Ahmet Selim, whose original name is Zeki Onal, worked as a columnist with this nick name for almost 30 years in Zaman newspaper. He was sad for Zaman newspaper was assigned trustees and there were terror investigations against them. He was subjected to the journalist hunt after the July 15th. His home was raided. He could not bear with being called terrorist and passed away in sorrow after 2 weeks.
Ahmet Selim, who was a 72-year-old author, was tried to detain on his hospital bed. Selim’s heart could not endure, and he passed away silently not having been able to take to be named as terrorist. Selim wrote a column for long years in Zaman newspaper.
Journalist writer Ahmet Selim’s real name was Zeki Önal. He was mostly known by this name since Ahmet Selim worked as a columnist in Zaman Newspaper with his pseudonym for more than 30 years. Born in Istanbul in 1944, Ahmet Selim studied at Mihrimah Sultan Primary School, Karagümrük Secondary School, Istanbul Boys High School and Faculty of Economics. The article about Tanzimat, which he wrote while he was a high school student, was published in the newspaper Yeni Istanbul of the time. Later, his articles were published in newspapers such as Yeni Istanbul, Son Havadis, Haber, Hakikat, Dünya, Bizim Anadolu and Sabah at different intervals. He wrote articles, columns, and editorials for 13 years in Sabah newspaper, which was among the right-wing publications of the 1970s. He worked as editor in Ufuk and Dağarcık magazines. Shortly after Zaman Newspaper was published, he started writing a column here. He worked as a columnist for Zaman Newspaper from February 24, 1988, until the appointment of a trustee and its closure on March 4, 2016. Ahmet Selim published articles in Eylem magazine, which was closed with a decree after the July 15th by the appointment of a trustee. Ahmet Selim wrote in a wide range of variety topics about history, religions, politics, and sports.
“Will they come to this house as well? If so, I would die here…”
Ahmet Selim was one of the targets of the detention and arrest warrants issued against Zaman writers by the Istanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office during the July 15th process. The author of Tr724, who knew the author closely, expressed the sadness of Ahmet Selim with the pseudonym Zeki Önal while describing the process: “When I got over the first shock when I heard the news of the death, a lot of memories flashed in my mind. When I visited, he said these following words: “They call us a terrorist organization. How can we become a terrorist organization?”. He was so sad when he said these words… His eyes were full of sadness and tears, and he started to cry. He was so hurt that the appointment of trustee took over Zaman Newspaper. He could not digest being coiled up a 30-year endeavor. “I neither saw nor witnessed them like these. I am 72 and have been following politics really close since then. There has never been such a period in Turkey.” with these words he summarized the chains of events that started in 2013 and expressed his concerns about the future. While talking about what the government had done to the Cemaat (Denomination), he shared a concern with me as if he felt what would happen to him. “Will they come to this house tomorrow? If they do, I will die. At my age, if they try to take me into custody in my sick condition, I will not be able to survive. ”
Ahmet Selim passed away on August 19, 2016, two weeks after the raid on his home. Like the journalist writer Hilmi Yavuz, a raid was made on the grounds of terrorism on July 27, 2016, for his testimony. It turned out that it was decided to confiscate even his assets shortly after his death.
The entire article of Vehbi Şahin describes Ahmet Selim was as follows:
The Rain of Sadness Will No Longer Rain
The days on the calendar go by so quickly. It was like yesterday. I cannot believe that 66 long days have passed since dear brother Ahmet Selim passed away. It was a hot morning when I received the news. He was an influential person who was a local knowledgeable and an intellectual one whose soul passed to the other side.
His real name was Zeki Önal. The pseudonym Ahmet Selim, which he used in his writings, suits him so much that has already got ahead of his real name. I was suddenly surprised, when I visited him a day, his wife, who brought tea to the hall, said, “Mr. Zeki!” I felt as if there was a third person in the room.
He was Ahmet Selim for me and many of his readers. He was a great, rejected writer. If you were to ask me to choose a word to describe him, collecting all the words written just like a lacework, I could choose well-balanced without hesitation. Because his life was in balance. This system of thought was felt so much in his writing and books. He explained his thoughts through this concept even while writing politics, economy, culture, art, social change, and even sports.
Ahmet Selim Meant well-balanced when I read his novel, The Rain of Sadness, I was confronted by a novel hero who always lived anxiously like a timid dove, who had a prop to protect those around him, and who was sad for his country and people. In my opinion, that hero was none other than Ahmet Selim… Whenever I met him, listening to him, I felt like I was reading the Huzün Yağmuru novel live. Because Ahmet Selim meant well-balanced, and well-balanced meant Ahmet Selim.
***
I do not remember when I met him face to face or when I first went to his house. A white-haired writer brother introduced us. Then we went to visit brother Ahmet often together… After a while, with his charming face and warm conversation, we were like brothers as if we knew each other long ago… Besides, I follow him from his corner in the Zaman newspaper almost every day, long before I met. I would try not to miss their articles.
***
We used to read the legendary Tercüman Newspaper in the 1980s. The left corner of the second page was reserved for Ahmet Kabaklı. He used to write his articles under the title of Sunshine. In my newspaper, Zaman, which I had just started following, Ahmet Selim had already made Ahmet Kabaklı forget.
