Emin Colasan was born on 14 March 1942 in Ankara, his surname, which literally means desert strider, makes reference to a grandfather who had been exiled in profound Libya by the sultan Abdülhamid II.
Colasan finished his secondary studies in TED Ankara College and graduated from the Middle East Technical University with a degree in management studies. For a decade, he worked in various public institutions and he started his career in journalism in 1977 in the newspaper Milliyet and he shifted in 1985 to Hurriyet by starting to contribute as a regular columnist, an influential position carried on. Colasan is the author of numerous books, focused primarily on malpractices within governmental and public circles in Turkey, as well as a party and/or instigator in frequent polemics with his divulgations and statements on various matters.
Emin Colasan is a prominent and an honest Turkish investigative journalist, he was a daily columnist in the mass-circulation newspaper Hurriyet until his last article dated 14 August 2007 was not fancied by the ruling party, AKP, the ruling government, he had taken a firm position against the government reflecting his republican and his behavior adherent of Ataturk’s policy and fired on the same day. He is one of the most famous names in Turkey’s written press, a star attraction. Colasan had been writing for 22 years.
Hurriyet which means “freedom” is a daily political newspaper. It is first published on May 1951 by Sedat Semavi. Within more than 50 year life-span Hurriyet only investigated the truth. Because of this, many people view Hurriyet as the history of Turkish Republic. For years it played the role of a reflector of the common sense and represents the voice and conscience of Turkish nation. Because it takes protection of the freedom and independence of Turkish people as a principle, Hurriyet gained the reputation of being “the most reliable and wanted newspaper of Turkey.
That was then!
Now, Hurriyet the newspaper was sold to the political authorities.
Emin Colasan did not sell his ideals.
Emin Colasan was the hardest writer to cope with in terms of AKP’s mind and they took the most reliable action!!
On Tuesday this week, Colasan stepped into a conflict again in his column, criticizing Islamists who attacked sex shops and printing reproductions of an Islamist magazine which wrote under the headline “Eighty percent of the People Hate Kemalists” that Ataturk’s reform principles in the 1930’s could be summarized as “Being an infidel; Hating the people; Prostitution and Homosexuality; Drinking alcohol; Robbery; Bestiality and Treason.” “Secular-Infidels Are in Minority in Turkey!” the paper proclaimed adding “Liberation from being an infidel is close at hand.”
abir.zaki@gmail.com
* Abir Zaki is a Saudi writer