OPINION
• BURAK BEKDİL
Tuesday, February 09 2010 19:40 GMT+2
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Tuesday, November 10, 2009
BURAK BEKDIL

In these days full of boring speeches by the main opposition and near hate-speeches by the opposition leaders, we should all be grateful to the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, bigwigs for the unmatched laughter their speeches cause. A heartfelt thank you!

European Union candidate Turkey’s best regional friend (and perhaps global, with the exception of Pakistan) Syria coincidentally happens to be on another friend’s list of “State Sponsors of Terrorism.” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, however, made it clear years ago that Muslims do not commit acts of terror. So, sorry gringos, there must be something wrong with your list.

Besides, Erdoğan, in another act of international jurisprudence, has commanded that we should all respect the democratically elected leaders of the Middle East. Hey, do the Americans know what percentage of the national vote Syrian President Bashar al-Assad won in the last general elections? Ok, the Syrians didn’t make it public in order not to embarrass the opposition, but it can’t be less than 98 percent. Muslims don’t rule their countries undemocratically.

You might be curious about a slew of organizations all the way from Black September right through to present day syndicates like Hamas, Hezbollah and al-Qaeda, or about the suicide bombs that killed Israeli children on school buses. Don’t be curious.

Black September was a film title; Hamas and Hezbollah are popular political parties; al-Qaeda is a Jewish-American plot; and bombings in Israeli territory are self-defense. Still not satisfied? Remember, Muslims don’t resort to terrorism.

But listen to that. After all the storms between Ankara and Tel Aviv – the city inhabited by those who know well how to kill – the benevolent Turks want to resume their role as honest broker between Israel and Syria. Mr. Strabismus Depth, otherwise known as Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, said in Paris that Turkey was ready to oversee a new stage of secret peace talks between Israel and Syria. Muslims don’t act as dishonest brokers.

What else do Muslims not do? The entire world sighed with relief when Erdoğan assured everyone that Iran’s nuclear program was entirely peaceful. Muslims don’t build nuclear weapons. Are you still in doubt? Don’t you believe the prime minister of Turkey? Muslims don’t tell lies.

What else? While the United Nations puts the death toll in Darfur at 300,000 and the United States brands the massacres there as genocide, Mr. Strabismus Depth thinks Darfur is experiencing its most stable period. He may be right. There probably aren’t many people left to destabilize the region.

When the International Criminal Court, or ICC, has an arrest warrant for crimes against humanity against Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Sudan’s Muslim president, Davutoğlu thinks that “there is no problem with al-Bashir in the world.” The world must be wrong. The ICC must be discriminating against this peaceful Muslim, al-Bashir, the man with a treasure box of “black jewels” in the heart of Africa. Al-Bashir is the man for whom President Abdullah Gül castigated Brussels in saying it should mind its own business and not intervene in Turkish affairs. Muslims don’t let Christians intervene in their own affairs.

Al-Bashir is or is not coming to Turkey. That should not matter. Genocide? Massacres? Crimes against humanity? Wait there! Erdoğan said he went to Darfur and “did not see any genocide around.” Bodies properly buried? No. Muslims don’t commit genocide. Jews know well how to kill, Muslims don’t. That explains why Erdoğan has said he would be more comfortable talking to (Muslim) al-Bashir than to (Jewish) Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister.

To sum up:

1. Jews know well how to kill, they are liars and persecutors who use weapons of mass destruction;

2. Syria is not a rogue state;

3. Nor is Iran, neither has it any intentions of building nuclear weapons;

4. The Chinese are committers of “near genocide;”

5. No genocide or massacres ever took place in Darfur, which is going through its most stable period;

6. The EU should not intervene in Turkish affairs when it comes to Ankara hosting a man with an arrest warrant from an international court for crimes against humanity;

7. Muslims don’t commit genocide, and since al-Bashir is a Muslim, he is automatically innocent.

Enjoy your “bridge” even more! But don’t forget, Muslims don’t commit genocide. And you need an honest broker between Israel and Syria? Think about Erdoğan plus al-Bashir. Muslims aren’t dishonest brokers.


 

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READER COMMENTS

Guest - Worry01 (2009-12-07 07:21:10) :

Akram A. Khan is a bit of an embarassment. I am amazed that Turkey has such people. His low literacy and even more limited powers of reason really are not a credit to the Turkish educational system. I would expect such outburts from a peasant herder in Afghanistan, rather than from living in a modern state.

