Sense about Syria, from Jimmy Carter?

Could it be? Take a look:

Jimmy Carter: A Five-Nation Plan to End the Syrian Crisis

[...] In May 2015, a group of global leaders known as the Elders visited Moscow, where we had detailed discussions with the American ambassador, former President Mikhail S. Gorbachev, former Prime Minister Yevgeny M. Primakov, Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov and representatives of international think tanks, including the Moscow branch of the Carnegie Center.

They pointed out the longstanding partnership between Russia and the Assad regime and the great threat of the Islamic State to Russia, where an estimated 14 percent of its population are Sunni Muslims. Later, I questioned President Putin about his support for Mr. Assad, and about his two sessions that year with representatives of factions from Syria. He replied that little progress had been made, and he thought that the only real chance of ending the conflict was for the United States and Russia to be joined by Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia in preparing a comprehensive peace proposal. He believed that all factions in Syria, except the Islamic State, would accept almost any plan endorsed strongly by these five, with Iran and Russia supporting Mr. Assad and the other three backing the opposition. With his approval, I relayed this suggestion to Washington.

For the past three years, the Carter Center has been working with Syrians across political divides, armed opposition group leaders and diplomats from the United Nations and Europe to find a political path for ending the conflict. This effort has been based on data-driven research about the Syrian catastrophe that the center has conducted, which reveals the location of different factions and clearly shows that neither side in Syria can prevail militarily.

The recent decision by Russia to support the Assad regime with airstrikes and other military forces has intensified the fighting, raised the level of armaments and may increase the flow of refugees to neighboring countries and Europe. At the same time, it has helped to clarify the choice between a political process in which the Assad regime assumes a role and more war in which the Islamic State becomes an even greater threat to world peace. With these clear alternatives, the five nations mentioned above could formulate a unanimous proposal. Unfortunately, differences among them persist.

[...]

The involvement of Russia and Iran is essential. Mr. Assad’s only concession in four years of war was giving up chemical weapons, and he did so only under pressure from Russia and Iran. Similarly, he will not end the war by accepting concessions imposed by the West, but is likely to do so if urged by his allies.

Mr. Assad’s governing authority could then be ended in an orderly process, an acceptable government established in Syria, and a concerted effort could then be made to stamp out the threat of the Islamic State. [...]

I'm not a Jimmy Carter fan. But if you read the whole thing, for the full context, it actually makes sense. Even a broken clock is right twice a day. Carter may be right about this. It should be seriously considered.

*

     

Catstantinople? “Being a cat in Istanbul is like being a cow in India,”

Why Istanbul Should Be Called Catstantinople
Turkish city can’t quit delighting in felines; ‘like being a cow in India’

ISTANBUL—In this ancient city once ruled by sultans and emperors, the real king is the humble alley cat.

In historic neighborhoods along Istanbul’s Bosporus and Golden Horn waterways, an army of furry-tailed street cats are fed, sheltered and cooed at by an adoring public. Hundreds of fleece-lined houses have been erected at street corners by cat-mad residents. Most are flanked by makeshift feeding stations fashioned from yogurt pots or plastic bottles and overflowing with tasty scraps.

In some districts, ground-floor windowsills are lined with pillows and blankets, offering a cozy place for the discerning kitty to recline. In restaurants and cafes, cats are often part of the furniture, curling up next to dining tables or patiently waiting for leftovers from patrons.

Visitors to the city can dine at one of several cat-theme cafes or stay a night at the Stray Cat Hostel. During a 2009 visit here, President Barack Obama paused to pet Gli, one of dozens of cats living in Hagia Sophia, a museum that was once a Byzantine church and Ottoman mosque.

“Being a cat in Istanbul is like being a cow in India,” said Sibel Resimci, a musician and confessed cat junkie who says her husband often walks nearly 2 miles to work rather than disturb street cats sleeping on his moped. “For generations, they’ve had a special place in the city’s soul.”

Now, Istanbul’s feline fetish is adapting to the digital age.

Social media sites offering daily pictures of the city’s cutest street cats boast tens of thousands of followers. Web developers have created apps to help adopt and locate users’ favorite kitties. Local filmmakers have released a trailer for their coming feature film “Nine Lives” on video sharing platform Vimeo. Wildly popular YouTube tutorials show Istanbul residents how to build shelters and feeding stations so cats can nap and nibble in maximum comfort. The #catsofistanbul hashtag on photo-sharing website Instagram has more than 50,000 posts of cats nonchalantly—and almost always adorably—doing their thing.

[...]

Cats have a special place in Islam: Muslim lore tells of a cat thwarting a poisonous snake that had approached the Prophet Muhammad. One teaching tells that he found a cat sleeping on his shawl and opted to cut the fabric rather than disturb the animal. A popular saying goes: “If you’ve killed a cat, you need to build a mosque to be forgiven by God.”

The feline fetish is also functional: In the 19th century, cats were bred in large numbers for pest control to kill a rat population thriving in the city’s expanding sewage system. Before that, they helped Istanbul avoid the worst of a bubonic plague epidemic spread by rats.

Cats are even hard-wired into the city’s iconography and political culture.

In the bowels of Istanbul metro stations, pictures of waterside cityscapes feature cats posing alongside fisherman, in some cases munching the daily catch. Cat cartoons are used to satirize politicians: a digitized picture of a mustachioed sour puss named Recep Tayyip Erdocat was shared thousands of times last year, in a not-too subtle effort to lampoon Turkey’s pugilistic President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. [...]

Who knew? See the whole article for pics, videos, links and more.

     

An Embryonic New Turkey?

Not the bird, but the country. They recently had an election. Before the election, there was this:

Why Turkey's election doesn't matter

[...] The focus is not the usual one on "Who will form the next government?" Analysts agree that the Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, or AKP), in power since 2002, will win again. But will it have to sign up a junior partner? Will it win sufficient seats to change the constitution and fulfill President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's plan to turn his position from a largely symbolic one into a fully executive position?

Erdoğan wants powers so wide reaching that he actually compares them to those wielded by absolute Saudi monarchs. Ironically, those powers would be extracted from the prime minister, which position Erdoğan filled for eleven years until last August, when he voluntarily ceded the position to a hand-picked successor, a mild-mannered academic, and moved over to the grander but far less powerful presidency.

Expressed numerically, the question fascinating Turks is whether the AKP will win a one-seat majority (276 seats out of 550) to rule alone, the 3/5s majority (330 seats) enabling it to change the constitution pending a public referendum, or the 2/3s majority (367 seats) required to change it unilaterally.

The main drama concerns a new party, the leftist, Kurdish-oriented Peoples' Democratic Party (Halkların Demokratik Partisi, or HDP): Will it manage to reach the world's highest threshold of 10 percent of the total vote and enter parliament, in this, its first national campaign? If yes, it will could deprive the AKP of its majority 276 seats; if no, the AKP will likely reach that number and maybe even the magic 330.

