| Submit your comments on this article |
| The Grand Turk |
| In the eye of the storm |
| 2015-11-30 |
| [DAWN] Istanbul was calm, normal towards the end of last week as I spent 24 hours there while in transit. But reading local English-language newspapers another realisation hit home: how drastically ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... may have changed from the country of Mustafa Kemal Pasha's vision. Mustafa Kemal, Ataturk (father of the Turks), visualised a democratic, secular society embracing modern values, Western attire and even the Roman script. He rose to power after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the First World War and believed the religion of Islam will be "elevated if it ceased being a political instrument" like it was in the past. Today, some 90 years on, Turkey seems split down the middle among Islamists such as President Erdogan whose party is in power, and the fragmented secularists who failed to win a majority in the recent parliamentary elections. Erdogan's critics believe he cynically manipulated the election result by provoking a confrontation with traditional Kurdish adversaries in its run-up and was able to galvanise support for his own party by spreading fear of what would happen if the other side won. Whether this criticism is valid or not is for another day. What is clear is that Turkish society is divided into those who believe Erdogan offers a solution for all that is wrong with the country, and those who feel appalled that he is altering Ataturk's Turkey beyond recognition. What happened at a football match over the past week, following the Gay Paree carnage carried out by the Death Eater Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... group, was utterly shocking. During a minute's silence to honour the memory of the Gay Paree victims, a section of the crowd raised 'Allah-o-Akbar' slogans. This left many Turkish media commentators distressed. However, a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all... one of them pointed out in a column that it reflected what many have known in Turkey: that about a 10th of the country is sympathetic towards IS and supports it. It seemed like yesterday Turkey was steaming towards membership of the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... , working hard at goals such as economic criteria and at bettering its human rights ...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions... record. It was seen as an economic powerhouse knocking at EU's door. It seemed to be swallowing the bitter pill of making concessions to the Kurds. But despite all its incredible hard work and the aspirations of not just its secular population, but also Islamist leaders such as Erdogan, as it approached the point where its request could be considered Ankara was blackballed by La Belle France's then right-wing president Nicolas Sarkozy ...23rd President of the French Republic. Sarkozy is married to singer-songwriter Carla Bruni, who has a really nice birthday suit... . His reasons seemed less about economic and political concerns and more about the faith of a majority of Turks. |
| Posted by:Fred |