Mustafa Kemal Ataturk [Atatürk](1881-1938) the founder of the Turkish Republic and its first PresidentHuge rally for Turkish secularism Hat tip: desert rat
The rally is being described as a huge show of forceBBC, full story here.
Tens of thousands of people are rallying in Istanbul in support of secularism in Turkey, amid a row over a vote for the country's next president.
The protesters are concerned that the ruling party's candidate for the post remains loyal to his Islamic roots.
The candidate, Abdullah Gul, earlier said he would not quit despite growing criticism from opponents and the army.
Mr Gul failed to win election in a first round vote in parliament as opposition MPs boycotted the vote.
They are also challenging its validity in the Constitutional Court.
An army statement on Friday accused the government of tolerating radical Islam and vowed to defend secularism.
ABDULLAH GUL
1950: Born in Kayseri
1991: Elected to parliament for pro-Islamist Welfare Party
2001: One of founders of AK
2002-03: Prime minister
2003: Foreign minister, leading EU accession talks
Profile: Abdullah Gul
Mr Gul has steered Turkey's European Union accession talks as foreign minister and is seen as less confrontational than Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the leader of his Islamist-rooted Justice and Development (AK) party.
"The president must be loyal to secular principles. If I am elected, I will act accordingly," he said after his nomination for the presidency.
But some analysts say he is closer to his religious roots, and his wife would be the first First Lady to wear a headscarf, a deeply divisive statement in Turkey.
Background:
Atatürk is the founder of the concept of a modern reformed Islamic state. He undertook a series of reforms to "raise Turkey to the level of modern civilization" which can be grouped under five titles. Compare that to the damage done to modernism by our dear friends the Saudis.
1. Political Reforms
- Abolishment of the office of the Sultan (November 1922)
- Proclamation of the Republic (29 October 1923)
- Abolishment of the caliph (3 March 1924)
- Recognition of equal rights to men and women (1926 - 1934)
- Reform of Headgear and Dress (25 November 1925)
- Closure of mausoleums and dervish lodges (30 November 1925)
- Law on family names (21 June 1934)
- Abolishment of titles and by-names (26 November 1934)
- Adoption of international calendar, hours and measurements (1925 - 1931)
- Abolishment of the Canon Law (1924 - 1937)
- Transfer to a secular law structure by adoption of Turkish Civil Code and other laws (1924 - 1937)
- Unification of education (3 March 1924)
- Adoption of new Turkish alphabet (1 November 1928)
- Establishment of Turkish Language and History Institutions (1931 - 1932)
- Regulation of the university education (31 May 1933)
- Innovations in fine arts
- Abolution of tithe
- Encouragement of the farmers
- Establishment of model farms
- Establishment of industrial facilities, and putting into effect a law for Incentives for the Industry
whit's two cents:
(I was preparing a post on the same subject so I'll piggyback on Duece's post.)
I was struck this week by two related news stories which if nothing else, document the spread of the cancer that is fundamentalist Islam. The first story, the big one getting all the attention, is the Presidential race in Turkey where there is great concern in the military as well as the general public about Abdullah Gul's loyalties and priorities; If elected, will he support and promote a secular Turkey or will his Islamic beliefs cause him to take the country in a more fundamentalist direction? Two weeks ago more than than 300,000 people gathered in support of a secular Turkey. This week, the military shook things up with their announcement that they are bound to support a secular Turkey. Gul and his party, sought to assure the public that they do not seek an Islamic government. I believe that Gul's party has been moving Turkey in a more fundamentalist direction and the Turkish public has serious misgivings about his loyalty to a secular Turkey. I do too. The question is whether Gul's party can be trusted but based on recent history the answer would appear to be no. Not because their intentions are not good but because there are too many fundamentalists who have shown no compunction in reasserting control in the name of Allah. How many suicide bombings and beheadings must we witness before we decide that these people are serious about their "mission for God." In this climate, the moderates will be overcome with violence and the despotism of the zealots. Unchecked, the Islamists will reign.
BBC is reporting on the Crackdown in Iran over Dress Codes.
Thousands of Iranian women have been cautioned over their poor Islamic dress this week and several hundred arrested in the capital Tehran in the most fierce crackdown on what's known as "bad hijab" for more than a decade.
It is the talk of the town. The latest police crackdown on Islamic dress has angered many Iranians - male, female, young and old.
But Iranian TV has reported that an opinion poll conducted in Tehran found 86% of people were in favour of the crackdown - a statistic that is surprising given the strength of feeling against this move.
Police cars are stationed outside major shopping centres in Tehran.
They are stopping pedestrians and even cars - warning female drivers not to show any hair - and impounding the vehicles and arresting the women if they argue back.