But where others find high drama, I see near-tedium, and for two reasons. First, the AKP has used ballot-box shenanigans and other dirty tricks in the past; many indications point to its preparing to do so again, especially in Kurdish-majority districts.

Second, since the moment Erdoğan's presidency began nine months ago, he has behaved as though his wished-for constitutional changes had already been effected; he has chaired cabinet meetings, chose AKP candidates, leaned on the judiciary, and deployed a bevy of "czars" to compete with the prime minister's staff. He is lord of all he surveys.

He also blatantly defies the ban on political activities by the president, illegally stumping the country, worshipful governmental media at his disposal, Koran often in hand, urging citizens to vote AKP and thereby enhance his powers as cumhurbaşkan.

As he transforms a flawed democracy and NATO ally into a rogue state, ostrich-like Western governments sentimentally pretend it's still the 1990s, with Ankara a reliable ally, and abet his growing despotism.

Therefore, I conclude, how many seats the AKP wins hardly matters. Erdoğan will barrel, bulldoze, and steamroll his way ahead, ignoring traditional and legal niceties with or without changes to the constitution. Sure, having fully legitimate powers would add a pretty bauble to his résumé, but he's already tyrant and Turkey's course is set.

Being a brilliant domestic operator and also an egomaniac in a tinderbox of a region suggests where Erdoğan's future troubles lie – abroad. Under his leadership, Ankara suffers poor to terrible relations at present with nearly the entire neighborhood, including Moscow, Tehran, Baghdad, Damascus, Jerusalem, Cairo, Athens, the Republic of Cyprus, and even with the new leader of Turkish Cyprus. [...]

Sounds pretty grim. But is it really that bleak? The election has happened now, and the results are in:

Turkey election: Erdoğan accepts no party has mandate to govern alone

The election result brought forth an embryonic new Turkey, but not the one the president wanted.

It produced what is tantamount to a cultural revolution in Turkish political life. Women will pour into the 550-seat parliament in Ankara in unprecedented numbers, 98 up from 79. Openly gay candidates won seats for the HDP. Most of all, the long-repressed Kurdish minority (one in 5 citizens) will be properly represented in the parliament for the first time with 80 seats.

“This is the first time that feminists in Turkey actively supported a political party,” said feminist activist Mehtap Dogan. “Up until now we have always done politics on our own, away from parliament. But this time we ran a campaign supporting the HDP because we believed in their sincerity when it comes to defending the rights of women, LGBTs and ethnic minorities.”

The HDP is the first party to introduce a quota of 50% female politicians, and all party offices and HDP-run municipalities are chaired by both a man and a woman.

The party’s successful attempt to break out of ethnic identity politics and broaden its appeal well beyond the Kurdish issue owes much to leader Selahattin Demirtas’ magnetism and his message of outreach.

But the mass protest movement born in a central Istanbul park two years ago and which mushroomed into national protests which Erdogan crushed mercilessly also fed in to the HDP’s support.

“During the Gezi [park] protests, many got an idea of what Kurds had to go through for years: the violence, the repression, the unjust arrests. It opened our eyes to the Kurdish suffering,” said Dogan. “At the same time, we saw how the pro-government press tried to turn our legitimate, peaceful protests into acts of terrorism.”

Just as Erdogan branded the protesters two years ago “riff-raff”, “terrorists” and “foreign agents”, in the election campaign he stoked division and malice by repeatedly smearing his HDP opponents as “terrorists, marginals, gays and atheists.”

He asked religiously conservative voters not to cast their ballots for “such people who have nothing to do with Islam.”

The tactic backfired as many religiously conservative Kurds shifted their votes from the AKP to a party that promised to represent everyone’s interests. [...]

Erdoğan may well try to push ahead anyway, but it won't be easy for him, he will have opposition. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds.
     

Turkeys, Presidents and Pardons

President Obama Should Save His Pardon and Eat the Turkeys

The White House wants you, America, to decide which of two turkeys President Barack Obama crowns the “National Thanksgiving Turkey.” Both turkeys — named Caramel and Popcorn — are getting presidential pardons Wednesday morning, so online voters aren’t picking which bird dies and which bird lives. The reality is actually worse: Both Caramel and Popcorn will soon die regardless of the public’s vote. [...]

The article goes on to explain that, because the turkeys are bred to be eaten, they are overweight, and don't have long lives. Most pardoned turkeys are dead by the next thanksgiving, and in the interim suffer multiple health problems.

So who started the turkey pardoning thing anyway? Well, it was dabbled with by several presidents, but one made it an official tradition. Guess who?

The Definitive History of the Presidential Turkey Pardon

Happy Thanksgiving!
     

What's going on in Turkey?

Turkey clips military's wings in landmark verdict
 

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The jailing of hundreds of Turkish army officers including top generals accused of plotting to topple Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan underscored how far he has come in gaining control of the country's once all-powerful military.

But Erdogan, 10 years in power, must grapple with suspicions among critics and even some sympathizers that he is using this and other coup investigations to silence opposition as he sets about taming a militant secularist establishment. Far from flinching, he may seek more power in a revamped presidency.

The verdict against 325 officers at the end of the 21-month trial on Friday would have been unthinkable a decade ago, when generals regularly intervened in policy-making as self-appointed guardians of Turkish secularism.

Judges in the case, dubbed Sledgehammer, handed down prison sentences ranging from six to 20 years against the officers for plotting to wreck Erdogan's rule almost 10 years ago, soon after his Islamist-rooted party swept to power with the biggest share of the vote in decades.

Hilmi Ozkok, who was head of the armed forces at the time, rejected accusations the court's decision was driven by revenge.

"The ruling will serve as a deterrent and has a lesson for everyone ... in understanding how much Turkey and the rest of the world has changed," Ozkok told Milliyet newspaper on Sunday.

[...]

 

Under Erdogan, a devout Muslim, curbs on religion have been relaxed. Women are allowed to more freely wear the Islamic headscarf, alcohol is heavily taxed, and students at religious high schools are able to more easily attend university.

Journalists complain of pressure to write favorable stories about the government, and a number of writers are among those arrested under another plot investigation, "Ergenekon".

"This (Sledgehammer) case is an important step towards ending the army's political role but it's not enough to stop it completely," said Sahin Alpay, professor of political science at Bahcesehir University and a columnist for Zaman, seen as close to the government.

"Now we need a new constitution and laws that place the army under civilian supervision and reform military schools to reflect the values of a liberal democracy," he said.

A new constitution is now under consideration to replace a restrictive code inherited from the military after a 1980 coup. Turkey may well emerge from the debate with a presidential republic and a powerful president in Erdogan.

Alpay acknowledged there were questions about the case with so many defendants on trial at once, the judges' refusal to allow in some defense evidence and the lengthy sentences.

