One of the most potent accusations you can hurl in an age of rising Islamism in Turkey is that of “atheism” if you intend to undermine the reputation of a person or a group. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and members of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) have not refrained from hurling them.
It takes courage, therefore, to establish the country’s first atheists association. The press reported this week that this is exactly what a group of Turkish atheists have done. It also took courage to set up a call center within the association that will provide advice and information, not only to harassed or confused atheists, but anyone interested in the topic.