Category: Canada

Quebec Government walking in footsteps of Turkey’s Ataturk

ZAMANLAMAYA BAKIN!

Kanada’da Quebec hükümeti Atatürk’ün izinde kamusal alanda dini sembolleri ve kıyafetleri yasaklıyor.

Following announcement by a Quebec cabinet minister that religious symbols have no place in the public service Bloc Quebecois kicked out an MP yesterday out of its caucus for publicly criticising the Quebec Values Charter. Quebec’s Parti Quebecois government has been under attack by politicians of all colours for what brought a Muslim nation out of the Medieval Age in 1923: Turkey’s Ataturk Reformation and its dress code. Do religious symbols have a rightful place in the official places of a modern secular society?

Although the proposed Quebec Values Charter is a legislation tabled by the minority provincial government of Parti Quebecois, the federal Bloc Quebecois punished Montreal Member of Parliament Maria Mourani for her public criticism. Mourani, a Lebanese immigrant, said the legislation represents ethnic nationalism that will damage the separatist cause in Quebec.

The legislation will be an official declaration of secularism along the lines of the Ataturk Reformation in Turkey separating state and religion. It will set Quebec apart from the other provinces and the rest of Canada where the boundaries of state and religion have been blurred since the inception of the Canadian confederation. Quebec already has its own charter of rights and a set of legislated civil statutes in contrast to other provinces’ English Common Law. If it becomes law the new charter will prohibit public sector employees from wearing religious garb and conspicuous religious symbols on the job. It will also require those giving or receiving public services to uncover their faces.

It was in 1923 that Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, one of the greatest visionaries of all time, proclaimed the secular Turkish Republic out of the ashes of the Ottoman Empire, a defunct theocracy that was dubbed the Sick Man of Europe for hundreds of years. Realising that mixing religion and affairs of state was mostly responsible for the nation’s failure to catch up with the 20th century Ataturk went one step further. He passed a dress code and a “hat law” that prohibited the wearing of traditional garb and headdress like turbans and fezzes. Chadors and burqas were prohibited as demeaning of women. Headscarves could not be worn in government offices, universities or public schools.

The dress code and hat law contributed in no small measure to women’s equality before the law and in social life, and Turkey’s recognition as a modern progressive country. Turkish women were franchised ahead of many of their European counterparts. Until the recent emergence of the reactionary forces and exploitation of religion by politicians Turkey was regarded as a country worthy of membership in the fledgling European community of nations. Ataturk often said that his nation would be guided by reason and science, not voices and dictates from the occult. There was no question, however, that the predominantly Muslim population of Turkey had no impediment to practising their religion freely as long as they did not bring their beliefs out on the street and respected the laws of the land that separated the State from the Mosque.

There is, of course, a big difference between Quebec and Turkey. For one thing, neither Quebec nor the rest of Canada are threatened by religion or religious symbols. While many secular Muslim countries like Turkey are at risk of sliding back into the Medieval Age under Islamist governments, it’s not likely that Canada will bring back any time soon the Spanish Inquisition or the burning of witches at stake. To non-believers or the differently persuaded Canadians religious symbols and attire are either a non-issue, a comical spectacle, or a nuisance at worst. This is why most Canadians, politicians, and even judges, can be persuaded by arguments of freedom of religion to overlook the dangers to fundamental human rights lurking behind religious symbolism.

This is not a question of freedom of religion or expression, which have been daftly exploited by politicians in Muslim countries like Turkey and Egypt. The real issue is the separation of state and religion and the supremacy of the laws of the secular state. As a country of immigrants Canada must be mindful of the fact that some religious beliefs and practices, such as the treatment of women, are incompatible with the country’s fundamental values. It’s a fact that some immigrants with antagonistic cultural values and little tolerance of their own to differing beliefs are taking advantage of this country’s tolerance to justify their transgressions with freedom of religion. When there is a conflict between religious practices and this country’s fundamental values such as, and especially, women’s rights, there must be no question that all citizens must comply with the laws of the land and not vice versa. Compliance has to start with the government.

Quebec’s proposed Charter of Values to ban religious symbols and attire from public service is a step in the right direction. It’s a bold and honest move by Premier Pauline Marois that should be commended.

via Quebec Government walking in footsteps of Turkey’s Ataturk – Vancouver Government | Examiner.com.

September 30, 2013
“THE WORLD’S MOST DANGEROUS ISLAMIST” LIVES IN PENNSYLVANIA

Angelia

CanadianFreePress
Fethullah Gulen, allegedly “the most dangerous Islamist on planet earth,” is alive, well, and living in Pennsylvania with over $25 billion in financial assets.