A key issue at appeal is likely to be the defense's inability to submit legal expert testimony that computer documents submitted as evidence appeared fake.

Defense lawyers said they would appeal the verdict this week to Turkey's upper court and, if necessary, eventually apply to the European Court of Human Rights. [...]

I've posted before about the complexity of Turkish politics. Both the secular and the religious sides have legitimate complaints and concerns. It's not easy to sort it all out, and even more difficult to guess where it's all going to lead to.
   

German Chancellor Merkel Makes Waves

Angela Merkel declares death of German multiculturalism
Chancellor's remarks, which claimed multiculturalism had 'failed utterly', interpreted as a shift rightwards from previous views

[...] Merkel's verdict marks a shift in her previously liberal line on immigration which had always put her at odds with the more conservative wing of the party.

While she stressed in the same speech that immigrants were welcome in Germany and that Islam was a part of the nation's modern-day culture, her remarks positioned her closer to Horst Seehofer, the Bavarian state premier of the Christian Social Union, who last week called for an end to immigration from Turkey and Arab countries.

They also align her with Thilo Sarrazin, the former Bundesbank member whose book on how the failure of many of Germany's 16 million immigrants to integrate was contributing to Germany's decline led to his dismissal.

Sharing the same podium as Merkel in Potsdam, Seehofer also said "multi-culturalism is dead" and that both the rightwing parties were committed to a "dominant German culture". If Germany did not revise its immigration policies, he said, it was in danger of becoming "the world's welfare office".

Seehofer insisted his statement was "an attempt to stop rightwing lunatics" but Jürgen Trittin, for the Greens, called the comments "shabby" and in danger of "lending social acceptability to views similar to those of rightwing extremists". There is a labour shortage in Germany. The chamber of industry and commerce has said that Germany is short of 400,000 skilled workers and that the gap is costing €25bn a year, equivalent to 1% of growth annually.

While industrialists have called on the government to remove obstacles stopping more skilled workers entering Germany, citing lengthy bureaucratic procedures as well as unrealistic thresholds, others say that long-term unemployed German workers should be given more of a chance first. Merkel insisted in her speech that immigrant workers should not be considered "until we have done all we can to help our own people to become qualified and give them a chance".

The issue has caused tension within Merkel's year-old coalition with the pro-business Free Democrats.

Labour minister Ursula von der Leyen, a member of Merkel's party, has said it was an illusion to believe people were queueing up to enter Germany.

"For several years more people have been leaving our country than entering it," she said in an interview. "Wherever it is possible, we must lower the entry hurdles for those who bring the country forward."

Merkel faces pressure to take a tougher line on immigration, particularly on so-called "integrationsverweigerer" or those immigrants who show a lack of willingness to adapt to the majority culture, by, for example, refusing to attend German language classes. [...]

There were hints that this was coming, when Merkel visited Turkey in March, when she stressed that immigrants needed to at least learn the language an integrate, if not assimilate. And there have been ongoing problems with honor killings of women who have tried to integrate or assimilate to German culture.

The article goes on to say that a study showed that 30% of Germans who were questioned believe that Germany is being over-run by foreigners. There are lots of reasons why Merkel is changing her tune somewhat. But whatever the reasons, I'm sure the Leftist multi-culturalists are going to bring out their long knives for Merkel now.
     

Germany Exercises it's Political Muscles

Germany Awakes. Rules of the Game Are Changing in Europe

[...] Germany is refusing to bail out Greece. Earlier this week, Chancellor Merkel told the Bundestag that Greece should be expelled from the eurozone if its financial problems risk dragging the euro down. France and the European Commission in Brussels reacted furiously to this suggestion. Barroso dismissed Merkel’s words as “absurd.” Paris and Brussels insist that the EU come to the financial rescue of Athens. Since most of the money for a rescue operation will have to come from Germany, however, such a decision cannot be taken without Berlin’s approval.

Bullying Berlin does not seem to be a clever move. Merkel’s Bundestag declaration followed shortly after Greek Deputy Prime Minister Theodoros Pangalos had accused the Germans of exploiting the Greek debt crisis for their own financial and economic benefit. “By speculating on Greek bonds at the expense of your friend and partner, by allowing [German] credit institutions to participate in this deplorable game, some people are making money,” the Greek Socialist said. “A cheap euro makes the south of Europe suffer, while German exports benefit.”

Last month, Pangalos had angered the Germans by demanding that Berlin pay reparations for Nazi crimes. “The Nazis took away the Greek gold that was in the Bank of Greece and they never gave it back,” he said. The German Foreign Ministry responded that in 1960 Germany paid Athens 115m German marks in compensation for the Nazi occupation and that “parallel to this, since 1960 Germany has paid around 33bn marks in aid to Greece both bilaterally and in the context of the EU.”

The Germans no longer accept being required to be the EU’s paymasters to atone for their Nazi past. There is also an increase in euroscepticism in German public opinion. While Germany introduced austerity measures and trimmed down its welfare system, countries such as Greece refused to do so, relying on the fact that the EU (read: Germany) would bail them out when they got in trouble in order to save the euro.

In Europe, the political rules of the game are changing. An editorial in Wednesday’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), Germany’s most influential newspaper, drew attention to the fact that “The biggest member state, which has for so long silently been the guarantee of the EU, has now openly expressed that it is no longer prepared to pay any price for European unification. The present Euro crisis is more than a monetary matter. … The image of [Germany as] the paymaster of Europe, the caricature of the Brussels bureaucracy, and the growing displeasure with the loss of [German] Sovereignty has shaped a eurosceptic fundamental sentiment, into which the Greek debacle has landed like a bomb. No German government today can afford to put the European interest before the German interest, especially not in core issues as monetary policy. And even if it tried, it can reckon on being opposed in the German Constitutional Court.” [...]

Meanwhile, Angela Merkel is making a state visit to Turkey:

Merkel tells Turkey EU talks 'open-ended'

ANKARA — German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Turkey Monday that its membership talks with the European Union did not guarantee accession and urged it to grant trade privileges to EU-member Cyprus.

"The rules of the game have changed" since Turkey first applied to become a member of the bloc five decades ago, Merkel said through an interpreter after talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"The (accession) negotiations are an open-ended process. We should now pursue this open-ended process," she added, suggesting that Turkey's integration with the bloc does not have to be full membership.

Along with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Merkel remains one of the staunchest opponents of Turkey's bid to join the European Union, arguing that a vast, relatively poor country with a mainly Muslim 71-million population has no place in Europe.

She has instead proposed a "privileged partnership" between Turkey and the bloc, an alternative Ankara flatly rejects.

Merkel however stressed the immediate task for Ankara was to open its ports to vessels from Cyprus -- an EU member Ankara does not recognize -- under a customs union accord with the Union.

"The most important issue is the implementation of the protocol... We have to deal with the Cyprus issue. That would be to the benefit of us all," she said.

