Guzeldere)

Local election re-run in Turkey

"My strategy is honesty"

On 1 June 2014, some local elections in Turkey were re-run after the results of the original polls were contested. Re-runs were held in the provincial capitals of Agri and Yalova. For the citizens of the eastern Anatolian city of Agri, the outcome was a surprise: the candidate of the Kurdish BDP party, Sirri Sakik, clearly prevailed against the ruling AKP, taking 51 per cent of the vote. Observations from Agri by Ekrem GuzeldereMore

Turkey's first Communist mayor: Great expectations, even greater challenges Local elections in Turkey: Carte blanche for a crackdown Local elections in Turkey: An erosion of Erdogan's legitimacy

Turkey's first Communist mayor

Great expectations, even greater challenges

Turkey's first ever Communist mayor was elected on 30 March. Turkish Communist Party (TKP) candidate Fatih Macoglu won 36 per cent of the 1,812 votes cast in the small town of Ovacik. He believes in people power, popular assemblies and investing in agriculture and tourism. By Ekrem GuzeldereMore

Local elections in Turkey: Carte blanche for a crackdown Local elections in Turkey: An erosion of Erdogan's legitimacy The Erdogan administration: Turkey's paradigm shift

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan waves to supporters from the balcony of the AKP's headquarters (photo: AP)

Local elections in Turkey

Carte blanche for a crackdown

The election result in Turkey was barely affected by last summer's Gezi Park protests, recent accusations of corruption against the ruling AKP and the on-going open conflict with the Gulen Movement. This is primarily due to the nation's economic situation and the fact that the AKP now controls most of the country's media outlets. By Ekrem Guezeldere in IstanbulMore

Eleven years of Erdogan: Hard times for the "champion" of political Islam Local elections in Turkey: An erosion of Erdogan's legitimacy The Erdogan administration: Turkey's paradigm shift

The memorial in Mazgirt (photo: Ekrem Eddy Güzeldere)

Memorial to the Dersim Rebellion in Turkey

Apologies and Forgiveness

A major Kurdish uprising took place 75 years ago in what was the province of Dersim (now the Turkish-named Tunceli Province). It was brutally crushed and ended with the death or deportation of thousands of villagers. Today, cautious steps are being taken to address this painful chapter of history. By Ekrem Eddy GüzeldereMore

Öcalan Announces PKK Peace Plan: Too Good to Be True Peace Negotiations between Turkey and the PKK: Kurdish Conflict Threatens Erdogan's Legacy Capital Punishment Returns to the Turkish Agenda: A Message to Europe, a Warning to Kurds

The Mor Gabriel monastery (photo: Ekrem Eddy Güzeldere)

Syriac Orthodox Christians in Turkey

''This Is Simply Our Home''

In recent years, around 60-100 Syriac Orthodox families have returned from central Europe to Turkey. Encouraged by changes in the political atmosphere, the minority nonetheless faces a host of problems, from the expropriation of land belonging to a monastery, to a ban on special schools and kindergartens, and also a lack of places of worship in Istanbul. By Ekrem Eddy GüzeldereMore

Syriac Orthodox Christians in Turkey: A Cold Wind Sweeping the Tur Abdin Turkey's Aramaean MinorityMore Than : Just Mor Gabriel Minorities in South-Eastern Turkey: Hope Mixed with Resignation

Afro-Turks during the Sixth Festival of the Calf (photo: Ekrem Güzeldere)

The Fate of the Afro-Turks

Nothing Left But the Colour

The Afro-Turks, whose ancestors came to the Ottoman Empire as slaves in the nineteenth century, are still struggling for recognition. Now, though, their desire to assimilate into the wider society has become greater than their desire to maintain their own identity. By Ekrem Eddy GüzeldereMore

Interview with Ishak Alaton: ''Turkey Needs a Mentality Revolution''Minorities in South-Eastern Turkey: Hope Mixed with Resignation The Syrian Orthodox Lawyer Erol Dora: Source of Hope for the Christian Minority