From Pennsylvania, he has toppled the secular government of Turkey, established over 3,000 schools throughout Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the United States, created a new country called East Turkistan, and formed a movement that seeks to create a New Islamic World Order.

This reporter made a recent visit to Gulen’s 28-acre mountain complex at 1857 Mt. Eaton Road in Saylorsburg, PA – – the very heart of the Pocono Mountains.

The complex consists of a massive chalet that is surrounded by numerous out buildings, including recreational centers, dormitories, and cabins for visiting foreign dignitaries. The property also contains a large pond, a helicopter pad, and, reportedly, firing ranges.

The first floor of the chalet contains a dining hall capable of serving a small army. The second floor is an open area with a library, computer station, and open areas with divans where disciples pour over Turkish newspapers, Islamic texts, and the collected wisdom of their Hocaefendi (“religious master”). Gulen himself resides on the third floor and rarely emerges to meet with his followers, let alone inquisitive reporters.

The road leading into the complex is blocked by a metal gate and a sentry hut.Inside the Gulen Compound
A visit to the Pennsylvania fortress of “The World’s most Dangerous Islamist”
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– Dr. Paul L. Williams Monday, April 4, 2011

imageFethullah Gulen, allegedly “the most dangerous Islamist on planet earth,” is alive, well, and living in Pennsylvania with over $25 billion in financial assets.

From Pennsylvania, he has toppled the secular government of Turkey, established over 3,000 schools throughout Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the United States, created a new country called East Turkistan, and formed a movement that seeks to create a New Islamic World Order.

This reporter made a recent visit to Gulen’s 28-acre mountain complex at 1857 Mt. Eaton Road in Saylorsburg, PA – – the very heart of the Pocono Mountains.

The complex consists of a massive chalet that is surrounded by numerous out buildings, including recreational centers, dormitories, and cabins for visiting foreign dignitaries. The property also contains a large pond, a helicopter pad, and, reportedly, firing ranges.

The first floor of the chalet contains a dining hall capable of serving a small army. The second floor is an open area with a library, computer station, and open areas with divans where disciples pour over Turkish newspapers, Islamic texts, and the collected wisdom of their Hocaefendi (“religious master”). Gulen himself resides on the third floor and rarely emerges to meet with his followers, let alone inquisitive reporters.

The road leading into the complex is blocked by a metal gate and a sentry hut.

imageWithin the hut are high definition televisions that flash images from the security cameras that have been strategically placed throughout the complex. The post is manned day and night by Turkish guards, who speak little or no English.

Before the hut is a sign that reads “Golden Generation Worship and Retreat Center.” No visitor in his or her right mind could believe that the tiny, one room building serves as a house of worship, let alone a place for a weekend retreat. The building contains only a metal desk, two straight chairs, the monitors, and the sentries who, upon the occasion of this reporter’s visit, offered no word of welcome but instead called upon other members of the complex to escort this reporter and his photographer sidekick from the premises.

The neighbors complained to this reporter of gunfire from fully automatic weapons coming from the complex and the presence of a surveillance helicopter that combs the property in search of unwanted intruders.

They maintain that an army of approximately 100 Turkish guards stand watch over the property in order to protect their reclusive leader.

Combing the parameters of the property, one can easily spot the guards. They wear suits, white shirts, and ties and do not look like traditional Islamists in cloaks and turbans.

According to a source within the compound, the guards and other members of the compound follow their Hocaefendi’s orders without question and refrain from marrying until age fifty per his instructions. When they do marry, the spouses are expected to dress in the Islamic manner, as dictated by Gülen himself.

The women do not live within the complex but rather in modest houses along Mt. Eton Road.

Little about Gulen, as U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan discovered, is known – – not even his date of birth. Some of his followers maintain that he was born in 1934; others 1938; and still others 1942.
How dangerous is Gulen?

In his public statements, Gulen espouses a liberal version of Sunni/Hanafi Islam and promotes the Muslim notion of hizmet – – altruistic service to the common good.

Despite the presence of the armed guards at his Pocono fortress, Gulen has condemned terrorism and called for interfaith dialogue. He claims to have met with Pope John Paul II, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomeos, and Israeli Sephardic Head Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron.

Whether these meetings with Christian and Jewish leaders actually occurred is questionable. On his website, Gulen says that he has a UNECO award from Pope John Paul II in October, 2005. John Paul II died on April 2, 2005.

In private, Gulen has stated that “in order to reach the ideal Muslim society every method and path is acceptable, [including] lying to people.”

