I've only ever considered Turkey was viewed as an ally of convenience. Their embracing of their more traditional counterparts should come as no surprise to anyone.
Ever so slightly off topic, but a thought came to me last night and I want to run it past you for some thoughts.
Islam is where christianity was 500 or even 400 years ago. Note I'm not calling them backward, so please hear me out.
- their religion is the preeminent driving force behind all they do.
- women for the most part have so few rights compared to menfolk
- the 'enlightened' clergy decide whats best for the populace (somewhat generalised, i know)
- islam is expanding from its traditional base to encompass more and more of the world. It is imposing itself on the populations of the new lands it is encountering, much like those in the new world and asia.
It stands to reason I suppose, that Islam is acting in a similar fashion to christianity, albeit several centuries later - both stem from judaism, and islam came several centuries after christianity.
What it also does is provide for an interesting discussion I think on the course or evolution of religion, which i suspect I'll cover in a university paper early next year.
thoughts?