His columns were on the second page, but they adorned the right corner of the page, like İlhan Selçuk, who penned columns called “Window” in Cumhuriyet (newspaper).
The name of his corner was as meaningful as the name he chose for himself as the writer: Quality.
Now, the writers do not use them, but the column names also gave information about the horizon of thought of that writer… Ahmet Selim showed us with the word he chose in his column that he was a thinker who took quality as a basis and wrote without sticking to the quantity of chaos in daily life…
“I RESENT THAT THEY CALL US AS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.”
When I got over the first shock I had when I heard the news of his death, a lot of memories flooded in my mind. The liveliest and most painful of these were the following words he said when I visited after the Eid al-Fitr: “They call us a terrorist organization. How do we become a terrorist organization? I resent what they do.
He was so sad while saying these words… His eyes got filled with tears and began crying.
He resented that a trustee was appointed to Zaman (Newspaper) media group by the government.
“DO THEY COME TO THIS HOUSE? IF THEY DO, I WILL DIE.”
He could not accept that the government seized everything they had built over 30 years.
“I neither saw nor witnessed such things. I am 72 years old; I have been following politics since my childhood. Such a period has never been experienced in Turkey. ” With those words, he summarized the events that had happened since 2013 and he expressed his concerns about the future. While talking about what the government has done to the Hizmet Movement, he shared a concern with me as if he felt what would happen to him. “Will they come to this house tomorrow? If they come, I will die. At this age, if they try to detain me, I cannot live much longer due to my illness.”
At that moment, my heart was hurt. I did not know how to comfort him in despair and helplessness. I could only say “I hope such a thing will not happen”. But what he was afraid of happened to Ahmet. In an operation carried out at the beginning of August, the prosecutor also decided to detain Zeki Önal (Ahmet Selim).
The day the police came to Ahmet’s home, I do not know what happened in that house. Because I could neither attend the funeral nor make a condolence visit. I only followed the process on the internet. I was so pleased when I saw the news that Zeki Önal and Hilmi Yavuz had not been detained due to their old age and health problems, that they were not taken to the Police Department and their homes were searched…
When pessimistic predictions and depressing delusions captured my mind, I always looked at the good side and thought that the situation of Ahmet was not that bad. But the news that came on Friday morning, August 19th, showed that his tired body struggling with diseases could only endure this pain for two weeks.
AHH AHMET BROTHER AHHHHH…
There was a lot to do and there was a huge book project to finish.
Remember the day when you had a smiley face when I entered with gifts with high sentimental value. You were lost between some astonishment and some longing, back and forth.
You were saying “You made my day. This is such a beautiful surprise” repeatedly, because those gifts were precious and given by a close friend you took important.
From time to time, you were glancing at the gifts with eyes which you were trying to hide from me, and you were probably not want me to see the longing which was burning you.
Ahmet was a man of memories…
It was the same that day. He was lost in the past years…
“I remember it as if it is today. He used that door to enter. He had a tremendous appearance. But he was so much modest as well. A modesty which does not bother you and which embraces you. I sometimes imagine he enters through this door. I also sometimes imagine I go to him. I talk with my valuable teacher for hours and share my problems with him.
***
There were long distances, yet Ahmet used to have imaginary talks with his valuable teacher and try to share his agony and problems.
Two sufferers were talking with the language of heart and love by cancelling the long distances.
“Hocaefendi” was faithful too. He did not forget him and sent various gifts to his valuable friend.
The affinity and closeness were apparent in the condolence Gulen wrote.
“I sadly heard the passing of the bright, real intellectual Mr. Ahmet Selim whom I loved more than my own life and who is my valuable and important brother, who acted like a monument of faithfulness since the day I met him and never crossed the line of modesty and humility, who succeed to prove to be none by being none.
I am asking eternal mercy and forgiveness from the Holy God for the deceased person, and I wish patience to the family members, friends, and beloved ones of him.
This calm person of wisdom, who was living as a forced anchorite in his small home, is not among us anymore.
May Allah forgive his mistakes for the sake of the sentimental blessing in the difficult times that Turkey is experiencing, bless him with his Firdevs and beauty.
Amen
BOOKS OF THE AUTHOR
Hüzün Yağmuru-Rain of Sorrow
Uyanış Zamanı-Awakening Time
Nazım Dünya ve Biz-Poetry World and Us
Medeniyet Krizi-Civilization Crisis
Millî-Manevî Bütünlüğümüz- National and Spiritual Unity
Din-dil-Tarih Şuuru – Religion-Language-History Knowledge
Din- Medeniyet ve Laiklik – Religion-Civilization and Secularism
Serbest Vuruş / Efsane Futbolcular ve Gerçekler – Free Kick/Legendary Soccer Players and Facts
Dünya İslâm’a Muhtaç (2 cilt)-The World Needs Islam (2 episodes)
Nâzım Dosyası / Edebiyat – Düşünce – Tenkid Poetry Report/Literature-Thoughts-Criticism
Sevgiyle Yaşamak / Ruhun Hürriyetidir Sevgi To live with love/Love is the freedom of spirit
RESOURCES
https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmet_Selim