In a sermon that was aired on Turkish television, Gulen said:

You must move in the arteries of the system without anyone noticing your existence until you reach all the power centers … until the conditions are ripe, they [the followers] must continue like this. If they do something prematurely, the world will crush our heads, and Muslims will suffer everywhere, like in the tragedies in Algeria, like in 1982 [in] Syria … like in the yearly disasters and tragedies in Egypt. The time is not yet right. You must wait for the time when you are complete and conditions are ripe, until we can shoulder the entire world and carry it … You must wait until such time as you have gotten all the state power, until you have brought to your side all the power of the constitutional institutions in Turkey … Until that time, any step taken would be too early—like breaking an egg without waiting the full forty days for it to hatch. It would be like killing the chick inside. The work to be done is [in] confronting the world. Now, I have expressed my feelings and thoughts to you all—in confidence … trusting your loyalty and secrecy. I know that when you leave here—[just] as you discard your empty juice boxes, you must discard the thoughts and the feelings that I expressed here.

Under the AKP, Turkey has become a militant Islamic state, transferring its alliance from Europe and the United States to Russia and Iran

Anyone doubting the incredible power wielded by Gulen need only take note of the achievements of the Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkinma, AKP)- – a party Gulen formed this party as soon as he arrived in Pennsylvania. By 2003, the AKP became the governing party in Turkey and a powerful force throughout the Muslim world. Abdullah Gul, Turkey’s first Islamist President, is a Gulen disciple, along with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Yusuf Ziya Ozcan, the head of Turkey’s Council of Higher Education.

Under the AKP, Turkey has become a militant Islamic state, transferring its alliance from Europe and the United States to Russia and Iran. It has moved toward friendship with Hamas, Hezbollah, and Syria and created a pervasive anti-Christian, anti-Jewish, and anti-America animus throughout the populace.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of “TRT al Turkiye”, the new channel of the state run TV station TRT, Prime Minister Erdogan said Turkey will always be on the side of Muslims wherever they are.

Within Turkey, Gulen also formed a vast conglomerate called Kaynak Holding, which today includes some 15 companies involved in the retail, I.T., construction, and food industries. The main division, Kaynak Publishing, maintains 28 publishing labels. It produces hundreds of books per year on and by Gülen, in addition to books on the glories of the Ottoman Empire and the achievements of militant Islam.

Gulen also owns Feza Media Group, which publishes the Today’s Zaman (Turkey’s leading daily newspaper) and the magazine Aksiyon. A subsidiary of Feza is Samanyolu Broadcasting, which operates most of Turkey’s TV stations. Gulen and his followers also control Bank Asya, now Turkey’s largest Islamic bank, with billions of dollars in assets, and TUSKON, a Turkish businessmen’s association, with 50,000 companies as members.

With his vast resources, Gulen established thousands of schools throughout Central Asia – – – Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan – – in order to create a massive pan-Islamic state. Noted whistleblower Sibel Edmonds explains: “Turkey shares the same heritage/race as the entire population of Central Asia, the same language (Turkic), the same religion (Sunni Islam), and of course, the strategic location and proximity.”
According to Bayram Balci, a Turkish scholar, the Gulen schools seek to expand “the Islamization of Turkish nationality and the Turification of Islam” in order to bring about a universal caliphate ruled by Islamic law.

Because of the subversive nature of these institutions, these schools have been outlawed in Russia and Uzbekistan.

Even the Netherlands, a nation that embraces pluralism and tolerance, has opted to cut funding to the Gulen schools because of their imminent threat to the social order.

But Gulen’s 150-plus charter schools in the United States, which advance Gulen’s international agenda have received little national attention.

All of these charter schools – – which advance the New Islamic World Order – – are fully funded by American taxpayers.

A partial listing of the Gulen schools throughout the U.S.A.

Arizona
Schools Operated by Daisy Education Corporation

* Sonorant Science Academy-Tucson Middle-High School 2325 W Sunset Rd., Tucson
* Sonorant Science Academy-Tucson Elementary School 2325 W Sunset Rd., Tucson
* Sonorant Science Academy-Broadway Kindergarten – Grade 8, 6880 E Broadway Blvd., Tucson
* Sonoran Science Academy-Phoenix Kindergarten – Grade 10 4837 E McDowell Rd., Phoenix
* Daisy Early Learning Academy, 2325 W Sunset Rd., Tucson, AZ
* Davis Monthan Air Force Base

Arkansas

* Lisa Academy 21 Corporate Hill Dr., Little Rock
* Lisa Academy-North 5410 Landers Rd, Sherwood

