Turkey: an ally no more

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by PeriscopeDepth

Western acceptance of Turkey as an equal has been a goal of the Turks since shortly after WWI.

Considering the history of centuries before, I would not say they are looking for equality, but for dominance. You can see that in the repated attacks on europe as well as the claim of Islam not to be an equal amongst equals, but to be the one dominating all others, and in the way turkish nationalism and the Turkish government as well as the Turkish ministry for religion impertinently interferes with internal German politics in order to botzh strengthen Islam in Germany and increase the influence of Turkey inside Germany. All Imams they send to Germany are from their religion ministry (a ministry for propagating religion? so much for secularism), and they strictly oppose any idea of the German government to raise German Imams that should replace the Turkish religion ministry's influence in Germany and foster integration of Turkish immigrants. It's a damn shame that the Germans do not slam the door in the face of that ministry. Not to mention Erdogan having openly called for Turks in Germany to actively resist becoming integrated and instead strengthen Turkey in Germany (while he was on a visit in Germany last year).

I would have given that damn sucker the boot and kick him out, hopefully causing one of the biggest diplomatic rows of the decade by doing so.

First time I heared of Erdogan was when he was released from prison 1998 or 99. I searched some information about him then and then immedately thought: "Damn, why haven't they kept him behind locked doors? This guy is gonna give us some trouble." Well, he surely did, regarding Germany as well as regarding Israel and the whole EU. Not to mention that he let the Americans run against shut doors too during the war. Not too mention that he has wakened sleeping islam in Turkey again, too, which never was gone or deleted under Ataturk, just went into kind of wintersleep. And I cannot say this reawakening does Turkey any good. It never does. It sends their society backwards in time. You can see it on all levels of national administration and the legal system.

And the crowds now applaude it - this is the greatest change since I have been there myself in the early/mid nineties. The burgeoisie opposing orthodxy seems to shrink, like the authority of the military also wanes - systematically undermined and challenged by the fundamentalist government party AKP.