Turkish secularists rally over attack
An attack on Turkey's top administrative court has brought to the surface simmering tensions between secularists and Turkey's governing Justice and Development Party, which has Islamist roots.
Turkish media have described the gunman as an Islamist and the incident is being linked to a court ruling earlier this year barring a teacher from promotion because she wore a headscarf.
Wednesday's attack, in which one judge was killed and four others injured, has become a rallying point for Turkish secularists - one columnist referred to it as "Turkey's September 11th".
The country's President, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, himself a former judge, described it as "an attack on the secular republic".
Many thousands of people came onto the streets of Ankara to mourn the murdered judge and defend the country's secular constitution.
Government ministers attending the funeral were met with chants of "murderers out" and calls for their resignations.
The country's powerful military, which regards itself as the guardian of Turkey's secular state, turned out in force.
The shooting has brought to the surface simmering tensions between the overwhelmingly Muslim, but staunchly secular, Turkish establishment and the governing Justice and Development Party.
Secularism is the cornerstone of the modern Turkish state, which was founded in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
However, political Islam has been on the rise in Turkey over the past decade.
Members of the secular establishment have long been suspicious of the Justice and Development Party's leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who once served a jail term for reciting an anti-secular poem.
Headscarf row
Despite his insistence that his party has changed, they allege it has not entirely shaken off its Islamist roots and accuse it of quietly trying to put religion at the heart of Turkey's government and society.
Opposition politicians also accuse the government of encouraging this week's attack on the court by criticising that court's earlier ruling on the headscarf ban.
The ban has become the symbol of deep divisions over the role of religion in Turkey.
Women are not allowed to wear headscarves in government buildings, schools, universities or at public ceremonies.
That has led to rows in the past, for instance when the staunchly secular president refused to invite any headscarf-wearing wives of top officials, including Mr Erdogan's, to an official reception.
Many secular Turks regard the headscarf as a threat - a symbol of radical Islam.
Mr Erdogan has made it clear that he would like to see the ban overturned, something which would be welcomed by his party's religious grassroots.
However, he has made no real move to do so, perhaps realising that this would prompt a major confrontation with the secularist establishment.
This includes the army, which mounted three coups between 1960 and 1980 and, less than a decade ago, helped to ease Turkey's first Islamist prime minister from power.
The fact that the attack on the court is being linked to the headscarf issue has re-opened old political wounds.
They may be difficult to heal, particularly with another possible flashpoint between the Justice and Development Party and secularists looming next year - the election of a new president to replace Mr Sezer.
yes it is mostly true.But ı cant agree with the this word."Many secular Turks regard the headscarf as a threat - a symbol of radical Islam."İn my opinion such girls are being used by the politics to take advantage.This issue is really hot and weak in turkey.Somehow we must solve this problem but dont know when....
Just hope Turkey will make it fine. I wouldn't like to see it fall into the radical islamists hands.
Our struggle is just that,but this gov't gets a lot of support from the EU unfortunatelly.Originally Posted by daily666
Our struggle is just that,but this gov't gets a lot of support from the EU unfortunatelly.
I know! A paradox isn't it? I've read an article somewhere that EU accession of Turkey would make it more vulnerable to Islamists, because you'd have to loosen up your 80 years old system, which for the time being worked fine. Turkey in EU is a bad move for Turkey if you ask me.
Exactly! Everyone in Turkey(including the Islamists) are aware of that the EU has already decided not to make Turkey a member, but just wants to use the accession period to loosen up Turkey's secular system and create chaos and divide the country(complete the mission they started in 1915 but couldn't accomplished it due to Atatürk)
Islamists in power today wants to use the same period to replace the coutry's secular institutions with their own system with the EU support.
Whether you all like it or not, the military will never allow this happen, but so far they still haven't lost their faith in democratical means and they want to wait...there is elections soon and we have our hopes tied up there.
turkish army is wanting modern turkey.
we are friendly.but islamist arent.
we are kemalist.I mean,we want modern turkey.
Well I like your military and I like the fact it stands in guard of democracy in Turkey, although Kemalism is sometimes seen as undemocratic I think it worked and works fine.
Yes yes! You found out our secret masterplan! We evil Europeans want your country to crash into chaos and poverty! We don't want to sell our goods to you anyway and we love the cohorts of refugees such a chaos would create.
Not to mention that we prefer to have a refuge for islamist terrorists in our close vicinity.
Yes yes! You found out our secret masterplan! We evil Europeans want your country to crash into chaos and poverty! We don't want to sell our goods to you anyway and we love the cohorts of refugees such a chaos would create.
Not to mention that we prefer to have a refuge for islamist terrorists in our close vicinity.
You don't get what's going on, do you? It's not The EU who's changing the rules in Turkey, it's the Turks themselves. Some (especially the Islamists) are using the EU accession plan to gain more power from the secular Kemalists. If you don't know what you're talking about don't post.
It's OK man...it's the typical reaction of ppl who are ignorant of the history...esp. about ours after the WWI and what was planned for us by their nations(ancestors). After all..they were the enemy and it was THEIR plans that we rejected.
There is nothing wrong with Kemalism if you understand what it is actually about.Well I like your military and I like the fact it stands in guard of democracy in Turkey, although Kemalism is sometimes seen as undemocratic I think it worked and works fine.
If you take one of his six principles "Nationalism" as an example; By asking the Iraqis to put the definitions such as Shiite, Sunni, Arab, kurd aside and join under the banner of being Iraqi first is something similar also.
i was replying to Kontra1's stupid comment on how the EU wants the destruction of Turkey for some reason.
I know quite well what's going on and there can't be a discussion about if the turkish military can stand above the law to secure the kemalist secular society. If they can't secure their country in a way compatible with european standards than they are clearly not part of Europe, not to mention the EU.
Besides, the military and security authority is not some kind of unselfish, just and kindly entity only pursuing Turkey's best interest. They didn't have a problem with commiting terror acts and blowing up their fellow countryman just to blame the kurds.
I don't have any sympathy for fanatics trying to push Turkey into some kind of islamic caliphate, nor with a Generals staff who considers itself to be above the law as a last line of defence. Constitutional rule of law, including checks and balances is the only viable option.
Here you go daily666...you see the self analizing comments that should give you an idea about his first post.
A typical kurdish terror symphatiser.Our hopes that one day their terror will bite you too.
Be very careful before posting on this thread - keep it on topic, or it will be closed and offenders excluded.
I watched some news on tv from the funeral where a Turkish general of the top brass said : I hope some people got their lesson' among other comments.
Now imagine a European general go to a funeral and threatening a political party saying '' Watch out or else...'.
I hope i am in the topic.
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