Middle-aged women, foreign tourists and journalists have all been harassed, not just the young and fashionably dressed.
Overnight the standard of what is acceptable dress has slipped back.
The story went on to quote a very plucky 15-year old girl who wanted the world to know that she and her friends were being oppressed. I hate to think about all the spirit of that girl being beaten out of her as she is eventually forced to conform to the misogyny of religious thugs.
In Turkey and Iran, real, everyday people are on the front lines struggling against militant Islam and it is paramount for the west to find ways to support the people who will resist the fundamentalists. It is up to us to figure out how to best help those who are "in the trenches."
Now you can see what I was attempting to explain,, the role of the Turkish Army, in Turkey.
ReplyDeleteIt has been the historic guarentour of secular rule, that role now protested, in the halls of the EU, DC too, I'd wager.
Democratic trumps liberal.
Aint't that Grand?
and a tip of the hat to you as well..
ReplyDeleteHamas in Palistine, HB in Lebanon, who knows what's been unleashed in Iraq.
ReplyDeleteThe Mussulmen Brotherhood are surging in Eygpt.
Only in Syria are the seculars holding the line against the Mussulmen. There the Baathist fall back on their Hama experience, as a guiding principle of Mussulmen management.
As British draw down, violence in Basra is up
ReplyDeleteThe troops bear the brunt as Shiite factions fight for power and oil.
By Alexandra Zavis, LA Times Staff Writer
April 29, 2007
Deuce scooped me on the post so I piggybacked what I was working on. Hope he doesn't mind.
ReplyDeletedo not mind at all whit.
ReplyDeleteThe American Israeli Patriot
ReplyDeletewrites:
Abbas Approved Hamas Independence Day Attack
Then goes on to quote WND.
A Middle East Diary That Will Not Submit
The moderates that ain't, what will Ms Rice say now?
Do we send more weapons to Fatah, or wait for another moderate to emerge?
Will be in Turkey for the month of May, will let you know if Ataturk is spinning in his mausaleum.
ReplyDeleteHoping the Mideast powder keg doesn't go off while we are there.
Cheers.
desert rat: The American Israeli Patriot writes: Abbas Approved Hamas Independence Day Attack
ReplyDeleteThey, in turn, got this information from WorldNetDaily, which is right up there with Debka on the BS meter. Stick to the Jerusalem Post.
WASHINGTON (Associated Press) -- President Bush will not support a war spending bill that punishes the Iraqi government for failing to meet benchmarks for progress, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'd rank WND ahead of debka on the believability scale.
ReplyDeleteNot as "mainstream" as the JPost, but still pretty credible, instead of incredible.
Nothing incredible to the WND story, not about Mr Fatah anyway.
That fellow, Abbas, has more handles than habu.
We could have a President Gul in Turkey.
ReplyDeleteAs well as a General President Gul in Pakistan.
Makes one wonder ...
General Gul, who said this, about US?
ReplyDelete"We are not afraid of the Americans; they can't fight on the ground. We are only concerned about their high-altitude bombers."
"I turned against America because they betrayed the Afghan nation." (rediff.com Feb 2004)
God will destroy America, says Hamid Gul ( Retired Pakistan General ) Daily Times, Pakistan ^ | August 30, 2003 | Khalid Hasan
As likely the next General President, as not.
As Turkey prepares to fire up its' own nuclear power generating capacity, in three plants, to be completed by 2015.
ReplyDeleteEygpt as well.
The mussulmen will have an ever growing pool of infrastructure and expertise to draw upon.
Take care, Mr. Acton.
ReplyDeleteIstanbul in the springtime..lala..lala..lala....
For Sale
ReplyDeleteCatching up from a former post. Answering my own question as to what we do when Iran takes over the gulf.
Lord Acton:
ReplyDeleteKeep the EB in mind when you're in Turkey. Please jot down some thoughts and (a diary) take some photos to share with us in a guest post when you get back.
regards,
whit
Light bulbs that don't signify ideas
ReplyDeleteThis week, both the House and the Senate voted for defeat in Iraq. That's to say, Congress got tired of waiting for deadbeat insurgents to get their act together and inflict devastating military humiliation on U.S. forces. So America's legislators have voted to mandate the certainty of defeat. They want the withdrawal of American forces to begin this October, which is a faintly surreal concept: Watching CNN International around the world, many viewers unversed in America's constitutional arrangements will have been puzzled by the spectacle of a nation giving six months' notice of surrender.mmmm
Mark Steyn..nobody does it better
Take notes on 'rickshaws' you may lead a start up company when you get back, Lord Acton.
ReplyDeleteMark Steyn article
ReplyDeleteLight bulbs that don't signify ideas
Invest Here For A Secure Future
ReplyDeleteJust disregard the fact that millions upon millions will be dead of starvation by the time we can 'transition back'.
