Article

2006-11-29 Europe

Islamism and intolerance among the Turks -- not as common as you might think

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Posted by Mike 2006-11-29 09:29|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 During the Ottoman Empire administration, Turks considered Arabs incompetent, lazy good-for-nothing bums. There was more than several grains of truth in that view.

Posted by twobyfour 2006-11-29 10:44|| 2006-11-29 10:44|| Front Page Top

#2 Add incestuous to that list twobyfour

Posted by MacNails 2006-11-29 11:22|| 2006-11-29 11:22|| Front Page Top

#3 Add incestuous to that list twobyfour

I'd say simply sex-addled, MacNails. Incest is only one of the dimensions of the entire pathology. But then, the harems of the last Ottoman sultans weren't exactly examples of sexual rectitude, by all accounts.

Posted by trailing wife 2006-11-29 12:17|| 2006-11-29 12:17|| Front Page Top

#4 the ottoman empire took infants from their families and raised them as slaves, turning them into an elite armed force

lets not ignore the bad

Posted by mhw 2006-11-29 12:52|| 2006-11-29 12:52|| Front Page Top

#5 Non-muslims have long been a majority in "islamic" turkey (not the ottoman empire); right at the beginning of 20th century, they were still 1/3rd of the population; now, they're basically nothing. Between persecutions, population swaps, and outright genocides, this was not a tolerance exercise.

Posted by anonymous5089 2006-11-29 13:11|| 2006-11-29 13:11|| Front Page Top

#6 the party in power, AKP, is openly Islamist. They are patient, meticulous and not synonymous with the views of, say, Hamas or Ahmediniad.

Yet

Posted by gromgoru 2006-11-29 13:35|| 2006-11-29 13:35|| Front Page Top

#7 Just let me know when they allow the Halki Orthodox seminary on Heybeliada Island to open once again. It was shut down by state decree. In a short time there may not be a Turkish born Patriarch to assume leadership of the Orthodox Church. It's only been closed since 1971.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2006-11-29 14:38|| 2006-11-29 14:38|| Front Page Top

#8 Between persecutions, population swaps, and outright genocides, this was not a tolerance exercise.

But provides an excellent model for imagining the process in reverse.

Posted by Excalibur 2006-11-29 16:08|| 2006-11-29 16:08|| Front Page Top

#9 My primary experiences with the Turks are with those in Germany, either living there or in the military assigned there for NATO exercises (mostly as observers). The educated Turks are pleasant, articulate, and extremely well-behaved. It's easy to get along with them, and most of them are quite secular in their behavior. The average joe grunt on the street is something quite different. They used to come to moving sales in the housing areas, and want to give you nothing for everything. They could be quite abusive if you didn't agree with them. They were also known to steal from you in plain sight, daring you to challenge them. It's been 17 years since I left, but I doubt things have changed much, except perhaps to get worse.

Posted by Old Patriot">Old Patriot 2006-11-29 16:57|| http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]">[http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/] 2006-11-29 16:57|| Front Page Top

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