Posted 21:07 by pressnews

Turkey hems in its Islamist fringe
Asia Times - Patrick Wrigley  Aug 7, 2009 |  Turkey is renewing efforts to crack down on its radical Islamist fringe, even as the movement gains increasing grassroots support. Security forces have been on high alert in 2009 and have conducted several sweeps to round up suspected militants and radicals. The latest raids occurred on July 24 when police arrested almost 200 alleged members of the group Hizb ut-Tahrir during operations in 23 provinces across the country.[...] Hizb ut-Tahrir was founded in 1953 and came to Turkey in 1978 espousing its global aims of establishing an Islamic caliphate and introducing sharia law. According to Emrullah Uslu, an analyst at the Jamestown Foundation, a Washington-based think-tank, "It [Hizb ut-Tahrir] has only recently emerged as a power in Turkey. Now it is starting to gain ground." Uslu puts this down to two primary reasons: the group's advocacy of a caliphate, which increasingly resonates with observant Turks' nostalgia for the days of the Ottoman caliphate, and its deeply anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli rhetoric, the populist tone of which is being appropriated to significant effect.[...] While Uslu argues that the police and security forces are doing well, he concedes that "in terms of finding grassroots support, militant groups are succeeding". This poses a significant political problem for the ruling party, which has had a great deal of success in espousing its brand of moderate Islamism since it came to power in 2002. The AKP is worried about the erosion of support in the conservative, predominantly Kurdish, southeast of the country, as well as a potential backlash from secular elements within the country. As such, tackling radical Islam remains high on the government's agenda.
More > Asia Times

Posted 18:26 by pressnews

Percussionist Yinon Muallem returns from Turkey
JPost  Aug 5, 2009 | While several of our errant jazz artists have returned here to roost of late after several years in New York, percussionist Yinon Muallem is the first Israeli ethnic music artist to come back after an extended sojourn overseas. This Wednesday (9 p.m.), Muallem will show us some of the tricks he picked up during his seven-year stay in Turkey when he appears at Jerusalem's Avi Chai House with a top notch international and cross-cultural lineup. While Muallem made several professional forays here from Istanbul over the years, he is now back to stay and will signal his intent at the Jerusalem show [...] More > JPost

Posted 15:46 by pressnews

Turkey to Israel: Stop eviction of Arabs from east Jerusalem

Hürriyet  August 4, 2009 | Turkey on Tuesday slammed Israel for evicting Palestinian families from east Jerusalem, warning of serious repercussions for peace efforts in the Middle East. A Foreign Ministry statement urged Israel to refrain from steps that would harm confidence between the parties and change the status of east Jerusalem, stressing that this is vital for peace efforts. More > Hürriyet

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KeHaber 2.08.2009 | The Islamist daily Zaman reported that the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government's efforts to boost ties with Muslim countries and Erdoğan's "one minute" showdown in Davos made Turkey a shining star in the eyes of these countries. Both the interest of Arabs in Turkish TV series and political developments in Davos were priceless opportunities attracting Arab tourists to Turkey. For the last five years, the number of tourists from Middle Eastern and Gulf countries visiting Turkey has steadily increased. For example, while the number of tourists from Kuwait was 6,000 in the first six months of 2008, this figure rose to 9,000 in the same period of 2009, an increase of over 45 percent. Around 27,000 tourists from Morocco visited Turkey in the first half of this year, a 50 percent increase when compared with last year. The number of Saudi Arabian tourists was 15,500, a 31.29 percent increase over last year. This increase is also thanks to the promotion and advertising initiatives of the state and tourism agencies. Cumhur Güven Taşbaşı, head of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's promotion department, said the ministry held workshops along with the Turkish Hoteliers' Association (TUROB) in Aleppo, Damascus, Beirut, Amman, Dubai, Tehran and Bahrain. "As a result of these workshops, we have seen an increase in demand of around 30 percent for our country from Arab countries," he said. The  owner of Karnak Travel, Serdar Aliabet, notes that "around 1 million Arab tourists visit Turkey" each year. He says this figure has "doubled over the last five years".