ReplyDelete'six years on and Iran is going nuclear, and no one seems minded to stop them'--from Habu's post above.
ReplyDelete'six years on and Iran is going nuclear, and no one seems minded to stop them'
ReplyDeleteWell...
Countdown has begun
However, Ynet, like WND and Debka may be up there on the BS meter as teresita says.
How could it all start? Let's go to a 'reputable' source:
Gaza incursion inevitable...Hizbullah is trying to cross over the Litani River and into southern Lebanon
So let's say Israel moves against Iran (its proxies first; Hamas, Hez, and Syria). In turn,
Iran moves against Israel and the U.S.
In 'stopping' Iran, there will more than likely be numerous 'incidents' on U.S. soil.
How will the American public respond?
From Ynet above -
"Bush knows that in the event he decides to go to war with Iran, even the Democrats would support him. Olmert also knows that it would not be difficult for him to secure a similar coalition at home."
Just Keeping Things In Perspective
ReplyDeleteDid you folks know that the bicycle is the most efficient invention of man? It gets around 3,000 miles to the gallon if you do the energy math.
ReplyDeleteThe Quotable Cyclist
ReplyDeleteIt was late:
ReplyDeleteTurns out that Clarke memo REFERS to the plan that was turned over.
Wonder if that is declassified?
---
Richard Clarke,
Pariah of us on the right when we were still true believers.
The "Chicken Little" madly screaming about Al Queda to the Clinton and Bush Admins.
I ain't a true believer no mo.
The most efficient invention of God for travel is the human mind.
ReplyDeleteReality based virtual travel,
or,
alternate reality based space voyaging.
Yeah, 'Rat,
ReplyDeletebut the Egyptians are our ALLIES!
---
Egyptian Sandmonkey Quits
Today is the day I walk away from this blog.
Done.
Finished.
There are many reasons, each would take a post to list, and I just do not have the energy to list them. As anyone who has been reading this blog for the past month, I think it is apparent that things are not the same with me. There are reasons for that:
One of the chief reasons is the fact that there has been too much heat around me lately. I no longer believe that my anonymity is kept, especially with State Secuirty agents lurking around my street and asking questions about me since that day.
I ignore that, the same way I ignored all the clicking noises that my phones started to exhibit all of a sudden, or the law suit filed by Judge Mourad on my friends...
---
And speaking of the state of the egyptian blogsphere, it has been pretty depressing in its own right. One has to wonder at some point the futulity of being a keyboard warrior in a country where nothing seems to matter to its people anymore. At the same time, there has been those amongst us who have loved the fame and the attention, and are now becoming the egyptian blogsphere's equivelant of Paris Hilton: They are famous for being famous, peddling the same stories and not really presenting anything of value to the debate
Why Sarkozy fascinates the Sandmonkey
ReplyDeleteLord Acton:
ReplyDeleteThis guy is high on Travel to Turkey
Recommends it over Greece for touring Islands due to very high expense due to low dollar.
Recommends Eastern Europe also, for the same reason.
Says Eating in London is out of sight.
(Mentioned $700 for dinner for three?
Hard to believe)
Peter Greenberg
bon voyage!
My response to the anonymouse know it all at Westhawk
ReplyDeleteAnon,
You can believe whatever you want to believe:
Lawrence Wright regards Scheuer and the now deceased John O'neill as the two most authoritative experts on Al Queda at the time.
I'll take his word for it over your opinion.
Richard Clark became a Pariah to those of us that were still true believers.
Did you look at that memo?
"Chicken Little" as he was known to the know-it-all's in the Whitehouse was SCREAMING to stop ignoring the threat posed by Al Queda.
The memo further refers to the plans presented to the administration for dealing with Al Queda.
"National Security Advisor Rice" LIED when she said there was no such plan.
Your Hero GWB cleaved to losers like her, Karen Hughes, Norman Mineta, Miers, and Tenet, because he liked to stay in his comfort zone of illusion and deception of the public instead of addressing the truth.
The result, 6 years on, is we fecklessly thrash onward, enemy undefined, "Religion of Peace" given all undue regard.
Outstanding indeed.
(Oneille's demise was an indirect result of Barbara Bodine's torpedoing his Cole investigation:
GWB was going to put her in charge in Baghdad!)
Good job doug.
ReplyDeleteDesert Rat wrote:
ReplyDelete"Only in Syria are the seculars holding the line against the Mussulmen. There the Baathist fall back on their Hama experience, as a guiding principle of Mussulmen management. "
And added irony ll is that Saddam was a 'secular' holding back the Islamic tide in his neck of the woods. Didn't someone once say "He's a bastard but he's our bastard." I guess that is the tack you wish US to take now DR?