Turkey's refusal to grant trade privileges to Cyprus has led Brussels to freeze talks in eight of the 35 chapters that candidates must successfully negotiate prior to membership.

Since starting the talks in 2005, Turkey has so far succeeded in opening only 12 chapters.

Merkel also pushed Turkey on Iran, urging it to back Western allies in imposing a possible fresh set of sanctions over Tehran's suspect nuclear activities. [...]

She's pushing for quite a few things. Turkey is still voting against sanctions on Iran. Merkel has made an interesting concession, regarding Turkish schools in Germany. As for Cypress and the rest... it will be interesting to see if she gets anywhere.
     

European Union tries to pick a King President

Or mabye "King" is a better word? Many people feel left out of the process:

Leaders in last-minute attempt to decide top European Council roles
Opposing groups try to find consensus on who should take presidential and foreign minister roles ahead of Brussels summit

The leaders of Europe's main political tribes conferred in Brussels this afternoon in an attempt to hammer out a last-minute consensus on who should be the top two people running the EU's new Lisbon regime, ahead of a crucial Brussels summit.

While Christian democratic government leaders, including the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and France's president, Nicolas Sarkozy, gathered in Brussels, Gordon Brown found himself isolated at a session of the seven centre-left leaders ahead of this evening's summit.

The centre-left leaders, grouped in the Party of European Socialists (PES), hope to secure the new post of European foreign minister, with Italian Massimo D'Alema and Spain's Miguel Angel Moratinos as their frontrunners.

[...]

Last night Merkel provoked anger in other European capitals with the announcement that Germany and France are to strike a deal on who they want for the post of president.

Merkel stated for the first time that she and Sarkozy intended to agree on a common candidate, believed to be the Belgian prime minister, Herman Van Rompuy.

[...]

The Belgian shares the strong opposition of both Sarkozy and Merkel to Turkey joining the EU. In a debate in the Belgian parliament five years ago, Van Rompuy made plain that he viewed the EU as a Christian club with no room for a large Muslim country such as Turkey.

"Turkey is not a part of Europe and will never be part of Europe," Van Rompuy said, years before he became Belgian prime minister. "The universal values which are in force in Europe, and which are also fundamental values of Christianity, will lose vigour with the entry of a large Islamic country such as Turkey."

The EU is divided over Turkey, with France, Germany, and Austria leading hostility to membership, while Britain, Sweden and east European countries are strong supporters of Turkey in Europe.

Van Rompuy's antipathy to Turkey earned him support yesterday for the EU job from the Vlaams Belang, or Flemish Interest, party on the extreme anti-immigrant right wing in Flanders.

But news of a Franco-German alliance triggered anger in some European capitals.

"We're not having a replay of the bad old days when the big guys fixed all the deals," said a Polish official.

Poland campaigned for greater glasnost, to open up the contest for the key jobs. But they have now conceded defeat, although they claim to have the support of 10 of the 27 EU countries. "We had a go," said the Polish official. "We wanted a degree of transparency to address the sceptics. And lots of countries feel that these appointments are just being made over their heads. There's always been a suspicion about the way these deals are done in the EU. This is a genuine example. It puts everyone to shame." [...]

The Lisbon "treaty" is basically the EU constitution that was rejected by European voters. The voters don't elect the EU president, either. Sounds like the "Old" way of doing things, no?

Anyway, it seems lots of people are angry, as the drama continues.


Also see:

Without Opposition: the European Union

Will the EU force Britain to accept the Euro?


     

Danish P.M. Anders Fogh Rasmussen is IN

There were doubts he would be given the position, because of Turkish objections over the fake "Danish Cartoon" controversy, among other things. Concessions were made to the Turks:

NATO leaders pick Dane as new secretary-general

STRASBOURG, France – NATO leaders appointed Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen as NATO's new secretary-general Saturday after overcoming Turkish objections to a leader who angered Muslims around the world by supporting the right to caricature the Prophet Muhammad.

NATO's outgoing head, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, said NATO's 28 member nations reached unanimity after a series of Turkish "concerns" were addressed at the alliance's two-day, 60th-anniversary summit.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters that his government's requests had included the closure of a Kurdish satellite television broadcaster based in Denmark; the establishment of contacts between NATO and Islamic countries; appointment of a Turk as an aide to Fogh Rasmussen and senior NATO command positions for Turkish generals.

Erdogan said President Barack Obama had been heavily involved in the negotiations.

"Our president gave his approval after receiving information that our reservations have been addressed under the guarantorship of Obama," Erdogan said. "We hope our concerns will be met."

Obama said there had been "important efforts to make sure that everyone felt included."

Fogh Rasmussen told a NATO news conference in Danish that the station, Roj TV, was being investigated to find out whether it has any ties with the Kurdish militant group PKK or has advocated terror attacks, something the station has repeatedly denied.

"If it can be proven that Roj TV is involved in terror activities, we will of course do all we can to shut down the television station," he said.

"I have not given in to the Turks," he said on Danish television Saturday evening. "Sometimes it is better to sit face-to-face with people," [...]

The concessions to Turkey are understandable. The PKK has been waging terrorist attacks against Turkey, killing Turkish civilians. The Turkish government has every right to fight that aggressively.

But this AP article annoyed me, because it goes on to talk about why Fogh Rasmussen was "controversial", with out talking about the lies that created the fake controversy in the first place. I had posted about it extensively at the time the Danish Cartoon Riots happened:

The Lying Danish Imams
Should be Put to DEATH... according to Islam!

The American Main Stream Media
and the Danish Cartoons

Do we need a "Star Wars" strategy for Islam?

How can the AP talk about "why Fogh Rasmussen was controversial", without telling you the truth about the controversy? About the massive propaganda campaign that was waged by radical Danish Imams, who went on tour with fake cartoons much worse than the ones published by the Danish. The imams claimed those were the ones published, and they told lies about the Danish people attacking Islam, in order to incite Muslims into rioting, to use that as a political force.

Why did the AP leave that part of the story out? I'll tell you why they did: Political Correctness. Truth be damned.

I say, damn the liars. Anyway, hopefully it's a good thing that Rasmussen got in, and that Turkish concerns are being addressed.
     

How "Green" is your Thanksgiving going to be?

I'm not interested in politically correct meals, but the artist did a great job with the graphic, and the facts are mildly interesting.


Click on the image to see a larger version, or visit the source page at the Washington Post:

Greener, Step by Step

The Jihad Element in Turkish Culture

Turkey's ruling AKP party is Muslim and is often attacked by Turkey's secular socialist left. But Muslim Extremists are also unhappy with the AKP for cooperating with the US and Israel. Radical Turkish Islamists are increasingly preaching Jihad.



