Founded in 1970 by the late Enver Ören and a group of his friends, the newspaper Türkiye has, over its 55-year publication history, become a strong voice for the oppressed everywhere. From Bosnia to Western Thrace, from Crimea to Kirkuk, from East Turkestan to Palestine—wherever there was a cry for justice, Türkiye was there. Today, under the leadership of Ahmet Mücahid Ören, the newspaper continues along the same path.

“To have direction, not to compromise for one’s ideals, to write what is known to be true at all costs, and to exist without indulging in frivolity, levity, or obscenity—is something known to be nearly impossible for a newspaper without great capital behind it, with no advertisers, and staffed by a handful of Anatolian youths as pure as the land itself, who struggled to exist with their health, money, time, pen, and entire being… That is not a newspaper, but a banner…”

The late Enver Ören described Türkiye with these words in April 1984, during the celebration of the paper’s 14th anniversary. This banner, which Ören said was “woven with the threads of our faith, ancestry, homeland, past, present, and future,” has flown at the highest peaks.

Because at its foundation was ikhlas—sincerity. There was a purpose to serve the homeland and Islam. As the core of İhlas Holding, this newspaper grew and developed with these principles, passing 55 years without deviating from its course.

IN PURSUIT OF TRUTH
Türkiye was founded under the name “Hakikat” (Truth) in 1970. In 1972, it became “Türkiye.” Until 1980, it remained a small newspaper. During the turbulent period before the September 12 coup, when brother fought brother in the streets, Türkiye took a conservative and nationalist stance. It became the voice of the silent majority, always advocating unity on the right. It stood by leaders and ancestors whom the leftist press tried to tear apart. Certainly, it was distant from leftist parties, but when the cause was the homeland and the nation, it transcended such divisions. During the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation, while some rushed to label Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit as the “Conqueror of Cyprus,” Türkiye wrote, “Let us win the victory, whoever the hero may be,” demonstrating a national stance in the press.

TAUGHT TRUE RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE
Türkiye competed with newspapers that sought circulation through sensationalism and obscenity, yet stood apart. It never stooped to false news, immorality, or character assassination. Yes, it supported right-wing governments, but it also took a stand against them when needed, exposing their actions against the people. For instance, in 1986, it published a warning declaration to the government along with 19 scientists from the USA—a constructive example unmatched. It never deviated from the Ahl al-Sunnah path and became a stronghold of that cause, paying heavy prices during the February 28 period. There has never been another newspaper that has consistently published daily religious pages from its first issue.

A NEWSPAPER THAT BRINGS PEACE
After 1980, Türkiye helped to shape the vision of a strengthening, outward-looking Turkey alongside the late Turgut Özal. It showed that positive news also has value. It became known among the people as a “family newspaper,” adopting the slogan “the newspaper that brings peace.” This wasn’t just a slogan; it was the voice of a weary and burdened nation, battered by coups, conflicts, chaos, and economic hardship. The leadership of a boss who was like a brother to his employees, the dedication of his team, and the sincerity in its publications resonated with readers. Türkiye grew with loyal readers who embraced the paper and even bequeathed it to their children. Its circulation, which was around 20,000 in the early 1980s, expanded dramatically, surpassing 1.4 million by 1990. This sales record, engraved in golden letters in press history, remains unbroken.

VOICE OF THE TURKISH-ISLAMIC CAUSE
Türkiye became a powerful voice for the Turkish and Islamic cause through its reporting. In 1982, it was the first Turkish newspaper to publish photos from Hama, where Hafez Assad committed a massacre. In the mid-1980s, it brought attention to the persecution of Turks in Bulgaria. It pursued the cause relentlessly. Türkiye was the first to enter Belene Camp, almost impossible to access, where Turkish kin were imprisoned. The iconic victim of Bulgarian oppression, Aysel, was brought to Turkey thanks to Türkiye journalists Kâmuran Abacıoğlu and Servet Kabaklı. The paper published a condemnation against Bulgaria. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Türkiye journalist Kemal Çapraz was the first to enter Crimea, long oppressed by communism. Enver Ören gave all broadcasting rights of the TGRT film “Kurdoğlu” to the Crimean Tatar National Assembly. After the Gulf War, Türkiye was the first to enter Kirkuk.

THE STANDARD-BEARER OF BOSNIA
As the Serbs committed brutal massacres against Muslims in ancestral Bosnia, Türkiye led an awakening movement in Turkey. In 1992, for the first time in Turkish media, Foreign News Editor Murat Yeşil and reporter Ercan Seki entered the fire zone and exposed the genocide in Bosnia. That same year, the Turkish World Writers’ Congress was held in Ankara, where intellectuals called out, “Let’s not remain spectators to the massacre in Bosnia.” An open letter was written to President Turgut Özal. The person who delivered that letter to Çankaya was none other than Enver Ören. Subsequently, at Özal’s call, an Islamic summit convened in Dakar, bringing the issue to the global agenda. Türkiye obtained exclusive statements from leading European politicians on Bosnia and worked to shape public opinion. When President Süleyman Demirel was twice turned away from Sarajevo, Türkiye managed to open an office there under those harsh conditions.

AH, EAST TURKESTAN
Do not be fooled by those who now write about the East Turkestan cause. Back when no one in Turkey even knew where East Turkestan was, Türkiye sent correspondents and prepared series of reports from the ancestral lands. So much so that the legendary leader of East Turkestan, the late Isa Yusuf Alptekin, declared, “I entrust the cause of East Turkestan to my friend Dr. Enver Ören.” Türkiye was the first to introduce the leader of Crimean Turks, Mustafa Cemil Kırımoğlu, to Turkey. The legendary leader of Western Thrace, the late Sadık Ahmet, personally thanked Enver Ören for the newspaper’s support.

FIRST STATEMENTS TO TÜRKİYE
As the Soviet Union collapsed and Turkic Republics gained independence one by one, Türkiye made their voices heard. Its correspondents spread across the Turkic lands, reporting their observations. Türkiye launched the “Turkish Brotherhood Volunteers” project to mobilize Turkish scholars to aid and strengthen ties with these nations. Azerbaijan President Abulfaz Elchibey, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov, Nakhchivan President Heydar Aliyev, and Afghanistan President Sibghatullah Mujaddidi all gave their first statements to Türkiye. When Heydar Aliyev visited the newspaper, he told Enver Ören, “I thank Türkiye for its services to Turkishness and the Turkic world.” The now-debated issue of a common alphabet for Turkic States was already on Türkiye’s agenda in 1992.

Years later, as Armenian forces shed blood in the newly liberated Karabakh, Türkiye reporter Murat Arvas reported the tragedy from the frontlines. During the ceasefire, Osman Sağırlı was the first to enter Karabakh after many years. Under UN supervision, Sağırlı exposed organ trafficking in Somalia to the world. He documented Myanmar’s genocide of Rohingya Muslims and brought it to Turkish public attention. The Zionist occupation of Jerusalem and Saudi manipulations in the holy lands were reported with exclusive stories. Enver Ören’s services to the Ottoman dynasty members are well known.

In conclusion, Türkiye is indeed not just a newspaper.