Category Archives: Turkey

US commission lambastes Turkey as major violator of religious freedom

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Bipartisan panel wants State Department to include Ankara on annual watch list

By March 20, 2012, 6:37 pm  

 

Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal (right) is greeted by Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Friday. (photo credit: AP/Yasin Bulbul)

In its annual report released Tuesday, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom notes that, despite its status as an electoral democracy, Turkey under Prime Minister Recip Tayyip Erdogan has failed to recognize religious communities as independent entities with full legal status. Turkish government officials routinely control and meddle in the internal governance, education, and worship rights of these communities. The commission also calls out Turkey — along with Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Venezuela – for its promotion and tolerance of anti-Semitism.

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Angry Turk’s Message for Europe: “We are Coming”

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This would be amusing if it wasn’t so serious. “Fight back”? Fight back against what? Europe’s feeble and rare attempts to stop total Islamic conquest of all Western nations? What exactly is there to fight back against?

from…

Stonegate:

 

“Whether or not you want us in the European Union, our influence in Europe is growing. We are more numerous. We are younger. We are stronger.”

A second-generation Muslim immigrant in Austria has authored a provocative new book in which he argues that Europe’s future is Turkish, whether Europeans like it or not.

The book’s short, sharp and confrontational title says it all: “We are Coming.”

The thesis is: “Regardless of whether or not you [Europeans] like us [Turks], whether or not you integrate us, whether or not you want us in the European Union, our influence in Europe is growing. We are more numerous. We are younger. We are more ambitious. Our economy is growing faster. We are stronger.”

The author, a 25-year-old Austrian-Turk named Inan Türkmen, says his objective in writing the book is to change the terms of the debate about Muslim immigration in Europe.

Türkmen — who was born in Austria to Kurdish migrants and speaks fluent German — says he is sick and tired of the way Turkish immigrants are being portrayed in the European media. He believes the time has come for Turks to fight back.

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Turkey: Complaint filed against Twitter user alias @allah

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ANSAMED:

User has 200,000 followers, sued by tv presenter

08 February, 19:16

Twitter's logo Twitter’s logo

(ANSAmed) – ANKARA – A Twitter user has gained almost 200 thousand followers under the username ”@allah”.

Charges have been filed against him and while the result of the case is uncertain, it has drawn the attention of an information website. The lawsuit against the account ”twitter.com/allahcc” was opened by television presenter Serdar Tuncer, who claims that the more than 4,600 tweets sent by this tweeter mock the Islam and other religions and humiliate their faithful. Tuncer, who presents television programmes dedicated to Ramadan, as the website Bianet reports, has said that ”the correspondence between the person called @allah (cc) and his readers” violates article 216/3 of Turkish Criminal Law on ”denigration of religious values”.

The messages sent by ”@allah”, listed in the complaints, include: ”We have been god for so many years and we are still cooking pasta with tomato sauce.” ”Fortunately, we created sour cherry.” ”With my present mind I would not have created the little finger of human beings.” ”Our side over here is very safe because there is no police.” The tweets contain ”humiliation and insults against Islam and Muslims”, the plaintiff claims, asking the prosecution to focus on the article in Turkish law that sentences “anyone who openly denigrates the religious values of a part of the population” to imprisonment of from six months to one year, ”where the act is sufficient to breach public peace”.

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Greece starts building fence on Turkish border

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Wonder if there will be massive protests every week at North American universities over this ‘apartheid wall’

From Euro-observer

Greece starts building fence on Turkish border

06.02.12 @ 16:21

By EUOBSERVER

Greece on Monday started building a 10-km long fence on its border with Turkey to keep out thousands of irregular migrants seeking to cross into Europe. “This is a project which has practical and symbolic value,” citizen protection minister Christos Papoutsis told reporters. Its cost is estimated at €5.5 million.

French Senate passes Armenian genocide law

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BBC:

23 January 2012 Last updated at 17:41 ET

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French Senate passes Armenian genocide law

Turkish citizens from France and other European countries demonstrate in Paris Saturday Jan. 21, 2012, to protest against a law that makes it a crime to deny genocide against Armenians Thousands of people took to the streets of Paris on Saturday to demonstrate against the bill

The French Senate has approved a controversial bill that makes it a criminal offence to deny that genocide was committed by Ottoman Turks against Armenians during World War I.

