July 3, 9:12 AM · Richard Shulman – NY Israel Conflict Examiner
A.P. Photo/ Burhan Ozbilici
The Islamist ruling party in Turkey [AKP] has “a strategy for a creeping Islamization that culminates in a Shari’a (Islamic law) state not compatible with a secular, democratic order. The AKP does not advertise this agenda and often denies it.” Turkish courts confirmed the secret agenda. However, in the name of democracy, the U.S. and the EU demand that countervailing Turkish circles accept the AKP positions subverting the military, judiciary, and educational system. This Western pressure is naïve, for it betrays the democratic elements in Turkey to the Islamists, who, as they consolidate power, crimp democracy. Democracy is not just rule by the majority but allows civil rights, minority opinion and cultural freedom consistent with constitutional order. In Turkey, democracy is a cover for creeping Islamism and the ending democracy.
Can’t expect much policy revision by Europe. Europe is losing sight of the values of its civilization [or is reverting to hedonism and apathy]. Europe doesn’t understand what is happening to it. Europe has proved inept at ethnic problems.
Ordinary reform in Turkey is not enough. Needed is fundamental reform, such as Europeanizing Islam. Turkish immigrants in Islamic enclaves in Germany are not like Europeans in matters of tolerance and democracy. The AKP head called their possible assimilation into Europe a “crime against humanity.” In other words, he wants them to retain their hostility in exchange for German hospitality. [Sounds like preparation for introducing civil war to Europe.]
If the Turkish immigrants assimilated into European culture, they could become a welcome and useful addition to Europe, whose population is declining. Can’t expect much policy revision in Turkey. Islamists, being undemocratic, don’t compromise.
Thus, when the AKP legalized the head scarf, which signifies Islamization, and the Supreme Court found it contravened their secular constitution, the AKP threatened to shut the court.
Many Europeans praised the AKP on this issue, as being moderate and democratic. As a result of the misguided European notion of democracy, moderate, secularist Turks feel abandoned by the West and alienated towards it. In Turkey, this issue is debated more honestly than it is in Europe.
The only difference between moderate and jihadist Islamists is the use of ballots. The naïve West thinks that including Islamists in politics would tame it. It didn’t in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iraq. Hamas and Hizbullah kept their militias, which contravenes democracy (Paul Marshall, Jewish Political Chronicle, spring 2009, p.11 from M. E. Quarterly, winter 2009).
The Western foreign policy establishment has taken a counter-productive position on this. Secularist Europe actually is helping repress secularist Turkey!
For another discussion of Turkish Islamism, click here:
Author Richard Shulman is an Examiner from New York. You can see Richard’s articles at: ““
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