Islamist Turkey Overreaches

DanielPipes.org ^ | June 8, 2010 | Daniel Pipes

[Natural Born 54]

As typical Islamist-leftist theater to delegitimize Israel, late May's Turkish-sponsored "Free Gaza" flotilla was tediously repetitious. As an illustration that Israelis don't understand the kind of war they now must fight, the outcome was drearily predictable. But as a statement of Turkey's policies and an augur of the Islamist movement's future, it bristled with novelty and significance. Some background: after some 150 years of faltering efforts at modernization, the Ottoman Empire finally collapsed in 1923, replaced by the dynamic, Western-oriented Republic of Turkey founded and dominated by a former Ottoman general, Kemal Atatürk. Over the next fifteen years, until his death in 1938, Atatürk imposed a Westernization program so stringent that at one point he had rugs in mosques replaced by church-like pews. Although Turkey is nearly 100 percent Muslim, he insisted on a purely secular state.

[Natural Born 54]

Mr. Pipes is director of the Middle East Forum and Taube distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University. He is also CAIR's nemesis.

[bboop]

Daniel Pipes is terrific.

[allmendream]

http://www.allaboutturkey.com/darbe.htm

Some analysts have suggested that among national institutions, only the armed forces retain the public trust and respect. Since the end of single-party rule in 1950, they have intervened directly three times in the country's politics. In each instance, civilian control was restored after a transition period during which purported problems were addressed, justice meted out, new constitutions adopted, and economic growth accomplished.

1960...
1971....
1980.....

......2010?

[2banana]

Although Turkey is nearly 100 percent Muslim, he insisted on a purely secular state.

Especially when you conduct genocide against all non-muslims...

[353FMG]

>>Although Turkey is nearly 100 percent Muslim, he insisted on a purely secular state.<<

.
Sadam Hussein, too, imposed secularism in Iraq. Not that we should compare Saddam with Attaturk but there is a parallelism between the two.

We should ask ourselves, under whose regime were the Christians better of — Saddam’s or the present one? Do not expect Iraq to become a democracy because democracy and Islam are total opposites. Their Koran prevents them from ever becoming democratized.

[ZULU]

Excellent apparaisal of the Turkish Islamic problem which is, of course, just a small view of the overall Islamic problem.

Turkey is going down the road all Islamic States eventually follow, a road predetremined by the Koran, Mohammad and Islamic history.

[ZULU]

And refuse to recognize it as such and apologize for it.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

There is no doubt that Turkey’s NATO membership should be in peril. Whether it is or not, who knows...

[ZULU]

True.

Saddam’s Islamic beliefs were cosmetic. He was basically a secularist Fascist thug with a military force and used Islam as a veil to cover his personal drive for power.
Not being a true Islamist, he made things for non-Islamic Christians there much better. But he financed and aided international terrorism against Israel and Jews for personal political reasons.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"Sadam Hussein, too, imposed secularism in Iraq."

Secularism not based on Democracy, but based on Fascism. However, if the Turkish people do not throw these Islamists out, then we know where their sentiments lie. I would say that the Kurds in Iraq yearn for Democracy and in fact are one of the few Moslem oriented people to have sympathy for the Israelis...

[bassmaner]

He was basically a secularist Fascist thug with a military force and used Islam as a veil to cover his personal drive for power.

Saddam's Iraq was also a Soviet client state during the Cold War, hence the profusion of Russian-made weaponry used by the 'insurgents'.

[PGalt]

Very good informative/educational article by Pipes. Thanks for posting.

[TheThinker]

Guess the turkey’s out of the bag.

[Natural Born 54]

You’re welcome. Daniel’s a good man.

[Natural Born 54]

And the U.S. owes them. Maybe President Palin will do something about that, assuming there’s any leeway to do anything but get our own people out of bread lines.

[HearMe]

If there even a purpose to NATO today? Whatever $Billions it costs is a waste.

Even if the Russians would take the posture of the former Soviets, can we trust today’s Europeans to side with us? The way the British are headed, even they are no longer a certainty.

In any conflict its been proved that the US would have to gather its allies piecemeal anyway.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Too bad he didn’t mention one of Kemal Atatürk’s better ideas.

He not only had to deal with Islamists, but also with communists, sponsored in large part by the Soviet Union, Turkey and Russia having long seen each other as enemies.

In any event, during his reign, the communists had become a powerful and dangerous faction in Turkey. So Atatürk felt obliged to host a peace conference with all the communist leaders aboard his luxury yacht.

Unfortunately, due to a scheduling error, he was personally late for attending the peace conference. This turned out to be a very good thing for him, as due to an unexpected and catastrophic mechanical failure of some type, the entire yacht was blown into little pieces.

Along with the entire communist leadership cadre.

This effectively ended the organized communist movement in Turkey for many, many years. Such a tragic accident.

On one final note, Atatürk died fairly young, because of cirrhosis of the liver due to heavy alcohol consumption. Yet in his time did much to modernize Turkey, and it is a shame that the Islamists have come as far as they have in their efforts to reverse this evolution.

[STD]

The military already lost it's attempt to overthrow the government. 4500 young officiers have been murdered, imprisoned and/or discharged from the armed forces. The former General Staff has all been replaced by islamists.

Mr. Pipees accurately noted the sophistication of the current political party in maintaining absolute painstaking control of Turkey, the secular military has long ago been delt a death blow before they ever got out of bed.

I'm sorry but nothing can stop Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Syria and Russia from their upcoming date with Hammom Gong.

Actually, because of Attaturk the modern Turkish state grew out of the ashes of the moribund Ottoman Empire. Many historians quibble over the import of Biblical Archeology, which continued to locate ancient cities, inscriptions and literary evidence that the Bible has shown to indeed be 100% accurate. The Word, Ms. Pelosi has such difficulty describing is doubtless God's account of history written beforehand.

It's funny, because one of my acquaitances used to comment everytime we crossed paths over the years, he would shout, 'but what about the Turks' whenever he could to needle my well known Christian worldview. Last year, he called me up out of the blue and started asking me about the End Times line up, I carefully explained as best I could that one regional and two world wars are on the way. One by the word of Exekiel that destroys Damascus/Lebanon/Gaza then another universal confligration involving the Arabs and the USSR. Then apparently, before the radioactive dust even settles, enter great Red Dragon. This is most likely the 200 million man Chinese horde, but it could also contain Asian vassals and the USA.

I'm sorry to pee in your cornflakes, but the Bible says that all nations will come against Israel and be broken upon it's mountains. Somehow, someway the US will be there in some capacity.

These days, I'm telling my students to prepare for whatever comes our way. Spiritually, financially and physically. Good luck, Godspeed to all of you.

[Natural Born 54]

I didn’t know that about the yacht. Great story - thanks.