Guest - SenBen (2009-11-26 20:50:08) :

Mr Goksel Doganay , srry to say, but u really have no clue about the things.. In Sudan the Arabs see themselves as the higher race. The real blacks are animals for them. A white men like u or me see them all as black, But the arab sudanese see this different. Read a bit about this before u write nonsense. U compare this puppet parliaments with 98% results in elections with a free elected parliament in a democratic land like Swiss, Germany or any other democratiy country in the west? Mr Doganay, u really need lessons in politics. U say: when someone have chosen to work in a foreign country then he must accept bad conditions? MAybe bad conditions but not the role as a second class human beeing. Read something about the conditions of this foreign workers in this oil states. U say that this countries have strong economies. Again nonsense, they live from the oil. The children of the sheiks are lazy and unemploymen in their lines are high. Saudia Arabia and Dubai & co are paying billions to hold this kids under good mood. they are bored & degenerated. This are facts also known by the governments and they are paying again billions in high education areas. Get your facts before u response me. The iranian constitution is a peace of paper. The Mullahs and revolution guards are making the policy. Where were u as they massacred their own people by the riots after the election? U wrote nonsense.. Nothing more to say

Guest - Martin (2009-11-13 21:00:56) :

"For Martin you are very wrong. As I said before you cannot pick and choose what is secularism and not. Those countries I mentioned including today Cuba and North Korea are secular countries and are brutal towards any religious practice." Neither are 'secular' countries. You are simply very confused about what 'secularism' is. You seem to think any ant-religious country is by definition 'secular', thus showing you haven't even understood the first and most obvious quality of secularism: that it divides the government from religion, meaning the government cannot interfere in religious affairs and the religious cannot interfere with affairs of government. Secularism is a political way of preventing both of interfering with each other, so your examples, classic examples of governements who *are* interfering with religions, are by definition ant-secular. Please first read about a subject before you start to make theories about it. That will be more helpfull: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secularism

Guest - ehsan (2009-11-13 10:09:11) :

If you want to discover if ahmadinejad is a dictator or not by reading Iran`s constitution then do it flawless. we have a security council that is chosen by unelected supreme leader (khamenei) he himself choose the members of this symbol of dictatorship (The security council), The council duties are: choosing the candidates either for presidency or the parliament and then allow the people to choose between their chosen, If even this parliament pass a law, in the last door that law, must be approved by the council, election of the head of Iran`s tv is by khamenei, election of the police chief, revolutionary guard head, the army are all in the hand of this modern dictatorship, please do not use biased information to give reason for your ideas. In this age of suicide bombers and beheaders don`t blame hitlers and stalins, I am sure if those criminal were have your religion you would repeat the abominable statement of that man who will direct Turkey to...

Guest - SenBen (2009-11-13 08:06:59) :

Akram A. Khan, to read your comments is like reading drinking a lukewarm glas of water. Boring and not really refreshing. Myybe u need a change? There are powers Khan which have the ability to rechange things. Believe me, in Turkey they are excisting and i dont mean Ergenekon.

Guest - Mr Goksel Doganay (2009-11-13 07:41:13) :

SenBen it seems you have no idea what I am talking about and you pick and choose reality. People cannot be secular, it is governments and states that are secular not people. Secularism is a practice of common sense giving people more opportunity and it has nothing to do with enlightenment. I am glad you understand Secularism to be freedom, tolerance and liberty. However the track record of secularism in Turkey is not a very good one. Religious freedoms have been restricted in Turkey not only of majority but also the minorities, also freedom for Kurds in their culture and language has been suppressed. Also we need to get a few things straight. Muslim countries that you refer to are not Islamic states, they are namely secular states who have Muslim majorities. Also the enlightenment reached the Muslims before they reached the West. But going back to your argument that secular people believe in freedom, liberty and tolerance, they do not have a great track record. The so called secular people in Turkey do not tolerate religion at all. I also disagree with you when you mention that Arabs demonise Jews and its minorities. That is totally untrue, there are many Jews that live in Arab countries and also many Jewish businessmen who also are involved in the lucrative oil trade. If these countries treat their foreign workers as animals, why don’t they come and work in Turkey instead? They choose to work in the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. In an international survey SenBen these countries had a higher rank than Turkey in regards to gender equality. You call Bashir a racist who kills blacks but neglect to see that he himself is very black, so how does this equate him to be a racist? Iran’s leader is not a dictator or a racist, I go and suggest to you to read the Iranian constitution. In Arab countries you might be interested to know there are free elections and have parliaments and coincidently these countries are supported by the USA and EU. So spare me this Anti-Arab, Anti-Islam, Anti-Logic crusade. You ask me would I accept you. Well for your information I live in Australia and it is not Islamic here, so I think if I had any trouble with non religious people I would have a hard time living here don’t you think? Anyways, why don’t you do some reflecting and have some critical thinking before you make illogical arguments. For Martin you are very wrong. As I said before you cannot pick and choose what is secularism and not. Those countries I mentioned including today Cuba and North Korea are secular countries and are brutal towards any religious practice.

