Pre-Meeting Discussion with Sheikh Said Before Özel-İnce Meeting
The debate over whether a boulevard in Diyarbakır should be named “Sheikh Said” has caused quite a stir, leading to a crisis between the CHP and the Homeland Party. This issue stirred controversy when İYİ Party submitted a parliamentary question following discussions on Şeyh Said Boulevard. This led to Deputy Salim Ensarioğlu reacting to the situation.
While Ensarioğlu was being disciplined, the attention turned to what stance CHP would take on the Sheikh Said controversy. CHP Chairman Özgür Özel finally addressed the issue. He asked, “Is Sheikh Said a traitor or a hero?” Özel went on to explain, “I know that the Sheikh Said rebellion is an uprising against the Republic in its own conjuncture. But if the problems that occurred during the suppression of this uprising hurt the hearts of some grandchildren today, that pain must be respected. But we need to learn from history.”
Özel emphasized, “As CHP, we respect the Republic and the founding cadres of the Republic. We consider that if there are sufferings experienced in the Republic in the past period, discussing these sufferings is the domain of historians, not hot politics.”
However, Muharrem İnce, Chairman of the Homeland Party, responded to Özel’s statements, affirming that “Sheikh Sait is a traitor. I am very clear on this issue. I am on the side of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk!” This has set the stage for an anticipated meeting between Özel and İnce. When asked about a possible meeting, Özel stated that there was no appointment scheduled to meet with İnce, but they have been in contact through texts.
The controversy surrounding Sheikh Said and the differing opinions of political leaders have brought a contentious issue to the forefront, shedding light on historical events and their impact on present-day politics.