California

* Magnolia Science Academy 1, 18238 Sherman Way, Reseda
* Magnolia Science Academy 2, 18425 Kittridge St., Reseda
* Magnolia Science Academy 3, 1444 W Rosecrans Ave., Gardena
* Magnolia Science Academy 4, 1010 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA
* Magnolia Science Academy 5, 1530 N Wilton Place, Hollywood
* Magnolia Science Academy 6, San Carlos
* Momentum Middle School, 6365 Lake Atlin, San Diego
* Bay Area Technology School (Bay Tech) 4521 Webster St., Oakland
* Pacific Technology School-San Juan
* Pacific Technology School-Santa Ana

Colorado

* Lotus School for Excellence, Aurora

Florida

* Orlando Science Middle School, 2427 Lynx Lane, Orlando
* River City Science Academy, 3266 Southside Blvd., Jacksonville
* Sweet water Branch Academy 1000 NE 16th Ave, Building C, Gainesville
* Stars Middle School 1234 Blountstown Highway, Tallahassee

Georgia

* Fulton Science Academy Middle School, 1675 Hembree Road, Alpharetta
* Technology Enriched Accelerated Charter High School, 4100 Old Milton Pkwy, Alpharetta

Illinois

* Science Academy of Chicago, Grade 1-Grade 8, 8350 N. Greenwood Ave, Niles
* Chicago Math and Science Academy Secondary School, 1705 West Lunt Ave, Chicago

Indiana
Operated by Concept Schools, Inc.

* Indiana Math and Science Academy, Grade 6-Grade 12, 4575 W 38th Street, Indianapolis

Louisiana

* Abramson Science and Technology 5552 Read Blvd., New Orleans

Maryland

* Chesapeake Science Point Secondary School 1321 Mercedes Drive, Hanover

Massachusetts

* Pioneer Charter School of Science Grade 7- Grade 10, 51-59 Summer Street, Everett

Missouri

* Broadside-Frontier Math and Science School Secondary School, 5605 Troost, Kansas City
* Broadside Charter and Day School Elementary School, 5220 Troost Ave., Kansas City

Nevada

* Coral Academy of Science-Las Vegas, 8185 Tamarus St., Las Vegas
* Coral Academy of Science-Reno Secondary School, 1350 East Ninth Street, Reno
* Coral Academy of Science- Reno Elementary School, 1701 Valley Road, Reno

New Jersey

* Bergen Arts and Science Charter School, K-8, 200 MacArthur Ave, Garfield
* Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology, 276 Wabash Ave., Paterson
* Tuition Schools
* Pioneer Academy of Science, K-12, 366 Clifton Avenue, Clifton

Ohio
Operated by Concept Schools, Inc.

* Horizon Science Academy-Cincinnati Middle School-High School, 1055 Laidlaw Avenue, Cincinnati
* Horizon Science Academy-Cleveland High School, 6000 South Marginal Rd., Cleveland
* Horizon Science Academy-Cleveland Middle School, 6100 South Marginal Rd. Cleveland
* Horizon Science Academy-Cleveland Elementary School, 6150 South Marginal Rd. Cleveland
* Horizon Science Academy-Columbus High School 1070 Morse Rd. Columbus
* Horizon Science Academy-Columbus Middle School 1341 Bethele Road, Columbus
* Horizon Science Academy-Columbus Elementary School, 2835 Morse Rd., Columbus
* Horizon Science Academy-Dayton, 545 Odlin Ave., Dayton
* Horizon Science Academy – Denison, K-1, Grades 4 – 8, 1700 Denison Avenue, Cleveland
* Horizon Science Academy – Springfield, Grades 5- 8 630 South Reynolds Road, Toledo, OH 43615-6314
* Horizon Science Academy – Toledo, Toledo High School, 425 Jefferson Avenue, Toledo
* Noble Academy-Columbus, K-Grade 8, 1329 Bethel Road, Columbus
* Noble Academy-Cleveland 1200 E. 200th Street, Euclid

Oklahoma
Schools operated under the Cosmos Foundation, TX.

* Dove Science Academy-OKC Secondary School, 919 NW 23rd St., Oklahoma City
* Dove Science Academy-OKC Elementary School, 4901 N Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City
* Dove Science Academy-Tulsa, 280 S Memorial Dr, Tulsa

Tuition school affiliated with Raindrop Turkish House

* Bluebonnet Learning Center of Tulsa Nursery, Pre-School and Pre-Kinder Education, 280 S Memorial Dr., Tulsa

Pennsylvania

* Truebright Science Academy Secondary School, 926 West Sedgley Avenue, Philadelphia
* Snowdrop Science Academy Pre-School – Grade 7, 233 Seaman Lane, Monroeville