Armenia says up to 1.5 million people died in 1915-16 as the Ottoman empire split. Turkey rejects the term genocide and says the number was much smaller.

The measure will now be sent to President Sarkozy for final approval.

The bill’s passage in the lower house caused major tensions with Turkey.

Ankara froze ties with France after the vote last month and promised further measures if the Senate backed the proposal.

In the event the Senate approved the bill by 127 votes to 86.

The BBC’s correspondent in Istanbul, Jonathan Head, says stronger Turkish measures could include the withdrawal of ambassadors and creating more barriers to French businesses in Turkey.

In the first reaction from Ankara, Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin condemned the bill.

“The decision made by the Senate is a great injustice and shows total lack of respect for Turkey,” he told the CNN-Turk television channel.

The Turkish embassy in Paris warned that if President Sarkozy approved the bill, the damage done to relations between the two countries would be permanent.

Click to Continue at BBC

SHOCK DISCOVERY: RECENT FIND OF OLD DOCUMENTS SHOW SWEDES INVOLVED IN SEX-SLAVE TRADE WITH OTTOMAN EMPIRE

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More apologizing and self flagellation seen in Stockholm

Just how much Swedish skin is left to self flagellate after this story gains steam? They already hate themselves with a passion… now you’ll really see the multiculturalists hate everything Swedish. KGS

H/T: Sheik Yer’Mami (pbuh)

NOTE: Self loathing on grand scale that only a Swede (or Norwegian) could contemplate!

But first: Follow the rest of it on Youtube, 5 part series.

Swedish history must be rewritten,” researcher Joachim Östlund told The Local.

Östlund, from the Department of History at Lund University, found that Sweden had an active role in the 18th century slave-trades through the discovery of forgotten ship registration documents stored in Stockholm’s consulate archives. While ‘not surprised’ about uncovering Sweden’s participation in the Ottoman Empire, he stresses the importance of shedding light on Sweden’s role in the affair. “Sweden actively participated in the Ottoman Empire slave trade with the Sub-Sahara – and this is completely new,” he said. According to Östlund’s findings, the shipping registries state that the Swedish ships’ cargo was “negroes”. While the slaves sent to America were predominantly men used for plantation work, the Ottoman Empire had a different agenda entirely. “Up to 75 percent of the passengers on board were women,” said Östlund. “These women were used as servants and concubines, often both at the same time. They lived a relatively short time, research suggests an average of seven years after reaching the Empire, and this kept the slave trade between Africa and Tripoli going strong.”

More here.

NOTE: What’s of significant importance, is the fact that the slave trade is linked to the Muslim world by a Swedish publication. It’s something that the TT has been publishing for years:

Fergie faces 22 years in Turkish prison over secret film of children abandoned in orphanage

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Mail online:

  • They say she ‘violated’ children’s privacy
  • She was told by Home Office the case was closed

By Rebecca English and Jack Doyle

Last updated at 9:59 AM on 13th January 2012

The Duchess of York faces 22 years in jail after a Turkish court pressed charges against her for secretly filming in an orphanage.

The charges relate to an undercover documentary Sarah Ferguson made with ITV in 2008 to expose ‘appalling’ conditions in state run institutions.

A spokesman for the Duchess said: ‘The Duchess of York has fully co-operated with both the Turkish and British authorities at all times on this issue.

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Undercover: Sarah Ferguson pictured in Turkey for the controversial ITV documentary filmed in 2008Undercover: Sarah Ferguson pictured in Turkey for the controversial ITV documentary filmed in 2008

 

Caring: Sarah Ferguson talks to a child at the orphanage in Ankara, where children with mental illness suffered horrific abuseCaring: Sarah Ferguson talks to a child at the orphanage in Ankara, where children with mental illness suffered horrific abuse

 

‘British ministers refused to accede to the further requests for legal assistance from Turkey. From a UK perspective, the Duchess has been told by the Home Office that the case is closed.

The action today reported by the Turkish authorities is news to all.’

