(3) Years ago, when Turkey Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was the mayor of Istanbul, he gave a fiery speech to a crowd of followers where he proclaimed that “Democracy is merely a train that we ride until we reach our goal. Mosques are our military barracks, minarets are our spears, and domes are our helmets.” When these words landed him in prison, he most likely realized that there are lines which should not be crossed in a secular state. It seemed like he had learned his lesson, especially in light of what happened at the time to the powerful military establishment of the Virtue Party (later re-established as the Happiness Party*) which was led by Islamic Prime Minister Erbakan. As many Islamists currently do, Erdogan went on to destroy secularism by pretending to embrace it, and to undermine democracy by actively participating in the democratic process. Despite a successful and stable rule after having “tamed” Turkish state institutions in his party’s favor, Erdogan was still obsessed with his most cherished dream: to become the Caliph of all Muslims, under the umbrella of the Muslim Brotherhood rather than the Ottoman Empire. After being diagnosed with cancer, the matter became more urgent, as Erdogan wished to see his dream realized before his time on earth ran out.
Posted on: Mon, 16 Sep 2013 21:47:40 +0000
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