Drug Operations in Turkey Have Revealed the System’s True Face!

News:

Since the beginning of December, Turkey has started intensive drug investigations, whereby more than 1200 people were arrested. Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has targeted in particular prominent figures and celebrities from media, cinema, sports, and social media. Will these operations, which allegedly aim at fighting crime, truly succeed in preventing crime?

Comment:

We may understandably think that there are political objectives behind these operations carried out against people who are prominent in the media and sports world and therefore close to the highest levels of the state. On the other hand, we already seem to have accepted that drugs are widespread among social media influencers and stars of the art and film world… Now, will the punishing of a few “famous” names among them truly prevent all crimes occurring? Another interesting phenomenon is that the families of many of those detained and arrested are also known to be religious... An aspect that is once again used to hold Muslims responsible for the increasing decay in society.

The fact is that, according to the 2024 Turkish Police report, drug-related deaths increased by 42% compared to the previous year. A large proportion of deaths caused by drugs consist of young people under the age of 30. Meanwhile, according to official authorities, the age at which drug use begins has fallen to the 10–13 range, while the public witnesses children becoming involved in this scourge at even younger ages.

However, this is not the real and major problem! First of all, these operations are not a fight against “crime,” but a fight against the “illegal drug crime.” In this country, countless crimes are being committed that corrupt people’s minds and generations. Yet the freedom and immorality that drive these are not considered crimes and are not punished. On the contrary, we are surrounded by a system that guarantees more fame and more profit for more immorality... Indeed, while committing adultery or encouraging adultery is not a crime, engaging in prostitution without a license—meaning without paying taxes—is punished by the power of law… Producing, selling, and consuming alcohol are not considered crimes. In fact, the alcohol sector is a trade sector operated by the state. Therefore, the crime related to alcohol is producing or selling it without a license, that is, without paying taxes. Similarly, gambling is not seen as an offence; only unlicensed gambling is punished, while every year the state invites people to gambling through the National Lottery… Insulting and attacking people’s religious and cultural values is not considered a crime, but insulting Atatürk and the values or institutions of the republic, or criticizing them, is deemed treason and punished immediately… As if this were not enough, calling for irreligion, secularism, and even the most perverse acts cursed by Allah (swt) are all protected and exalted as freedom, the right of citizenship, and human right… But calling to fear of Allah (swt), decency, modesty, and to the establishment of a system that enables life to be lived in accordance with Allah’s (swt) rulings is regarded as a major crime and punished with severe penalties…

Thus, these operations—whether politically motivated or not—do in no way intend to eliminate crimes that destroy society and humanity. Even if not 1,200 but 12,000 drug users were arrested, this crime would still not be eradicated. Above all, the primary sources that offer this scourge of the drug problem to people and the environment that facilitates the access to this evil are not eliminated. Such operations, as always, are nothing more than periodic spectacles that stir up commotion and distract the public with headlines that divert from the true agenda. At the same time, while on the one hand, they hold Muslims responsible for a corrupt system, on the other hand, they serve to absolve the system. At most, one or two ministers are changed, officials with administrative responsibility are replaced, but the system continues to operate in the same way.

The real major crime is the violation of Allah’s (swt) rulings; and that people’s affairs are not being governed according to the commands of Allah (swt) and the Sunnah of the Prophet (saw). Therefore, like throughout the world, in Turkey too, from economy to education, from social life to health, people’s lives, property, and dignity are under countless attacks.

It is a fact that the very democratic secular system, which is imposed by colonial capitalist powers, devoid of fear of Allah (swt), glorifying every satanic act, and instilling an exploitative, selfish, colonial mindset in everyone; from labourers to businessmen, from traders to scientists, is the one that has raised the teachers, psychologists, and doctors who shaped the parents and families until today. How healthy could a society possibly be that was raised from families and parents built upon the mindsets dictated by this system? A secular, democratic, republican, libertarian, individualist, hedonist system, with its constitutions, laws, courts, and security forces, and that acquits crime of its criminality, while labelling the most natural rights as crimes, is the greatest crime itself that must be fought.

The corruption of society and its gradual drowning in ever greater and more destructive crimes are products of a perfectly functioning capitalist system. The kufr capitalist system does not regard social corruption as a problem. Therefore, the solving of the problems of mankind is not even included among its objectives. It is the system that regulates the functioning of the society—that is regulating the interaction among people. Society cannot govern itself, regulate its relationships, or determine common ideas, feelings, and solutions on its own. It is only the system that possesses the power and influence with all the necessary dynamics and solutions to govern society, to define its higher values, to determine common goals and emotions, even identify common enemies and set collective measures and actions against them. Therefore, the existence of individuals within society who strive to be moral and work to spread morality does not change the morality of society. On the contrary, the moral understanding and values imposed on society by the system dominate individuals and eventually burn, destroy, and eliminate all the superior values that individuals possess.

That is the reason why we see in these operations today that many of those arrested famous and glorious persons from among the media, cinema, sports, and social media have backgrounds in religious, modestly dressed, devout families who value worship. Yet the religiosity of those families has not been able to protect their dearly loved children from becoming entangled in these destructive crimes, or even from becoming pioneers of such crimes. Likewise, today we witness, with bleeding hearts, mothers in Islamic dress-code, supporting and rejoicing their daughters in becoming pop singers and “Miss Turkey”. That is why we today see disgraceful and wretched scenes of half-naked high school girls competing in mocking the prayer!

O Ummah! Unless you change the system that rules over you, far more of your children are doomed to become involved and even spearheading in far more numerous and far uglier crimes! Look: these drug operations carried out in Turkey have exposed the true face of the system!

[إِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتّٰى يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ وَإِذَا أَرَادَ اللّٰهُ بِقَوْمٍ سُوءًا فَلَا مَرَدَّ لَهُ وَمَا لَهُمْ مِنْ دُونِه۪ مِنْ وَالٍ]

“Indeed, Allah will not change the (good) condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. And when Allah intends for a people ill, there is no repelling it. And there is not for them besides Him any patron.” [Ar-Ra’d:11]

Written for The Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Zehra Malik