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Islamophobia Is a Crime Against Humanity: Erdogan
The incitement to hatred of Islam should be considered a crime against humanity, Turkeys Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech before the Council of Europe in Strasbourg yesterday.Just as anti-Semitism is a crime against humanity, so should Islamophobia be regarded, Erdogan said. Erdogan warned against the growing phobia against Islam and foreigners in the world in which we Muslims feel increasingly under siege. Referring to the row over blasphemous cartoons that were originally printed in a Danish newspaper, he said freedom of expression should not be confused with the freedom to insult. The row showed not only a lack of respect for religious convictions, but was also a sign of a growing and dangerous polarization between the Western and Islamic world. The Turkish prime minister called on Western countries to integrate the Muslims living among them to a much greater degree. With a (Muslim) population of between 10 and 25 percent in Europes largest cities, it is important to follow a policy of social integration to ensure a peaceful coexistence, Erdogan said. This was a great challenge that could, however, be overcome with the joint efforts of the host countries and Muslim communities. Erdogan did not deal with questions from members of the European Parliament about the protection of human rights and religious minorities within Turkey. The parliamentary session of the Council of Europe was debating a decision on freedom of expression and religious tolerance in connection with Erdogans visit. Meanwhile, the Turkish Parliament voted late Tuesday to contribute 17 soldiers and a C- 130cargo plane to a European military force that will police the first free elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo, parliamentary sources said yesterday. According to the motion that was voted unanimously, the soldiers will serve in the African country from July 30to Nov. 30 to provide air defense and are expected home before the end of the year. This will be Turkeys first European military operation outside the scope of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, of which it is a member, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul told Parliament. In another development, Turkish police said yesterday they had detained two more people over the killing of a senior judge last month which shocked the country and fuelled tensions between the government and secularists. Yes, we have detained two people over the Danistay attack and we are still questioning them, an anti-terror police official at Ankaras police headquarters told Reuters. He declined to comment on the identity of the two men. Posted by: ryuge 2006-06-29 |
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