Imam Of University In Van: “Listen And Hear! Your Worst Enemy Is The Jew, the Jewish infidels; Even Allah Announced And Warned Us That The Jews Are Our Eternal Enemies”

At an Islamists meeting on March 17, 2008 in Van, organized by the ‘Solidarity with Palestine Platform’, the imam of the university in Van [YYU] Osman Gulacar spoke about the importance of making sacrifices for the Islamic umma and asked everyone in the audience to help the resistance by donating to Islam’s army, promising them rewards in heaven:

Follow the link for the text, and photos of the event. Not exactly a fun group.




Radical Islamist In Van: “There Are Many Brave Sons In Every Corner Of This Country Who Yearn To Sacrifice Their Lives To Defend Palestine Against The Rabid Jews Whom Allah Declared Our Enemy”

The Islamist activist and chief editor of many Islamist websites Nureddin Sirin is a permanent speaker in most of the increasingly frequent and jihadist Islamist events, rallies and gatherings all across Turkey. Following are excerpts of what he said on March 17, 2008 in Van:

You can follow the link for the text... Ugh. I had posted previously about religious reforms in Turkey that the government was introducing, to help bring Turkey and Islam into the 21st century. But whenever reforms are introduced into Islam, they are usually met with resistance, often violent. It would seem that the Jihadi element of Islam in Turkey is attempting to assert itself. But how large is it, and how large will it grow?

The secular socialist left maintains that the Islamists are a part of the AKP. The AKP, while being religious conservatives, maintain they are not extremists. Thus far they have not endorsed Jihad officially by their actions, although some AKP members have given speeches to the Jihadists that have encouraged them in their extremist views.

It seems the AKP is attempting a balancing act. How successful they will be at maintaining it remains to be seen.
     

Will Turkey bring Islam into the 21st century?

For a long time, I had ambivalent feelings about Turkey. I felt the Bush administration was too soft on them, too cooperative, too accommodating. But as I have read more and more about Turkey, and come to understand more about the situation there, I've come to better understand our policies in dealing with them. Among Islamic countries, Turkey is a very special place. While there might be much to criticize, there is also a great deal to praise and admire. I've criticized them a lot in the past, but in this post, I can only praise them.

I have found the following article astounding in it's implications:

Turkey in radical revision of Islamic texts

Turkey is preparing to publish a document that represents a revolutionary reinterpretation of Islam - and a controversial and radical modernisation of the religion.

The country's powerful Department of Religious Affairs has commissioned a team of theologians at Ankara University to carry out a fundamental revision of the Hadith, the second most sacred text in Islam after the Koran.

The Hadith is a collection of thousands of sayings reputed to come from the Prophet Muhammad.

As such, it is the principal guide for Muslims in interpreting the Koran and the source of the vast majority of Islamic law, or Sharia.

"This is kind of akin to the Christian Reformation. Not exactly the same, but... it's changing the theological foundations of [the] religion"
           Fadi Hakura, Turkey expert, Chatham House

But the Turkish state has come to see the Hadith as having an often negative influence on a society it is in a hurry to modernise, and believes it responsible for obscuring the original values of Islam.

It says that a significant number of the sayings were never uttered by Muhammad, and even some that were need now to be reinterpreted.

'Reformation'

Commentators say the very theology of Islam is being reinterpreted in order to effect a radical renewal of the religion. [...]

They are talking here about a very logical, educated, calm and rational look at the Hadiths, in context of all the history they were written in, and reinterpreting them for a modern world. This is practically unheard of in the Muslim world.

And in case you think this is just posturing on the part of the Turkish government, I would say look closer. Look at not just what they say, but what they are doing:

[...] As part of its aggressive programme of renewal, Turkey has given theological training to 450 women, and appointed them as senior imams called "vaizes".

They have been given the task of explaining the original spirit of Islam to remote communities in Turkey's vast interior.

One of the women, Hulya Koc, looked out over a sea of headscarves at a town meeting in central Turkey and told the women of the equality, justice and human rights guaranteed by an accurate interpretation of the Koran - one guided and confirmed by the revised Hadith.

She says that, at the moment, Islam is being widely used to justify the violent suppression of women.

"There are honour killings," she explains.

"We hear that some women are being killed when they marry the wrong person or run away with someone they love.

"There's also violence against women within families, including sexual harassment by uncles and others. This does not exist in Islam... we have to explain that to them."

'New Islam'

According to Fadi Hakura, an expert on Turkey from Chatham House in London, Turkey is doing nothing less than recreating Islam - changing it from a religion whose rules must be obeyed, to one designed to serve the needs of people in a modern secular democracy.

He says that to achieve it, the state is fashioning a new Islam.

[...]

Significantly, the "Ankara School" of theologians working on the new Hadith have been using Western critical techniques and philosophy.

They have also taken an even bolder step - rejecting a long-established rule of Muslim scholars that later (and often more conservative) texts override earlier ones.

"You have to see them as a whole," says Fadi Hakura.

"You can't say, for example, that the verses of violence override the verses of peace. This is used a lot in the Middle East, this kind of ideology.

"I cannot impress enough how fundamental [this change] is."

(bold emphasis mine) They aren't just talking the talk, they're walking the walk! They are taking this out to the people, even in rural areas. Reinterpreted Islam may still seem like a strict religion to people in the West, but it's not near as harsh as Islam as practiced in places like Saudi Arabia or Iran.

I'd love to go through the whole article point by point, just to emphasize what a big deal this really is, to emphasize the "how" and "why" of it, but then I'd have to republish the whole thing here, so instead I would just urge you to read the whole thing. It's not very long, but it is very important. It's an answer to one of my most fervent prayers!

I know that this does not solve all problems, but I also know we are not at war with the whole of Islam. We NEED friends in the Islamic world, and in Turkey we may have friends well worth supporting.

Here is a link to a page that has this and all my other posts about Turkey:

Compilation of posts about Turkey and Turkishness
     

Muslim Children Eat Fluorescent Bulbs...

... and the cult's disciples have metal skewers stuck through their bodies and pounded into their heads. Nice.




I once read an article by a Turkish writer who mentioned that Turkish Islamists liked fluorescent bulbs, but I didn't think that meant EATING them.


From MEMRI's Turkish Media Blog - Hurriyet: Horrifying Images Of Rituals By A Turkish Islamist Sect

The mainstream, top selling Turkish daily Hurriyet published today photos taken from an Islamist CD that is selling like hot cakes in the southeastern city of Sanliurfa, for about $1.50 each.

The video depicts dhikr rituals where the Islamist sheik and his helpers are mutilating the bodies of their disciples by inserting metal skewers into their heads and bodies, as well as making young children eat long fluorescent light bulbs. [...]

And what do you call this? Literally pounding religious indoctrination into your followers heads? Do you really need to put a hole in the head first, so you can just pour the Islam in? Many people in Turkey fear that the old "backwardness" within Turkish Islam is reasserting itself. This is probably one good example of why those fears exist.

