|
Turkey's Radical "Fringe" Returns to View
It's the sort of scene that rattles Turkey's Western-looking establishment: angry demonstrators raising fists for Islam and waving posters supporting Chechen separatists, the Iraq insurgency and hard-line Palestinian factions such as Hamas. "Islamic resistance will win!" chanted nearly 400 protesters, including women wearing green headbands with Quranic verses - similar to those worn by suicide bombers in farewell videos.Radical cries from the fringe - like these in Istanbul last weekend - are driving concerns that the Muslim nation's push toward Europe may stir momentum in the opposite direction. Ahead of a key European Union vote Friday, pro-Islamic political groups appear ready to seek gains if Ankara's bid to join the EU falters and more extremist elements could use the East-West split as fresh ground for recruits in a country still stunned by bombings last year linked to al-Qaida. "Turkey is like a firewall between radical Islam and the West," said Dogu Ergil, a political science professor at Ankara University. "The consequences if the firewall comes down are scary." It's already been shaken. Turkish authorities are still trying to assess the alleged role of al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden in attacks last November in Istanbul's European side. Some 60 people, including the British consul-general, were killed in bombings at two synagogues, the British Consulate and the headquarters of London-based HSBC bank. Turkey's top military officer says terrorism is Turkey's top domestic threat. In response, authorities have clamped down on underground funding networks for Chechen rebels and are watching a growing trend of political Islam in Turkey for signs of drifting into radical orbits. Posted by: .com 2004-12-13 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=51117 |