Turkey

It has been a while since I blogged that "On Sunday Turkey holds a general election... "For 84 years, modern Turkey has been defined by a holy trinity — the army, the republic and its founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Each was linked inextricably to the others and all were beyond reproach." Thanks to the New York Times for that succinct comment. This election could have repercussions for the whole of Europe. A victory for the AK Party (AKP) could mark the beginning of the end of secularism in Turkey and the Turkish army may feel forced to react and what ensues may not be pleasant to behold. If the AKP fail to win then the backlash by increasingly radicalised religious elements within Turkey also does not bode well. The end of Kemalism, the fiercely secular ideology that sought to extinguish religious networks and ultimately religion itself from society, may be nigh unless those Turkish liberals who have allied themselves with the AKP are right and they AKP really are not a threat to secularism. However, I find it rather tricky to know what set of circumstances will allow the Turks, the Kurds, the Muslims and the rest of the Turkish population to live in peace. Do bear in mind that what happens in Turkey may have repercussions in Iraq, the Middle East, Europe and the rest of the World."

Now I read that "A crowd of 16,000 expatriate Turks cheered Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a vast indoor auditorium in Germany on Sunday as he told them to resist assimilation into the West..."Assimilation is a crime against humanity," he told the crowd. Many Turks had travelled from France, Belgium and the Netherlands to hear his hour-long address in the shiny venue, the Koelnarena. "I can well understand that you are against assimilation," he said. "It is important to learn German, but your Turkish language should not be neglected." He said ethnic Turks abroad should be more confident in standing up for their interests, and should win election as mayors and members of European national parliaments."

Remember this when you are told that we must let Turkey into the EU. How will Europe cope with another 20 million or so poor Turkish Muslims moving to Germany, France and the UK, told not to assimilate but to win elections. My despair is getting deeper by the day.