Texas
Operated by The Cosmos Foundation

* Harmony Science Academy-Austin Secondary School, 930 East Rundberg Lane, Austin
* Harmony School of Science-Austin Kindergarten- Grade 8, 11800 Stonehollow Drive, Suite 100, Austin
* Harmony Science Academy-North Austin, Grades 6- 10, 1421 Wells Branch Parkway, W Suite 200, Pflugerville
* Harmony Science Academy-Beaumont, Kindergarten- Grade 10, 4055 Calder Ave, Beaumont
* Harmony Science Academy-Brownsville
* Harmony Science Academy-Bryan/ College Station
* Harmony Science Academy-Dallas Secondary School, 11995 Forestgate Dr., Dallas
* Harmony Science Academy-Dallas Elementary School, 11995 Forestgate Dr., Dallas
* Harmony Science Academy- El Paso, 9405 Betel Dr., El Paso
* Harmony Science Academy-Fort Worth
* Harmony Science Academy-Grand Prairie, 1102 NW 7th St, Grand Prairie
* Harmony Science Academy-Houston Secondary School, 5435 S. Braeswood, Houston
* Harmony School of Excellence-Houston, Elementary and Secondary School, 7340 North Gessner Rd, Houston
* Harmony School of Innovation-Houston, 9421 West Sam Houston Parkway, South Houston
* Harmony School of Science-Houston, 13415 W Belford Ave., Sugar Land
* Harmony Science Academy-Northwest, Kindergarten- Grade 10, 16200 Tomball Parkway, Houston
* Harmony Science Academy-Laredo, 4401 San Francisco Avenue, Laredo
* Harmony Science Academy-Lubbock, 1516 53rd Street, Lubbock
* Harmony Science Academy-San Antonio, 8505 Lakeside Parkway, San Antonio
* Harmony Science Academy-Waco, 1900 N. Valley Mills Dr., Waco
* Texas Gulf Institute Career Center Adult Education, 9431 W Sam Houston Pkwy., S #203, Houston

Operated by Riverwalk Education Foundation, Inc

* School of Science and Technology Discovery, K-12, 5707 Bandera Road, Leon Valley
* School of Science and Technology-San Antonio Secondary School, 1450 NE Loop 410, San Antonio
* School of Science and Technology-Corpus Christi

Tuition schools affiliated with Raindrop Turkish House

* Bluebonnet Learning Center of Houston Nursery, Pre-School and Pre-Kinder
* Education, 9303 W Sam Houston Parkway South, Suite 200, Houston
* Bluebonnet Learning Center of Dallas Nursery, Pre-School and Pre-Kinder Education, 1416 E Collins Blvd., Richardson
* Bluebonnet Learning Center of El Paso Nursery, Pre-School and Pre-Kinder Education 9405 Betel Dr., El Paso

Utah

* Beehive Science and Technology Academy, Secondary School, 1011 Murray Holiday Rd., Salt Lake City

Wisconsin

* Wisconsin Career Academy Middle-High School, 4801 S 2nd Street, Milwaukee

July 6, 2013
Turkey wants end to Canada’s genocide stance

Turkey’s ambassador to Canada says the Harper government’s decision to brand the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide may be hindering a potentially lucrative trading relationship.

Turks demonstrate outside the French Embassy in Ankara in January 2012. Relations between Turkey and France turned cold when a bill was passed making illegal to deny the Armenian genocide. The bill was later ruled unconstitutional. (Burhan Ozbilici/Canadian Press)

Ambassador Tuncay Babali made clear in a wide ranging interview with The Canadian Press that Canada’s position on the First World War-era slaughter of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians still carries a sting for his country.

‘[Genocide is] a serious allegation. It needs to be substantiated, legally, historically.’

—Turkish Ambassador Tuncay Babali

But that doesn’t mean Turkey doesn’t want to press on with forging a deeper economic relationship with Canada, ideally a free trade agreement to complement the current Canada-EU free trade talks once they are completed, he said.

“I’m a true believer in the potential of our two nations. Canada has a lot to offer Turkey and Turkey in return has a lot to offer Canada,” said Babali, noting that Canada’s internal Foreign Policy Plan has identified Turkey as a key country of focus.

“It cannot be business as usual while accusing a nation of genocide. It’s a serious allegation. It needs to be substantiated, legally, historically.”

Babali said he suspects Canada is not engaging as quickly as Turkey would like because the genocide issue is still hanging over relations.

“There is a pacing issue here,” he said. “We want results. We want action. We want concrete steps forward. Talking about positive things is OK, but it takes two to tango.”

The $2.5 billion in two-way trade between countries “is far from the potential” of what Turkey predicts would result from deeper economic ties: $10 billion to $15 billion within five years, he said.

