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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Candidate pledges to keep Turkey secular |
| 2007-08-14 |
| If you believe that then i have a cathedral in Constantinople to sell you, cheap. A Turkish presidential hopeful whose candidacy raised fears about the possible blurring of the line between mosque and state said Tuesday his goals would be strengthening secularism and the country's bid for European Union membership. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul spoke after submitting to parliament his application to run for president, pressing ahead with a candidacy that triggered a political crisis and forced the government to call early elections. He is almost certain to win the presidency. The powerful Turkish military and secular parties fear that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's and Gul's Justice and Development Party aka the Islamist Party would use control of both parliament and the presidency to chip away at the separation of state and religion and put an Islamic stamp on the state by appointing Islamic-minded officials. Gul is an observant Muslim whose wife wears an Islamic style head scarf, which many secular Turks regard as a symbol of political Islam and cite as a reason why he should not become president. Both Gul and Erdogan reject the Islamic fundamentalist label, citing their promotion of sweeping reforms as a means of advancing Turkey's European Union bid. On the other hand, they have also actively sought to improve ties with the Islamic world. |
| Posted by:ed |
| #1 Gee, he sounds swell. I don't know about you guys, but I feel better about this now. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2007-08-14 14:23 |