 |
View Old Forum Thread
Old Forum Index » Other Stuff » Off Topic » OB, you need to have a talking with your Turkish brethren in the homeland
FuriousGiorge
Seriously though, I can't figure this Abdullah Gul character out. On the one hand, his opponents stop just short of accusing him of wanting to cut off shoplifters' hands. On the other hand, he talks about secularism and he's one of the big EU guys in Turkey. This seems like one of those stories that could be much bigger than the press it's getting in the US.
OB, you need to have a talking with your Turkish brethren in the homeland
August 20, 2007 at 09:31PM View BBCode
Ra's Al Ghul, President? That's a recipe for disaster right there.Seriously though, I can't figure this Abdullah Gul character out. On the one hand, his opponents stop just short of accusing him of wanting to cut off shoplifters' hands. On the other hand, he talks about secularism and he's one of the big EU guys in Turkey. This seems like one of those stories that could be much bigger than the press it's getting in the US.
turkob
as far as i can tell abdullah is smart enough to know that he can't just walk in and change the secular laws in place for a century, but on the other hand he is essentially a religious fundamentalist who thinks ataturk (an atheist) ruined turkey
i do not understand how someone who wants to shift the political landscape towards religion can possibly view himself as pro EU, the EU is very secular and is especially apprehensive about islamic countries
i think the reality is that, much like in this country, people in urban settings are largely in favor of a secular government, while those in more rural settings think religion should play a prominent role in every part of their lives,
abdullah (who is incredibly well funded by special interests and businessmen by the way) is doing everything he can to convince people he isn't a religious radical, but obviously he hasn't convinced everyone, i'd hate to see turkey lose its secular foundation, i think it will set them back a long way if it does happen
[Edited on 8-20-2007 by turkob]
August 20, 2007 at 09:47PM View BBCode
yeah, my parents are always talking about thisas far as i can tell abdullah is smart enough to know that he can't just walk in and change the secular laws in place for a century, but on the other hand he is essentially a religious fundamentalist who thinks ataturk (an atheist) ruined turkey
i do not understand how someone who wants to shift the political landscape towards religion can possibly view himself as pro EU, the EU is very secular and is especially apprehensive about islamic countries
i think the reality is that, much like in this country, people in urban settings are largely in favor of a secular government, while those in more rural settings think religion should play a prominent role in every part of their lives,
abdullah (who is incredibly well funded by special interests and businessmen by the way) is doing everything he can to convince people he isn't a religious radical, but obviously he hasn't convinced everyone, i'd hate to see turkey lose its secular foundation, i think it will set them back a long way if it does happen
[Edited on 8-20-2007 by turkob]
FuriousGiorge
August 20, 2007 at 10:04PM View BBCode
Turkey has its problems but it's also the only fully-functional, Muslim-majority Democracy in the Middle East - it is, in effect, what this country seems to think Saudi Arabia is (and which Saudi Arabia most decidedly is not), the West's gateway into Middle Eastern politics. Or at least it should be. Apparently there's a lot of anti-Americanism in Turkey, something which I can hardly blame them for considering the mess we've made of the Middle East. I can't help but wonder if the Turkish people are beginning to feel out the idea that they are in the middle of a clash of civilizations, and coming down on the side of the Arab world. Like I said it's hard for me to get a read on this Gul character, but there is certainly a lot of trepidation about him and that is not a good sign. It's not just America of course - every time EU members like Austria (the last great bastion of fascism in Europe) dump on Turkey's possible addition, it pushes them further and further from the West.Pages: 1