They may call it religion, but it looks like child abuse to me, at least when kids are involved. They aren't all little kids, many are teens and young men... which probably encourages the kids to try it? There are photos with younger kids, but I can't see exactly what's being done to them.


Follow the link for more gross pictures, and links to the source, with links to even more photos. If you can stomach it.


I've seen this piercing thing before, in India yogi's do that kind of thing. But the fluorescent bulb eating... yet another new use found for modern technology by Muslim fanatics? I can't explain it.

These folks, IMO, have WAY too much time on their hands.


For more Turkish News visit MEMRI's Turkish Media Blog
     

Islamist AKP chooses Gul for President

Just as it was predicted earlier, it has now come to pass:


AKP's Long Awaited Decision Comes: It Is Abdullah Gul For President

Turkish news agencies are announcing that during the AKP’s Central Executive Board (MIK) meeting that just ended, it was decided for FM Abdullah Gul to be AKP’s candidate for president.

Tomorrow Gul will visit opposition leaders to seek their support. After his round of visits with all the opposition parties, Gul will officially announce his candidacy.

CHP, MHP and DSP have declared their opposition to Gul’s candidacy for president and have been demanding that PM Erdogan keeps his promise to find a compromise candidate that would be acceptable to all the parties.

Source: Hurriyet, Yeni Safak, Turkey, August 13, 2007

Turkish Columnist Ozdemir Ince: Gul's Presidency Violates Democracy, Secular Nature of Public Space

Hurriyet columnist Ozdemir Ince wrote that he has nothing to say to the Islamist writers and media who passionately campaigned for Gul’s presidency because their goals are clear: They want an Islamist republic and they want to take their revenge from [on] the secular state that they are opposed to.

But to those who tried to connect Gul’s presidency with democracy, Ince says that public space is neutral as described by the constitution. Nobody can carry his faith that is in his private domain to the public space. Public space belongs to everybody equally but is not owned by anybody. It cannot belong 47% to AKP, 20% to CHP, 14% to MHP and so on. Even if a political party gets 99% of the vote it cannot claim the public space as its. The 1% - believer or non-believer - is equal to the 99% in the public space. Bringing one’s own private religion and its political symbols to the public space that should essentially be neutral, is against democracy, against equality, secularism and the law.

Source: Hurriyet, Turkey, August 14, 2007

(bold emphasis mine). Gul's candidacy is one of the major contention points that led to the call for new elections. This is sure to make a lot of people angry.

Many people maintain that devout Islamists know how to play the multi-culti game, by pretending to be respectful of views different of their own, even making promises they have no intention of keeping, until such time as they can take power and enforce their own views. Is that what we are seeing here?

More on why this matters: A Synopsis of Turkey's Political Situation.
     

Will AKP's Gul be Turkey's President?

Erdogan (on the left), talking to Gul
Sabah Columnist: "It Will Be Gul, 100%"

Columnist Rusen Cakir of mainstream Turkish daily Sabah who is well connected with AKP circles, wrote today that the new president will be Gul, with 100% certainty. Cakir argues that despite the views of the mainstream media that reflect the wishes of the 53% of the people that did not vote for AKP in the elections, and their expectation that PM Erdogan will keep his promise to seek compromise on the candidate for president, Gul will soon be declared as the only candidate and will become the next president.

According to Cakir AKP cannot ignore the will of its Islamist base - that will always remain as the party’s core and backbone – despite the illusion of its slide towards the center.

Source: Sabah, Turkey, August 11, 2007

(bold emphasis mine) PM Erdogan and Gul both have wives who obey Sharia law and cover their heads. One point of contention that led to calling of new elections was Erdogan's plan to appoint Gul as president, because of his conservative Islamist views. During the last election Erdogan implied he would choose someone more moderate to fill the presidents position, for the sake of national unity. The AKP won with more votes than any other party, but not a majority of total votes. Everyone now is waiting to see what Erdogan will do.

Supporters of secular government in Turkey fear the Islamist AKP will bring Religion into government and reintroduce "backwardness" as the dominant force in Turkish society and culture.

What is "backwardness"? It could be many things, but the following is a good example:


Honor Killings in Turkey Claimed Lives of Mother, Daughter

A woman (47) deserted her husband in Kars, in eastern Turkey, and moved in with her divorced daughter (27), mother of three. They were located by the husband/father and his son who came yesterday to the women’s home in Kocaeli, where the 19 year old son brutally killed his mother and his sister by beating them on the head with a bat, with his three young nephews watching.

Source: Hurriyet, Zaman, Turkey, August 10, 2007

(bold emphasis mine) Great example for those young nephews to learn by, eh? No wonder the women were fleeing. Imagine what it must have been like living with such men? Such men and their beliefs, that's backwardness.

One can argue that perhaps not all of the AKP members approve of such "honor killings"; Yet there is little doubt that the men who do approve of such practices support the AKP. Is it any wonder why so many Turks are concerned about religion in government overtaking their country?

There are many arguments -some of them compelling- in support of the AKP. They do enjoy support even from outside their core Islamist constituency. But it's the beliefs of that dominant core that have so many worried.

Here is a compilation page showing this and all my other prior posts that talk about or mention Turkey. There are lots of photos from the protests in support of secularism.
     

The US faces diplomatic mine field with Turkey

US Works to Ease Tensions With Turkey

This article by DESMOND BUTLER at TownHall.com explains many of the issues between the U.S. and Turkey that are making our diplomatic ties with them so very difficult to navigate. It's not a long article, but it lays out the dangers pretty well. I haven't posted excerpts, because there are too many important points mentioned, it's hard to pick just one or two. It's worth reading the whole thing.

In other recent news from Turkey:

ODP, Sixth Party in Turkish Parliament

Independent MP Ufuk Uras joined the Freedom and Solidarity Party (ODP) bringing the number of the political parties represented in the new Turkish parliament to six. Uras, a leftist, was ODP’s former leader. He had resigned from his party prior to the general elections to run as an independent, thus overcoming the barrier of the necessary 10% threshold for political parties. Yesterday, Uras joined his party (ODP) again.

While only two parties (AKP and CHP) were represented in the previous parliament, July 22 general elections have produced a wider representation in the legislature.

The current distribution in the 550 member parliament is as follows:

AKP: 341; CHP: 99; MHP: 70; DTP: 20; DSP: 13; ODP: 1; Independents: 5; Vacant (due to the death of a MHP MP): 1

Source: Sabah, Turkish Daily News, Turkey, August 7, 2007

(bold emphasis mine) Hopefully this new more diverse parliament will ease some of the tensions that the previous parliament created.

I can only wonder at what the name "Ufuk Uras" sounds like in Turkish. I don't know how one would pronounce it in English on radio or TV, if the need arose. He has his own website at: www.ufukuras.net.

You can click here to see a compilation of this and other posts I've done about Turkey.
     