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Posted 16:47 by pressnews

Hürriyet 1.08.2009 | [...] The excellent atmosphere was short-lived as far as Amihai's tenure in Istanbul is concerned. First came the war in Lebanon, in the summer of 2006, when Israel was heavily criticized in Turkey. "It was a stormy summer for us," the consul general said of those days. Once the war was over, things returned to normal for a few months and high-level visits resumed between the two countries. But this too was short lived, as the Israeli bombardment of Gaza also dealt a heavy blow to bilateral relations. That's when Amihai, who has seen the best of times, witnessed the worst.
"By the account of friends, scholars, people who are familiar with Turkish-Israeli relations and members of the Jewish community, it was the worst situation in many decades," said Amihai. "They said they had never seen anything like that in their lifetimes."
It was not the 24-hour demonstrations that took place in front of the consulate that bothered the Israeli diplomat. "Demonstrations are OK. What was really disturbing was the hate mail we received, the curses on the telephone," he said. "For some time, our secretaries did not answer the phones and used their own private mobile telephones [instead]."
Harsh statements from the top political leadership, billboards with anti-Jewish slogans and anti-Semitic comments in the press were all difficult to handle, said Amihai. So was the minute of silence held in schools under instructions by the Education Ministry. "The level of anti-Semitism was very worrisome," the consul general said.
If relations can go from one extreme to the other in such a short time, then something must be wrong, a phenomenon that Amihai explains with the lack of knowledge on everything concerning the state of Israel and Judaism and the "sheer ignorance" being fed by anti-Semitic publications.
"Recently, I went to a supermarket in the upper-class neighborhood of Kuruçeşme. Among the few books that were being sold in one of the big chain stores in the neighborhood was Adolf Hitler's 'Mein Kampf,'" he said.[...]  The fact that several books on Zionism, the content of which is "rubbish," are being sold in airports and university bookstores seems to increase the Israeli diplomat's frustration. "You have anti-Jewish publications in other countries, too. But you can only find them in small shops in side streets, not in centrally located areas," he said.[...] As for the country's small community of 20,000 Jews, Amihai said it is made up of proud Turks. "I learned to know and admire them," he said, noting that the members of the community maintain in harmony their strong Turkish and Jewish identities, enjoying full-scale Jewish cultural life with their own schools, hospitals and newspapers.
More > Hürriyet Daily

Posted 11:42 by pressnews

Hürriyet - Burak Beldil / "We respect your otherness as long as you are not the other" 31.07.2009 |  It is very kosher, according to endless statements reflecting the pragmatic selves of our leaders. Not very much so, according to endless behavior reflecting their Islamist selves. Seven years of Islamic rule must have taught any journalist, except for the 'missionaries,' not to be appalled if Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused a certain ethnicity of "knowing how to kill," or another of "near genocide," all depending on Mr. Erdoğan's heart-felt sentiments about 'the other' in a religious connotation.[...] A recent story tells us not to rush to premature optimism of anyone's fancy lines. As the prime minister was being driven in a motorcade, according to various accounts, he noticed a group of rockers queuing up for a concert. Here comes the controversial part. According to the official account, these rockers protested Mr. Erdoğan with insults (described as 'rockers' salute'); but according to the protestors, that was just a peaceful protest. But we certainly know that whatever method the protestors may have chosen, it was not violent.
The rest of the story hardly complies with Mr. Erdoğan's rhetoric and preaching that "we should not judge people by their looks." An angry Mr. Erdoğan took the platform shortly after the incident and complained about "youths being degenerated/demoralized."
So was that not 'judging people by their looks?' What about the sacred right to protest? How does Mr. Erdoğan know that a young man dressed differently from a 'good Muslim' and protests the prime minister is a degenerated young man?
The protestors were immediately detained and 'thoroughly' questioned by the police. The interrogation included McCarthyist questions like "Which party did you vote in last elections?" and "Did you show up at the republican (anti-government) protests (in 2007)?"
Perhaps Mr. Erdoğan, the 'good Muslim,' should learn more about Islam. He can always start re-reading some of the essential Koranic commandments. For instance: "O unbelievers, I serve not what you serve and you are not serving what I serve, nor am I serving what you have served, neither are you serving what I serve. To you your religion, and to me my religion!" (The Holy Koran, 109:1-6). More > Hürriyet

Posted 23:49 by pressnews

KeHaber 30.07.2009 | Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met Thursday the head of Hezbollah Group in the Lebanese Parliament Mohammed Raad in Beirut. Davutoglu's meeting with Raad lasted around one hour and was closed to the press corps [AA Anatolian Agency TR]. Davutoglu discussed Turkish-Lebanese bilateral ties as well as regional developments with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri. Following his meeting with Berri in Ain al-Tineh, Davutoglu told reporters that "Lebanon's stability would impact stability in the Middle East." Tackling Syrian-Lebanese ties, Davutoglu said Turkey was willing to help resolve any pending issues including the demarcation of the common border, given that "Lebanon, Syria and Turkey share a common destiny in the past and future." He also stressed on the need to improve ties between Lebanon and Syria, and the need for a comprehensive regional peace [Daily Star LB].

