Remarkable bravery considering the backlash Recep Erdogan is likely to retaliate with.
(Via PJ Media) A newspaper in Turkey whose roots stretch to the founding of the modern republic will truly live the words “je suis Charlie” on Wednesday when it publishes the new Charlie Hebdo issue in Turkish despite threats.
Cumhuriyet (The Republic), founded in 1924 at the encouragement of Mustafa Kemal, tweeted that it will continue to “defend the freedom of expression” and will dedicate four of its pages to the French satirical paper’s content. They’ll also reportedly double their normal press run to 100,000 copies.
Besides French, the only other language of Charlie Hebdo in print will be Italian. English, Spanish, and Arabic versions will be available in online formats.
Threats have reportedly been pouring into the newspaper in the 99 percent Muslim country, and some overtly posted on Twitter. Ankara Mayor Melih Gökçek, a member of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP), stoked the flames by tweeting in all caps that the paper was about to commit a “serious provocation” and asking followers to spread the word. He also accused the newspaper of working with some foreign power and declared it a “game of the enemies of Islam.”
According to Agence France-Presse, Charlie Hebdo’s chief editor wanted a Turkish version because “Turkey is in a difficult period and secularity there is under attack.”
Gerard Biard stressed that the Turkish version is “the most important” of the five foreign-language versions.
France’s Libération newspaper reported that a team of about 10 translators volunteered from sundown Monday to sun-up Tuesday to craft Turkish-language puns.
They noted that it’s “a gamble in Erdogan’s Turkey,” but the AKP boxed itself into a corner by sending Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu to march in Sunday’s “je suis Charlie” rally in Paris. (read more)