A Synopsis of Turkey's Political Situation

(Read Cox & Forkum's related commentary and links HERE.)
Now it's official; the AKP Islamist party wins in Turkey. What will this mean for the future of secularism in Turkish government? Why should we care?

For anyone who wants to understand what the political crisis in Turkey is all about, this informative page at MEMRI.ORG by R. Krespin quickly sums up who the major players are, and what the concerns are about. An excerpt:

The Upcoming Elections in Turkey (1): General Background

Introduction

The AKP's refusal to seek a consensus presidential candidate, its uncompromising effort to appoint "a religious [i.e. Islamist] president" from the AKP ranks, the secrecy surrounding who their candidate would be, and the last-minute announcement of Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul from the Islamist Milli Gorus movement as the candidate, have all pushed Turkey into a political crisis.

Rice shaking hands with AKP member Gul
Millions of Turks participated in demonstrations against the AKP government, its Islamist agenda, the appointment of Islamists to key positions in public institutions, and especially against the attempt to nominate an Islamist presidential candidate - a nomination that would jeopardize Turkey's system of checks and balances, creating a situation where both the prime minister and the president belong to the Islamist camp.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's political moves provoked a controversial memorandum from the Turkish military establishment, which is - traditionally and by the power accorded to it in the constitution - the guardian of the secular regime in Turkey.

On presidential election day, members of the opposition parties boycotted the election by not participating in the first round of the vote, and the necessary quorum of 367 MPs (two thirds of the 550-member parliament) was not reached. The matter ended up in the High Constitutional Court, which decided to annul the first round of the vote.

The mass demonstrations, the memorandum by the military and the High Court's decision forced the AKP to declare early parliamentary elections, to take place on July 22, 2007.


"Turkey: Sweeping Victory For Erdogan's Party".
In this cartoon we see the Red Turkish National Flag turning green (a favored color of Islamist extremists), and Erdogan's face is appearing on the cresent.
Source: Al-Mustaqbal, Lebanon, July 24, 2007

The Political Scene

Turkey's election system - which, during its five years in power, the AKP has refused to change - allows only parties receiving 10% of the vote nationwide to be represented in parliament. This threshold, unusually high for a democracy, keeps many smaller parties out of the legislature. It was this factor that brought the AKP to power in November 2002, when it received a two-thirds majority in parliament while receiving only one-third of the national vote. The only other political party that passed the 10% threshold and gained representation in 2002 was the Republican People's Party (CHP).

This system is now placing all the parties of the fragmented opposition at a disadvantage vis-à-vis the AKP.

To overcome the 10% threshold problem, the center-left CHP and the smaller Democratic Left Party (DSP) merged their lists to run together under the CHP. However, unification efforts by the once-powerful conservative center-right Motherland Party (ANAP) and the True Path Party (DYP) under the new name of Democrat Party (DP) were unsuccessful, and ANAP withdrew from the elections process. This failure to produce a strong center-right alternative will probably prove to be the AKP's biggest advantage in the upcoming elections.

The AKP, for its part, included in its candidate list some well-known names from the center right, and even from the social democrats, with the aim of attracting votes from the nonreligious sector.

Among the CHP candidates are also some leading political figures from the center right, who joined the CHP believing it to be the only secular alternative that could challenge the AKP.

Besides the AKP and the CHP, there is the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which has been gaining ground due to the increasingly nationalist sentiment in the country. The MHP - and to some extent the CHP - are being strengthened by the AKP's failure to deal with increased terrorist activity by the PKK, which claims over 60 lives every month. It is also gaining ground due to the government's hesitation to allow the Turkish military to launch a cross-border incursion into northern Iraq where the PKK is based; and by the daily funerals of terror victims that turn into anti-government protests. [...]

It's worth reading the whole thing. There is a lot of tension in the Turkish political arena right now, and no one is certain how this is going to proceed.

Here is a compilation page showing this and all my other prior posts that talk about or mention Turkey. There are lots of photos from the protests in support of secularism.
     

Turkey teetering on dramatic change; will it turn to Europe/America or Russia/Iran? Then what?

Der Spiegel Online has an interesting opinion piece by a Turkish writer:

The Turkish Threat to World Peace

In Turkey, the military and the government are engaged in an all-out struggle for power. The country is deeply divided, and decidedly unstable. Turkish writer Ahmet Altan describes his country's paradoxes and warns of the potentially dire consequences.

Ahmet goes on to describe a large cultural divide between two groups in Turkey: the first, a growing, deeply religious Islamic majority, and the second, a shrinking Westernized secular minority. He then explains the conflict:

[...] The first group has been despised, discredited, and pushed around throughout the years of the Republic. Now this group has become politically organized. It is large. And it now has the political power to win every election.

The second group is in the minority. And it currently has no chance of ever winning another election.

It is at this point that there emerges a historical paradox: Because the more Western, second group knows that it will never come to power again if it observes Western political ideas, it is becoming antagonistic to Western democratic values.

But those in the first group, whose values are inimical to the West, know they will only take power by accepting Western criteria. The result is that they are trying to appropriate democratic values and enhance their relations with the West.

"The army" has an important role in this cultural disintegration. If it supports the first group, and the criteria of Western democracy are observed, the army will lose power as well. In fact the army is made up of children of the first group who are cooperating with the second group, inimical to them, in order hold on to power. In a sense, the army is betraying its own roots.

The two groups now appear to be mobilized for their final battle for power. [...]

The article goes on to discuss the threat of a military coup, and what that would mean politically for Turkey and the rest of the world, and the balance of power in the Middle East.

A military coup could be disastrous for the West. Europe would not accept it; American would be in an extremely difficult position to support it. As a result, if Turkey were to turn towards Russia and Iran as allies rather than Europe and the United States, the balance of power, and the control over world oil supplies, could shift dramatically.

I've been critical of the US policy towards Turkey in the past; but I have to say, this article explains a lot, and makes clear why we are doing what we are doing, and shows why it would be very difficult to do anything else.

Ahmet maintains that the decisions Turkey makes could even lead to a world war! Is that overly dramatic? Is it justified? See for yourself; I recommend reading the whole thing.

Also of interest is another article in Der Spiegel, which asks a crucial question which is causing a lot of anxiety and tension in Turkey presently:

WHO GETS TO PICK THE PRESIDENT?

Turkish Head of State Calls for Referendum

Be sure and read this for more details of the recent events involving the power struggle in Turkey.


Related Links:

Turkish Troubles; are we on the wrong side?

Turks show massive support for secularism
     

Turkish Troubles; are we on the wrong side?

More Turks are pouring into the streets, proudly showing the Turkish flag and marching in support of secular government:

Celebration of Democracy in Izmir; Streets Red With Flags, Banners of 1.5 Million Secular Protestors





(see link above for more photos) So what are we doing? The USA supports the Islamic AKP party, which the protesters warn is trying to institute an Islamic government:

Secular-Centrist Turkish Journalist Voices Thoughts of Many Secular Turks: Americans Have Decided to Hold AKP in Their Hearts

I don't know about Americans embracing AKP; maybe the State Department does, but I suspect that most Americans don't even know much about what's going on in Turkey.

