Mustafa Akyol

Mustafa Akyol (born in 1972) is a Turkish writer.

Early life and education

Akyol was born to renowned right-wing journalist Taha Akyol and received his early education in Ankara.^[1] He later graduated from the Istanbul Nişantaşı Anadolu Lisesi and the International Relations Department of Boğaziçi University. He earned his masters in the History Department of the same university with a thesis on Turkey's Kurdish question, which he later extended to a popular book titled, Kürt Sorununu Yeniden Düşünmek: Yanlış Giden Neydi, Bundan Sonra Nereye? (Rethinking The Kurdish Question: What Went Wrong, What Next?)

Career

Akyol writes regular columns for two Turkish dailies, Star and Hürriyet Daily News.^[2] He has criticized both Islamic extremism and Turkish secularism, which he likens to Jacobinism^[3] and fundamentalism.^[4] His articles are often friendly to the incumbent Justice and Development Party.^[5][6]

Over the years, he has given seminars in several universities or think-tanks in the U.S. and the U.K. on issues of Islam, politics, and Turkish affairs. He also spoke at TED, giving a lecture on Faith versus Tradition in Islam.

Mustafa Akyol's articles on Islamic issues, in which he mostly argues against Islamic extremism and terrorism from a Muslim point of view and defends the Islamic faith, have appeared in publications like Foreign Affairs, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, The Forward, First Things, Huffington Post, The Weekly Standard, The Washington Times, The American Enterprise, National Review, FrontPage Magazine,^[7] Newsweek^[8] and Islam Online.^[9]

Akyol is also author of the English-language book, Islam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case For Liberty. (W.W. Norton) The book, according to the publisher, is "a desperately needed intellectual basis for the reconcilability of Islam and religious, political, economic, and social freedoms."

Intelligent design advocacy

Akyol used to be an outspoken promoter of intelligent design ^[9] and was identified as a former spokesman for Science Research Foundation (Bilim Araştırma Vakfı), an Islamic creationist group, started by Adnan Oktar.^[10] But Akyol later noted ^[11] that he ended all his "cooperation with [Bilim Araştırma Vakfı]... due to some serious disagreements on issues other than intelligent design." He was also affiliated with the Discovery Institute.^[12] He has testified in the Kansas evolution hearings in favor of introducing Intelligent Design ^[13] and arranged a government-sponsored Intelligent Design conference in Istanbul.^[14] He also used to be the director of International Relations at the "Intercultural Dialogue Platform", a subsidiary of the Journalists and Writers Foundation (Gazeteciler ve Yazarlar Vakfı), founded by sympathizers of Fethullah Gülen.

References

1. ^ ""Learn more about Mustafa Akyol"". Thewhitepath.com. http://thewhitepath.com/about/. Retrieved 2011-11-04. 
2. ^ The Crisis in Turkey The American June 19, 2008
3. ^ Akyol, Mustafa (2008-02-23). "The greatest Turkish story ever sold". Turkish Daily News. http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=97186. Retrieved 2008-07-20. 
4. ^ Akyol, Mustafa (2007-05-04). "The threat is secular fundamentalism". International Herald Tribune. http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/05/04/opinion/edakyol.php. Retrieved 2008-07-20. 
5. ^ Bekdil, Burak (2008-09-10). "Hürriyet must be banned for better democracy". Turkish Daily News. http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=114897. Retrieved 2008-09-23. "Even in this newspaper there are several fiercely pro-AKP columnists, including my sparring partner, Mustafa Akyol." 
6. ^ Ellis, Robert (2008-03-20). "Tout va très bien, Madame la Marquise". Turkish Daily News. http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=99266. Retrieved 2008-09-23. "Mustafa Akyol has left no stone unturned in his efforts to convince the readers of the Turkish Daily News of the benefits of the Islamic revival which has taken place since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government came to power over five years ago." 
7. ^ Spencer, Robert (2004-10-11). "Terror's Islamic Roots". FrontPage Magazine. http://frontpagemagazine.com/articles/Read.aspx?GUID=3139C953-CB20-4A42-85AE-23FE89F60B95. Retrieved 2008-07-20. 
8. ^ The Plot Against Turkey Newsweek July 12, 2008
9. ^ ^{a b} Akyol, Mustafa (2004-09-14) Why Muslims Should Support Intelligent Design, Islam Online. Retrieved on 2008-07-18.
10. ^ Ortega, Tony (May 5, 2005). "Your OFFICIAL program to the Scopes II Kansas Monkey Trial". The Pitch (Kansas). http://www.pitch.com/2005-05-05/news/your-official-program-to-the-scopes-ii-kansas-monkey-trial/. "He also has identified himself as a spokesman for the murky Bilim Arastirma Vakfi, a group with an innocuous-sounding name -- it means "Science Research Foundation" -- but a nasty reputation." 
11. ^ "Hang Time | Letters". The Pitch. http://www.pitch.com/2005-05-19/news/hang-time/. Retrieved 2011-11-04. 
12. ^ Akyol, Mustafa. "Intelligent Design (and Me) in The Economist". http://www.thewhitepath.com/archives/2007/04/intelligent_design_and_me_in_the_economist.php. 
13. ^ "Kansas Evolution Hearings: Warren Nord and Mustafa Akyol". http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/kansas/kangaroo9.html. 
14. ^ Akyol, Mustafa. "Turkey’s First ID Conference—Accomplished". http://www.thewhitepath.com/archives/2007/03/turkeys_first_intelligent_design_conference.php. "The conference was sponsored by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality , which is headed Kadir Topbaş, a member of the incumbent conservative AK Party. (Hence it can be said that the event had official support.)" 

External links

• Akyol's blog
• Yes, We Can! Toward a Brave New Turkey. Mustafa Akyol discusses Turkey’s historical and contemporary struggle toward political and cultural modernity at Boston University's 2009 Campagna-Kerven Lecture on Modern Turkey.

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Name	Akyol, Mustafa
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Date of birth	1972
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