Posted 22:58 by pressnews

Eurosia Daily Monitor -  Emrullah Uslu, July 30, 2009 | The long standing dispute between Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the judiciary has once again resurfaced in recent weeks.[...]   Recently the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) differed with the justice ministry's annual appointment lists.[...] After three weeks of deadlock, the HSYK suggested a possible compromise. The HSYK members agreed that the current Ergenekon judges and prosecutors would retain their positions on the condition that the ministry launches an inquiry into the complaints and charges against the Ergenekon prosecutors -if sufficient evidence exists. The HSYK, meanwhile, will be responsible for making a decision on the inquiry (Hurriyet Daily News, July 28).[...] The recent crisis is an indication of yet another showdown between the AKP government and the judicial elites, which has intensified since 2007. One of the main reasons for this escalation is that the Ergenekon investigation deepens existing political divisions between the secularist elites and the conservative population. Secularists believe that the AKP government, in using the Ergenekon investigation, in order to silence its opposition. Therefore, replacing the Ergenekon prosecutor would stop the AKP's plan to silence the opposition.
More > Judicial Opposition Criticizes the AKP Government by Emrullah Uslu

Posted 15:35 by pressnews

KeHaber 30.07.2009 | Semih Idiz comments Turkey's relations with the Middle East in the daily Milliyet:
"I'm in Rio de Janeiro, the legendary Brazilian city, to attend a media seminar on new efforts for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Issue, held by the UN. The issues discussed are very serious, as shown by the tension that was sparked between Arab and Israeli participants during the seminar, which was attended by the Middle East correspondents of top newspapers worldwide, as well as top UN officials and diplomats.[...] Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman signaled during his recent visit that they want to benefit from Brazil's good relations with Arab countries. As for Turkey's role in the Middle East, it was interesting that nobody touched on this in the seminar, besides one speech we made. Or more correctly, it was touched on once when a person making a speech referred to the inconclusive peace process between Israel and Syria under Turkey's auspices. When we asked the Israelis about Turkey's role, they said that Ankara has a credibility problem in Israel, referring implicitly of course to the Davos incident earlier this year (when Turkey's premier angrily left a forum which included Israel's president). But former Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Eli Dayan said that he knows that there are efforts to include Turkey in the process with Syria again, as it's a very important country. But despite our questions, he declined to go into detail. The impression I got from other Israelis is that if Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu visits Tel Aviv and this is followed by an official visit on the highest level, the deadlock might be resolved. By the way, there have been plans for a visit by President Abdullah Gul for a long time." More > Milliyet

Posted 14:23 by pressnews

Al-Jazeera & Yedioth Ahronoth 30.07.2009 | Turkey has officially asked Egypt to be involved in the ongoing reconciliation talks between rival factions Hamas and Fatah, Palestinian sources told Al-Jazeera Thursday. According to the sources, Turkey's request is part of its general objective to play a greater role in the Arab-Israeli peace process. Al-Jazeera also quoted the Palestinian sources as saying that the request was relayed to Egyptian Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, adding that Turkey also asked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to urge Cairo to permit Ankara to intervene in the talks. The sources did not mention whether Egypt responded positively to Turkey's request.
More > Ynet News

Posted 07:47 by pressnews

Panarmenian.net 28.07.2009 | Any idea of a united nation state, even if it is based on European values, sooner or later results in disintegration and crash. Ideology can serve as faith and truth only until a specific time, after which it changes into a dogma, which prevents the development of the country. Moreover, it is utterly unimportant what way the development takes - whether it advances or returns to "primeval state". Roughly this is the case with present-day Turkey, which after 75 years of Kemalism is gradually returning to Islam.
It should be noted that this Islam, however, has nothing in common with the radical Shias, but, who can be sure that this very fact won't make it more dangerous. The slow, but accurate settlement of Europe with the Turks indicates that sooner or later the Christian world will have to admit the fact that not Turkey became part of Europe, but quite the contrary. Let us add to this also the demographic factor, and everything will fall into place. However, the situation is not so terrible after all: the internal political events of the past two years indicate that the struggle between Kemalists and Islamists has not yet ended, and no one can predict the exact conclusion of it. The trial on Ergenekon, to which the government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attempts to pin the army, may develop into a process in which there'll be no winners. On the one hand, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) strives into Europe, on the other hand, it is eager to secure itself with the absolute support of the 70-million population for final regulation of the Kurdish question like the Armenian one, about which we have been repeatedly writing. But, the country cannot do without the army, and it means Erdoğan will not be able to finally dismiss the Joint Staff, i.e. to change the constitution. It is even possible that he'll suffer the same fate as Menderes did; servicemen in Turkey do not like jokes…[...]
More > The struggle between Kemalists and Islamists in Turkey may collapse the state