Rice shaking hands with AKP member Gul

Islamist Turkish Dailies Encouraged by Rice's Support For AKP

Their are claims by the opposition that the US is supporting AKP against them. It would seem that the US has reversed itself, or at least become less neutral, toward AKP. In so far as they are elected, you can't just bypass them and deal only with the oppositon. Yet should we be so enthusiastically endorsing them? They have been doing some scary things.

The AKP claims to support secularism in government, but is it true? Certainly many people in Turkey believe their secular government is threatened. Here are some of the reasons why:

AKP party leaders with their wives, with heads fully covered
Turkish High Administrative Court, Danistay: Turkey Threatened by Reactionaryism and Fundamentalism
The highest administrative court in Turkey is reaffirming it's support of the principles and reforms of Ataturk in support of secular government, warning that any action against these principles would be defined as "irtica," that is, reactionaryism, backwardness, and fundamentalism.

The court was physically attacked by Islamists in May of last year, resulting in the death of one of it's judges.

Turkish Education Minister: Under AKP, Hundreds of Imams Were Transferred From Religious Affairs Directorate To Teach Public School
Since the AKP came to power in 2002, 836 trained imams, graduates of madrassa-style Imam Hatip schools that train imams, work as teachers in Turkey's public schools.

Opposition and secular circles in Turkey claim the AKP has been filling most public positions in Turkey with "their men".

AKP Makes Radical Changes in Turkish Constitution in the Last Weeks of Current Parliament
Here I think you have the major issue behind the protests; AKP is trying to make major changes to Turkey's form of government. It's being seen as a power grab by Islamists, circumventing protections built in to the current system to prevent tyranny by a majority.

AKP may believe that if it can get a majority of votes in parliament, it should be able to do whatever it wants. They may claim that is Democracy. But Democracy alone, without the rule of law, is nothing more than mob rule, which always self-destructs without restraints. I think the opposition parties want the restraints to remain in place, lest they get trampled.

Turkish radio is also having it's share of troubles. Some really disturbing comments being made from AKP members... what IS Rice doing? Does she have a clue? I sometimes fear she is too academic in her approach to these issues, without considering enough the reality of circumstances on the ground. I could be wrong about that. History will be the final judge.

It's worth noting that Turkey's secular opposition is not without it's blemishes either; AKP can make good arguments in it's defense, too.

Whichever party leads, I hope secularism in government is maintained.


Related Link:

Turks show massive support for secularism
     

Turks show massive support for secularism

As the presidential elections draw near, demonstrations have been increasing. The crescent and star, an Islamic symbol, is also the national flag of Turkey, which has been displayed prominently as Turks rally in support of their secular democracy.


I've wanted to post about this for a while now. Turks have been taking to the streets in massive demonstrations, in support of keeping their government secular. Here are a selection of posts and photos that have been appearing on Memri.org.

No Hijab for these Turkish ladies.

Demonstrations by Secular Turks Spread Throughout Turkey

[...] Tens of thousands rallied yesterday, May 5, in cities in western Turkey to protest against the AKP party and Islamist fundamentalism, and to assert that the Turkish people desires a secular, democratic Turkey.

Following the giant demonstrations in Ankara (April 14) and in Istanbul (April 29), the protests have spread throughout Turkey. The western Turkish cities of Amasya and Canakkale witnessed today the largest demonstrations in their history. These protests, like the previous demonstrations, were organized and supported mainly by women’s organizations.

A third protest rally took place yesterday in Marmaris, a resort town on the Aegean coast. The messages delivered by demonstrators there were the same as protestors expressed in previous rallies: "Turkey is secular and will remain secular," "No imams and mullahs in Cankaya," "No to Shari’a."[...]

I had wondered these photos some of the demonstrators were carrying. The explanation is given below:

[...] Among the tens of thousands of flags that filled the streets with red was a large poster showing a 1986 photo of Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan kneeling before terrorist leader Hikmetyar, with the caption "This is You [AKP]," alongside a 1930s photo of Ataturk with the ruling government of his time, in modern Western attire, with the caption "And This is Us."[...]

This is just the latest, there have been earlier demonstrations as well:




Mass April 14 Demonstration in Ankara Against Erdogan Presidency

Hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated peacefully to protest against Turkish PM Erdogan as president, the policy of the AKP government, and the Islamization of Turkey, and in defense of the core values of the republic and of the reforms of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The crowd included large numbers of women and children, and the streets were red with Turkish flags – some of them miles long. All the speeches were by academicians and officials of NGOs.

Signs carried by demonstrators read: "We don't want an imam in Cankaya (the presidential residence)"; "Turkey is secular and will remain secular"; "I am aware of the danger and I am here" (see relevant clips at Turkish Elections Ad ; More Turkish Elections Ad) [see article for links]; "We are aware of the danger and of our strength"; "No mullahs in Cankaya"; "The road to Cankaya is closed to shari'a"; "Those who kneel at the feet of Gulbettin Hikmetyar cannot sit in Cankaya"; "We respect faith but not fundamentalism"; "Democracy is not tolerance of fundamentalism"; "No military boot and no takunya [slippers worn by Islamists]; "Canyaka belongs to the [Turkish] people"; and "The Turkish people are called to duty!" [...]

There were also demonstrations against the murders of three Christians by Islamist extremists:

The signs say: "We Are All Christians".

Turkey Shocked By "Savage" Triple Murder of Christians

Turkey's mainstream media is headlining its front-page stories on yesterday's murders in Malatya "Savagery" (see "Turkish Daily: Three Dead in Grisly Attack at Bible Publishing House").

Protestors at a demonstration in Istanbul hours after the murders carried signs saying "We Are All Christians" (see photo).

While foreign media have been attributing the execution-style murders to increasing Turkish nationalism, the Turkish press is pointing fingers at the growing Islamism and intolerance over the last few years.

The three Christian victims, two Turks and a German citizen, worked in the city of Malatya at a branch of the Zirve publishing house, which prints and distributes Christian Bibles. According to reports, five assailants entered their third floor office, bound the victims' hands and feet, and slit their throats. [...]

(bold emphasis mine) This is all quite amazing. While Turkey is hardly a liberal paradise by Western standards, it IS liberal by Muslim standards; it is unique in the Muslim world.

The Turks, the majority hopefully, value their secular government, and they know they have to fight the extremists to keep it. There have been increasing attempts to curb free expression in Turkey. The Turkish courts seem to be ruling mostly in favor of the defendants thus far. The people are aware of the danger. My hopes are with them for success.

Here is video footage, via YouTube:

What is that music? Turkish "rock"?