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“Nightmare year” for women’s rights in Turkey, survey

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ANSAMED.IT

(ANSAmed) – ISTANBUL, DECEMBER 29 – In the wake of a report that 160 women were murdered in Turkey in 2011 by male partners or relatives, some are calling for women at risk to be given free guns and lessons in how to use them. The new statistics, released by the group “We Will Stop the Murders of Women”, paint a dire portrait of the state of women’s rights in Turkey, as the Istanbul newspaper Today’s Zaman writes. The report reveals that one in two of the 160 women murdered were killed “because they wanted to make an independent decision concerning their own lives”. Of these, 41% wanted to divorce or separate from their husband or partner, 32% were murdered due to jealously on the part of their husband and 16% were killed because they rejected a man’s advances. Only 23% of the women who applied to the state for protection from domestic violence this year received such assistance, the report said. Such stark statistics prompted Hayrettin Bulan, chairman of Sefkat-Der, a non-governmental group working for the protection of women, to suggest that “a last-resort solution to the problem may be to issue guns to women facing violence”. Bulan added that his organization is already in talks with shooting ranges to arrange lessons for women at risk next year. But Hulya Gulgahar, a prominent Turkish women’s rights lawyer, disagreed. “To arm women with guns will create a whole different set of problems,” she said. (ANSAmed).

Israel cancels $141m defense deal with Turkey over strained ties

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Chicago Trib

TIA GOLDENBERGAssociated Press

10:48 a.m. CST, December 22, 2011

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has canceled a $141 million defense deal with Turkey, a reflection of the steep deterioration in relations between the former allies.

Israeli officials said Thursday they are concerned that Turkey could deliver the state-of-the-art airborne intelligence units to third parties hostile to Israel.

They said the deal was signed in 2008.

Officials in Israel’s Defense Ministry and Elbit Systems, the manufacturer of the system, confirmed the deal was called off. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the diplomatic sensitivity of the matter. There was no immediate comment from Ankara.

The Israel-Turkey diplomatic crisis peaked last year when Israeli commandos raiding a Turkish protest ship headed for Gaza killed nine pro-Palestinian activists. Both sides said they acted in self defense.

Al Qaeda Cell in Turkey Accused of Planning to Bomb Churches

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 Compass Direct:

h/t Taffy in Canada
Ankara’s Parliament building, target along with church buildings and Christian clergy of an Al Qaeda cell in Turkey.
Ankara’s Parliament building, target along with church buildings and Christian clergy of an Al Qaeda cell in Turkey. (Photo: T.C. Büyük Millet Meclisi)

Indictment reveals Christian targets in Ankara, along with Parliament and U.S. Embassy.

ISTANBUL, December 9 (CDN) — A large-scale Al Qaeda plot to bomb “all the churches in Ankara,” as well as the Turkish Parliament and U.S. Embassy in the Turkish capital, was made public today.

In an exclusive splashed across the front page of the daily Taraf newspaper, contents of an official indictment against 11 alleged Al Qaeda militants arrested in July revealed the homegrown terrorist cell’s alleged plans to attack Ankara’s churches as well as their Christian clergy.

Prepared and filed by the Special Prosecutor’s Office in Ankara, the 50-page indictment outlined the militants’ revised “jihad” strategy to begin focusing their attacks against Turkey before waging war against the United States and other countries.

“It is more advantageous to wage jihad against Turkey than the United States,” documents seized in the July 14 raid near Ankara reportedly declared. “Let’s blow the Parliament into the sky!”

Quoting from deciphered CDs and other materials, the indictment noted that the extremists reportedly referred to Turkey as a “war zone,” labeling the Turkish government as “apostates” and calling the Turkish state “Satan.” Continue Reading →

Gunman Wounds 2 Near Istanbul’s Blue Mosque

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This is odd.

From Salon:

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A gunman opened fire near Istanbul’s Blue Mosque on Wednesday, wounding two people in the heart of Istanbul’s tourist center, a witness told a news agency.

The witness told Turkey’s Dogan news agency says he helped carry two injured people into ambulances after the attack.

State-run TRT television says the motive of the attack was not clear and that the gunman reportedly fired randomly.

It was not clear if the gunman was captured, but police reinforced security at the site, state-run TRT television said.

The area is home to former Byzantine church of Haghia Sophia as well as the Ottoman palace of Topkapi.