He said Turkey would like to open free trade talks with Canada.

Mending fences

But on the genocide question, Babali said Turkey would like to see a gesture from Canada that the government is “trying to leave this behind us.”

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird cancelled a planned trip to Turkey in November. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

A significant gesture would be a “high level” visit by Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird to Turkey. Baird cancelled a planned trip in November, Babali said, because of an important cabinet meeting in Ottawa.

Babali was also encourged by Baird’s plans to travel to the West Bank on the weekend to discuss future Canadian aid contributions to the Palestinian Authority.

He suggested Canada can do more in the Middle East peace process, even though Turkey is well aware of Ottawa’s strong support of Israel.

“I think aid is important. To keep the channels open. You have to hear both sides. Canada has leverage that can play in those issues as well. It should be used in a stronger way.”

Babali praised the efforts of Baird for mending fences with Turkey, including the personal friendship he has forged with his counterpart, Ahmet Davutolu, who visited Canada this past September.

“If there is a political will from the Canadian side to move forward and improve our relations further, to live up to the promise and potential, we need concrete steps,” he said

Ankara angered

Canada’s Parliament voted in 2004 to recognize the events of 1915 to 1923 as a genocide carried out by Ottoman Turks during the Armenian uprising.

The Harper government formally adopted that position after winning power, a decision that angered Ankara and sparked the temporary withdrawal of its ambassador from Ottawa.

Turkey has lobbied hard internationally to block the genocide designation, although many other countries have used the term.

In 2010, when the U.S. Congress abandoned a plan to declare the killings a genocide, Davutolu said ties could have been harmed between the two countries had “common sense” not prevailed.

Last year, when France passed a law that would make it a crime to deny the Armenian genocide, Turkey responded by suspending military, economic and political ties. The French bill was later ruled unconstitutional.

Ottawa last year unveiled a monument in honour of fallen Turkish diplomat Col. Atilla Altikat, who was assassinated in 1982. (Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press)

Last summer, Canada took steps to heal the rift with Turkey. It unveiled a cone-shaped metal-and-wood monument dedicated to Col. Atilla Altikat, the country’s military attache gunned down in Ottawa, allegedly by Armenian terrorists, 30 years earlier.

That appeared to go a long way toward bridging the gap between the two countries, both NATO allies.

Babali reiterated what Davutolu said during his visit — that Turkey would like to strike a joint commission with Armenians to discuss the historical facts surrounding the issue.

During the visit, Baird did not back away from his government’s earlier position, but said he appreciated the sensitivities at play.

Babali said Turkey wants deeper economic ties with Canada, and it appears the country is open for business despite any bitterness over the Armenia policy.

In the next 10 years, Turkey will launch 150 infrastructure projects worth hundreds of billions of dollars, many in the transportation sector. Babali cited Bombardier Inc. and SNC-Lavalin as potential investors.

He also said there are also opportunities for Canadian companies in his country’s developing nuclear energy program and in shale gas exploration.

via Turkey wants end to Canada’s genocide stance – World – CBC News.

April 8, 2013
Turkey wants end to Canada’s stance on Armenian genocide

Mike Blanchfield, The Canadian Press

Published Sunday, April 7, 2013 12:40PM EDT

OTTAWA — Turkey’s ambassador to Canada says the Harper government’s decision to brand the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide may be hindering a potentially lucrative trading relationship.

Ambassador Tuncay Babali made clear in a wide ranging interview with The Canadian Press that Canada’s position on the First World War-era slaughter of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians still carries a sting for his country.

But that doesn’t mean Turkey doesn’t want to press on with forging a deeper economic relationship with Canada, ideally a free trade agreement to compliment the current Canada-EU free trade talks once they are completed, he said.

Thousands of people march to mark the death of 1.5 million Armenians in the former Ottoman empire, in Los Angeles, Tuesday, April 24, 2012. (AP / Nick Ut)

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/turkey-wants-end-to-canada-s-stance-on-armenian-genocide-1.1227732#ixzz2PqZIHhWZ

Thousands of demonstrators march to mark the death of 1.5 million Armenians in the former Ottoman empire in Los Angeles in this 2012 file photo. (AP / Damian Dovarganes)

“I’m a true believer in the potential of our two nations. Canada has a lot to offer Turkey and Turkey in return has a lot to offer Canada,” said Babali, noting that Canada’s internal Foreign Policy Plan has identified Turkey as a key country of focus.

“It cannot be business as usual while accusing a nation of genocide. It’s a serious allegation. It needs to be substantiated, legally, historically.”

Babali said he suspects Canada is not engaging as quickly as Turkey would like because the genocide issue is still hanging over relations.

