Posted on 09/19/2010 3:26:05 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Despite the challenges, Turkey is heading toward the abolition of the semi-democracy that the military and its allies in the judiciary have imposed since 1960... It was religious conservatives, who made at least one-third of society, that needed change, and thus supported the liberal agenda. This is what lies beneath the interesting story of the AKP, the incumbent Justice and Development Party. This "Islamic" party proved to be more dedicated to the EU cause than its secular rivals, because its Muslim base had suffered a lot under the status quo...
The Kurds, on the other hand, are a more complex story. The more liberal or conservative minded among them are happy with AKP's reforms and the "Kurdish opening" -- they just want more of it. But nationalist Kurds, most of whom support the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, a terrorist group, are different. For they are interested not only in Turkey's democratization, but more so in their own "nation-building" project, along with the political ambitions of the PKK.
So, these nationalist Kurds can turn out to be an obstacle to democratization -- as they prove to be with their continued reliance on political violence, and the boycott they imposed on the Kurdish electorate in the Sept. 12 referendum last weekend. It was obvious that all Kurds who went to the ballots would vote "yes," so the boycott only helped the "no" camp.
(Excerpt) Read more at hurriyetdailynews.com ...
I lived in Turkey for a year. That was now long ago but I have closely followed the fate of the country. The Islamist AKP party which controls the government has cleverly used the excuse of “liberalization” to dismantle the old Kemalist secular state.
They have gutted the army leadership and the judiciary to pave the way for an Islamist agenda.
If you’re looking for moderate Moslems, listen to Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan. “There is no such thing as moderate Islam. Islam is Islam.” To say that there are “degrees of Islam” is “an insult.”
The AKP and Gulenists aim is a Islamic republic? Like Iran?
How does that benefit the PKK? Iran is at war with its own version of the PKK. Why would anyone want to benefit communist revolutionaries?
The Kurds want (and unlike the ethnically undifferentiated Arabs squatting in Israel, deserve to have) their own nation.
Thanks, and /bingo.
Tens of millions of Muslims in Turkey are "Islamophobes" like us?
The image on the banner is of Ataturk the founder of modern secular democratic constitutional Republic of Turkey. The photos are from demonstrations of three years ago protesting the ruling AK Party's Islamist (political Islam & Sharia law) leanings and reminding the AKP that they promised the voters that they would respect Turkey's heritage of secularism.
Great post & thread. Thanks to every contributor. BTTT!
Excellent points & photos, and also encouraging. America is stuck with Obama for two more years, while Turkey is temporarily stuck with their own version. Freedom will win out.
They will put on burkas when told to. I’d be more impressed if they were carrying guns like the babes in G. Gordon Liddy calendars. These don’t look like they would be in any position to say no.
I want Constantinople back.
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