Turkey: Ministry dismantles family planning

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ANSAMED:

In line with PM’s call for more children, newspaper

24 November, 10:52

(ANSAmed) – ANKARA, NOVEMBER 24 – In line with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s policy to encourage families to have at least three children, the Health Ministry is dismantling its units tasked with family planning, according to the Turkish paper Aksam. As authoritative figures have said, equal rights have not been entirely achieved in Turkey and among the complaints on the condition of women the moderate Islamic PM’s call – who has four children – for every family to have at least three is often cited. Turkey is among the last places (126th out of 131) in the rankings of the 2010 World Economic Forum report as concerns the gender gap between men and women. However, the European Union considers the legal framework for women’s rights adequate in Turkey, a country with a population of mostly Muslims but secular legislation brought in during the 1920s and 1930s by Kemal Ataturk, who banned the Islamic headscarf and introduced divorce, abortion, civil marriage, equal inheritance rights and gender equality. (ANSAmed).

Belgium’s right wing calls on Turks to return

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Thursday, November 24, 2011
Sevim Songün Demirezen
GHENT

 Hurriyetnet

French and Belgium far-right demonstrators walk with banners in Lille on Oct 8. AFP Photo
French and Belgium far-right demonstrators walk with banners in Lille on Oct 8. AFP Photo

Belgium’s right-wing conservatives are campaigning to fund the return of Turkish migrants living in the city of Ghent to Turkey with the ironic slogan “Emirda??n sana ihtiyac? var” (Emirda? needs you).

The Vlaams Belang party’s campaign attempts to convince the Turks in Ghent, many of whom were from the city of Emirda? in the Afyonkarahisar province of Turkey, to return to their hometown.

“There are a lot of Turks who are not happy here,” Johan Deckmyn, Vlaams Belang parliamentary member, told Hürriyet Daily News yesterday. “You cannot tell these people to return if you do not have an initiative for them.”

He said their campaign addressed Turks who could not adapt to Belgian culture and those who wanted to return to Turkey even though they had emigrated. Pointing to many failed government projects such as the attempt to send funds to African nations, Deckmyn said funds could be used for their project instead.

The Turkish community in Ghent called the project racist, but Deckmyn denied the claims: “I am not a racist. I am not anti-Turk. I just want to live in a country that is still my country.” The parliamentary member complained the Turkish population in Ghent was making the city “Turkish.”

“Some parts of Ghent are becoming Turkish. My native neighborhood is becoming Turkish. I don’t recognize it anymore,” Deckmyn said about the change of shop names in the city. “I’m sure Turks would not like to have Swedish quarters in Ankara.”

The campaign used Turkey’s economic growth as a reason for Turks to return to Turkey. Deckmyn said the party was against Turkey’s membership to the European Union although they welcomed economic relations between the two parties.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

HEAD TURK STIRS THE POT IN GERMANY, SAYS LEARNING GERMAN AGAINST HUMAN RIGHTS

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It’s called imperialism.

Turks in Germany: The Guests Take Over the House

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in Germany on November 1 and 2 to mark the 50th anniversary of a German-Turkish agreement on guest workers.

Erdogan turned what was supposed to be a friendly photo opportunity into a platform from which to launch a fresh tirade against Berlin for a long list of perceived slights and shortcomings in its treatment of the estimated 3.5 million Turkish immigrants who now live in Germany.

Erdogan said Germany’s insistence that immigrants who want to live in Germany must learn the German language is “against human rights.” He also demanded that Berlin grant German citizenship to Turkish immigrants regardless of the efforts they make to integrate into German society.

For good measure, Erdogan accused Germany of being “an accessory” to the terror campaign launched by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Turkey. He also blamed Germany for derailing Turkey’s decades-long bid to join the European Union.

Adding to the controversy, a group of German scientists, politicians and human rights activists greeted Erdogan’s visit to Germany by filing a war crimes complaint against the Turkish prime minister and nine other senior Turkish political and military officials.

More here.

NOTE: Here’s one for the Germans, a real ball kicker.

Turkish PM getting his nuts cracked by a (German trained?) horse. Just in time for Christmas folks, a real mantle piece display for any German home.