“There is a pacing issue here,” he said. “We want results. We want action. We want concrete steps forward. Talking about positive things is ok, but it takes two to tango.”

The $2.5 billion in two-way trade between countries “is far from the potential” of what Turkey predicts would result from deeper economic ties: $10-$15 billion within five years, he said.

He said Turkey would like to open free trade talks with Canada.

But on the genocide question, Babali said Turkey would like to see a gesture from Canada that the government is “trying to leave this behind us.”

A significant gesture would be a “high level” visit by Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird to Turkey. Baird cancelled a planned trip in November, Babali said, because of an important cabinet meeting in Ottawa.

Babali was also encourged by Baird’s plans to travel to the West Bank on the weekend to discuss future Canadian aid contributions to the Palestinian Authority.

He suggested Canada can do more in the Middle East peace process, even though Turkey is well aware of Ottawa’s strong support of Israel.

“I think aid is important. To keep the channels open. You have to hear both sides. Canada has leverage that can play in those issues as well. It should be used in a stronger way.”

Babali praised the efforts of Baird for mending fences with Turkey, including the personal friendship he has forged with his counterpart, Ahmet Davutolu, who visited Canada this past September.

“We have good room to manoeuvre here after our minister’s visit. But it takes two to tango,” he said.

“If there is a political will from the Canadian side to move forward and improve our relations further, to live up to the promise and potential, we need concrete steps.”

Canada’s Parliament voted in 2004 to recognize the events of 1915 to 1923 as a genocide carried out by Ottoman Turks during the Armenian uprising.

The Harper government formally adopted that position after winning power, a decision that angered Ankara and sparked the temporary withdrawal of its ambassador from Ottawa.

Turkey has lobbied hard internationally to block the genocide designation, although many other countries have used the term.

In 2010, when the U.S. Congress abandoned a plan to declare the killings a genocide, Davutolu said ties could have been harmed between the two countries had “common sense” not prevailed.

Last year, when France passed a law that makes it a crime to deny the Armenian genocide, Turkey responded by suspending military, economic and political ties.

Last summer, Canada took steps to heal the rift with Turkey. It unveiled a cone-shaped metal-and-wood monument dedicated to Col. Atilla Altikat, the country’s military attache gunned down in Ottawa, allegedly by Armenian terrorists, 30 years earlier.

That appeared to go a long way towards bridging the gap between the two countries, both NATO allies.

Babali reiterated what Davutolu said during his visit — that Turkey would like to strike a joint commission with Armenians to discuss the historical facts surrounding the issue.

During the visit, Baird did not back away from his government’s earlier position, but said he appreciated the sensitivities at play.

Babali said Turkey wants deeper economic ties with Canada, and it appears the country is open for business despite any bitterness over the Armenia policy.

In the next 10 years, Turkey will launch 150 infrastructure projects worth hundreds of billions of dollars, many in the transportation sector. Babali cited Bombardier Inc. and SNC-Lavalin as potential investors.

He also said there are also opportunities for Canadian companies in his country’s developing nuclear energy program and in shale gas exploration.

via Turkey wants end to Canada’s stance on Armenian genocide | CTV News.

April 8, 2013
Hockey Night in Turkey? Canadians promoting sport in unusual places

Benjamin Shingler, The Canadian Press

Published Saturday, March 30, 2013 10:02AM EDT

Last Updated Saturday, March 30, 2013 5:52PM EDT

MONTREAL — Slapping a Canadian Maple Leaf on your backpack when travelling abroad may have its perks, but Craig Klinkhoff has found an even better way to make friends in foreign lands.

He’s one of the young Montrealers behind Hockey Without Borders, a Canadian non-profit organization that aims to support fledgling ice-hockey programs in the unlikeliest of places.

“No matter where I went with my hockey equipment, when I’m meeting people from a local hockey community, they embrace you immediately,” Klinkhoff, 23, said in an interview.

Craig Klinkhoff, left, and Matthew Robins, ambassadors for hockey without borders, fool around at a hockey rink in Montreal, Tuesday, March 12, 2013. (Graham Hughes / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/hockey-night-in-turkey-canadians-promoting-sport-in-unusual-places-1.1217219#ixzz2P9NtvqWQ

Hockey Without Borders, a Canadian non-profit organization, aims to support fledgling ice-hockey programs and now has programs in Serbia, Turkey, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“You meet people that are so different from you culturally, even in some cases they don’t speak any English, but they treat you like you’re best friends.”

Founded in 2011, the organization now has programs in Serbia, Turkey, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

While those are hardly hockey hot spots, Klinkhoff says the sport has a small but devoted following in each country. The idea is to send over young Canadian coaches to help the locals improve their existing program.

It’s not, Klinkhoff emphasized, to push hockey on communities with no interest in the game.

“We don’t go somewhere and say, ‘You’re going to play hockey now,”‘ he said. “We go because a local organization or club has asked us to help a hockey program.”

The project was started on an informal basis a few years earlier by another young Canadian, Fred Perowne.

The native of Sherbrooke, Que., and former U.S. college player developed strong ties while playing in Serbia’s professional league in the early 2000s.

Perowne ended up playing for the country in international competition and worked as an assistant coach for its junior teams, bringing over several other Canadians to help out.

The idea for Hockey Without Borders grew from there.

The organization now has three coaches in Serbia, working with roughly 100 young players, another two in Sarajevo working with 60, while 20 youngsters took part in a recent program in Turkey.

Organizers for Hockey Without Borders say the program isn’t just about sport — and that it offers valuable life lessons for everyone involved.

“We’re elevating people’s games abroad, but we’re also helping to grow individuals,” said Matthew Robbins, 24, a longtime friend of Klinkhoff.

“We see hockey as this incredible tool to teach other things in life, like leadership.”

As an example, Robbins pointed to the experience of a young man in Turkey who credits hockey with changing his life.

It’s far from common to spot a hockey stick or skates in Ankara, a bustling city of 4.3 million people, but a small segment of the city’s youth has gotten the bug, Robbins said.

Can Acar, 23, said hockey helped turn his life around.

“I used to be so lazy that I didn’t even leave my house for one month or more,” Acar said in a video produced by Hockey Without Borders.

“After I started hockey… it makes my life better.”

The program in Ankara is run with the help of the local Police Academy hockey club, which has a team in the Turkish hockey league. It’s designed to expose the players to English and offer a glimpse into a world beyond their own.

“This is a social program that allows people to get out and learn life skills from playing,” Klinkhoff said.

“The hockey community is where they form their friendships.”

The calibre, meanwhile, ranges widely.

Most of the players in Turkey only have a few years’ experience on the ice. While many draw from the experience of playing roller-hockey, Klinkhoff said they would struggle against a decent rec-league team in Canada.

In Serbia, the skill level is rapidly improving and the country recently won the Division II under-18 World Championships, he said.

The facilities also vary.

In Sarajevo, the locker rooms are in the complex from the 1984 Olympics but the ice surface was moved to a dome in the adjacent parking lot. Players have to put skate guards on and walk about 100 metres to get on the ice.

Hockey Without Borders is hoping to set up more programs in future — but for now, it’s concentrating on keeping things running with those already underway.

At the moment, the funding comes almost entirely from the volunteer coaches themselves, who must pay for their own flight abroad.

The organization has agreements in place with host clubs to provide an apartment and food, along with coaching-related expenses. It is trying to line up private and corporate sponsors to subsidize the cost of air fares for the coaches.

“Hockey Without Borders is only about a year and a half old,” Klinkhoff said.

“We think it’ll be an attractive program to donate to if one believes in the many benefits of hockey.”

via Hockey Night in Turkey? Canadians promoting sport in unusual places | CTV News.

March 31, 2013
Turkey helping Syrian Armenians

Re: Syria’s Armenian minority flees from conflict, Feb. 27

Syria’s Armenian minority flees from conflict, Feb. 27

This article does injustice to the burden borne by Turkey regarding the Syrians seeking refuge in the neighbouring countries. Turkey, contrary to its portrayal as a country that Syrian Armenians are hiding in and as a country they once feared most, has provided and will continue to provide a safe haven for those in need without any discrimination as to their religion or nationality or any other aspect whatsoever.

Turkey also has a non-rejection policy for the refugees at the border. That applies to the Syrian Armenian community as well. Turkey is helping them by letting its airspace open to transfer them to Armenia. Turkey is ready to help them in Turkey and/or in Syria through relevant agencies if there is a request on their part.

Currently, the number of Syrians in the 17 camps built in Turkey is above 185,000, while another 100,000 are living with their own means or with relatives in Turkey. The national spending in this regard is approaching $600 million.

It is also worth mentioning that before the crisis erupted in Syria, Syrian Armenians regularly visited Turkey and also many of them used Turkish Airlines for their travels around the world, including to Canada.

Turkey also rejects the characterization of the events of 1915 as “genocide.” Our position on the issue is well known; accusing a nation with “genocide” is a serious allegation that needs to be substantiated with historical and legal evidence.

Dr. Tuncay Babali, Ambassador to Canada, the Republic of Turkey

via Turkey helping Syrian Armenians | Toronto Star.

March 9, 2013