Orhan Pamuk was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2006. He is from Turkey.
Following the publishing of his recent book, Other Colors: Essays and a Story, Charlie Rose interviewed him on a variety of subjects. These include the secular government of Turkey, and the role of Islam.
In 2005, after Pamuk made a statement regarding the mass killings of Armenians and Kurds in the Ottoman Empire , a criminal case was opened against him. Rallies were held to burn his books. The charges were dropped on 22 January 2006. Pamuk has subsequently stated his intent was to draw attention to freedom of expression issues.
This is a fascinating interview especially with the recent prosecution of the Prime Minister of Turkey, Mr. Erdogan, with the intent of banning his party, AKP, and forbidding him from holding public office. The reason behind the prosecution was that Mr. Erdogan and his party had an Islamic Agenda, and that they were trying to undermine the secular government of Turkey. The constitutional court narrowly ruled against that.
Hope you enjoy it:
