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| Europe |
| 40,000 attend secular rally in Turkey |
| 2006-05-23 |
| Some 40,000 protesters took to the streets of Turkey today to noisily support their country's secular traditions, a day after a suspected Islamist militant shot dead a judge. Members of Turkey's pro-Islamist government were booed as they attended memorial services, and the Turkish President issued a warning that "no one will be able to overthrow the (secular) regime". The entire leadership of the Turkish military, which has led three coups in the past and regards itself as the guardians of secularism, lined up beside the flag-draped coffin of Judge Mustafa Yucel Ozbilgin, at his funeral today. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish Prime Minister, was however conspicuous by his absence from the funeral. The outpouring took place the day after a militant burst into TurkeyÂ’s highest administrative court shouting "I am a soldier of God", and shot five judges, fatally wounding Ozbilgin. The suspect, a 28-year-old lawyer, reportedly told police that he was retaliating for the courtÂ’s recent ruling that a teacher who wore an Islamic-style head scarf outside of work should not be promoted. The headscarf has long been a flashpoint between Islamists and secularists. Since the founding of the modern Turkish state nearly 80 years ago, the country has banned wearing headscarves in universities, in state offices and at state functions, fearing that the headgear symbolizes a desire to weaken the secular identity of the state. The Government has made no secret of its desire to lift a ban on headscarves and had strongly criticised the courtÂ’s February decision. Mr Erdogan and many other ministers have their political roots in a pro-Islamic party that was forced from government by the military in 1997. The Prime Minister's wife, Emine, who wears a headscarf, cannot attend many state functions. The wife of Abdullah Gul, the Foreign Minister, and many other wives of Cabinet members also wear headscarves. Mr ErdoganÂ’s Government has vowed to try to ease the restrictions and has been trying to raise the profile of Islam. The shooting stunned the secular establishment. More than 15,000 angry Turks, from students to judges dressed in their robes, marched to the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern and secular Turkey, in a show of loyalty to secularism. Many were chanting "Turkey is secular and will remain secular." They laid a wreath decorated with red and white carnations, the colours of the Turkish flag, at the mausoleum. Some were tearful as they kissed the marble stones of the mausoleum. The procession was broadcast live on national TV. Later, some 40,000 people marched to the cityÂ’s main mosque to attend memorial services for Ozbilgin, many of them chanting slogans calling for the governmentÂ’s resignation. They also booed when Abdulkadir Aksu, the Interior Minister, Cemil Cicek, the Justice Minister, and Abdullatif Sener, the Deputy Prime Minister, arrived at the mosque and chanted "Murderers out". Police were forced to escort Mr Aksu into the memorial service, and Mr Cicek had to use a back entrance to flee a group of protesters who threw a bottle of water at him, private CNN-Turk television reported. "This is the September 11 of the Turkish Republic," wrote Ertugrul Ozkok, chief columnist for Hurriyet, a secular daily paper. "One of the main pillars of the regime, justice, was hit. This is an attack against all of us." President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, himself a former judge, said that the shooting "is indeed an attack on the secular republic." In an apparent warning to the Government and to pro-Islamic newspapers, Mr Sezer said that "those who provided the reason for this attack must review their attitudes and behaviours". Opposition parties said that they held Mr ErdoganÂ’s Government responsible for the attack. Prosecutors today filed charges against Vakit, a pro-Islamic newspaper, accusing it of supporting terrorism. The newspaper had printed the photos of the judges in February. Vakit today condemned the attack but questioned whether it was being used by the pro-secular establishment to crack down on the Islamic movement. Police captured the suspect, a 28-year-old lawyer, after the attack, and NTV television reported that he was also one of the people who threw grenades at the Istanbul offices of the pro-secular newspaper Cumhuriyet. At least three more suspected accomplices have been arrested, and police are reported to be searching for more suspects. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #1 Good. More, please. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-05-23 12:52 |