Guest - Martin (2009-11-12 21:09:08) :

Mr Doganay does not seem to know what secularism is. Communist russia and Nazi germany were not 'secular countries'. The former made no attempt to be religiously neutral, the latter was tightly interwoven at many levels with the catholic church. If you want to have a discussion about secularism, by all means do so but let's get the facts straight. Personally, to be honest, I think the whole discussion is rather backward. Italy proves that the 'old secularism' doesn't work and for a good reason. It's the media itself that is the 'new church' nowadays, so there should be a secularism at an entirely different level: seperation between state and media. That is the only sensible development at present. There is a world wide crisis in this regard, Turkey is certainly not the only place where this problem plays.

Guest - SenBen (2009-11-12 19:33:16) :

Mr Goksel Doganay, i dont know when history starts for u, for me it begins with the first word a human beeing had spoken for thousands of years ago and not 1900. U compare secular people with facists and communists and egoistic dictators. This people have nothing to do with secularism. this evil ideologies killed first the secular people. Secularism comes from Enlightenment and not from an ideology or an ism. Secularism means tolerance, liberty, freedom. Also to people who has different views. In islamic societies is the Enlightment a non-known thing. I dont hate religion Mr Doganay. My mother is religous, she is preaching every day 5 times and she is also fasting every ramadan. She is doing this for herself and not as a political statement Mr Doganay. Secular people tolerate this. We are talking about the political dimension of religion and islam. And secular people divides it clearly so why arnt the religous people are also able to do this ? You call me a racist Mr Doganay, because i have problems with the arab culture. When u define a critical position to the medieval societies where women counts nothing, where demoracy is not excisting, where vendetta is ruling the human relations, where suicidebombers are heroes, where a religion is more important than the liberty of the individium, yes then u can call me a racist Mr Doganay. I am proud to be a racist ! But Mr. Doganay the real racists are people who demonise jews with antisemitic vocabulary, who are not giving christinas, alevites the same rights as the sunnis. Do u want to know how your beloved arab countries treats the foreign workers? Like animals MR. Doganay. This mass murderer Bashir is a racist when his soldiers kills the own black people. Mr Doganay in countries like the USA , Israel or the EU governments can change through elections. Can u tell me 1 arab country where free elections are normality? Noone says that Israel or the USA or EU are inocennt, but to hold the hand of a murderer like Bashir or Ahmenidijad wih the argument that the west is not better is a shame for every intelligent human beeing Mr Doganay. EU, Israel and USA arnt dictatorships. The biggest castigators of this countries are living in this countries Mr Doaganay. What are islamic countries doing with their critical people? Even in Turkey are critical men & women living in danger. So, reflect MR Doganay before u throw with stones. I myself dont belive in farytales called god, allah or jahwe. I am a muslim on the paper MR Doganay and belive me, i am more free than a religous man can be. Will u accept me like i woud accept a religous man? Ask this question yourself MR Doagany. I will drink a good french wine meantime

Guest - Akram A.Khan (2009-11-12 19:06:45) :

Mr.SenBen all your comments about me I deflackted to Mr.Bekadil. You and Bekadil are taritor of the country and you should read history books and daily news papers for your knowledge. Also Turky is not owned by your father.Who the hell you are to stop me to make comments on he articles.Turkey is changing to good.You can't stop it.

Guest - dr p (2009-11-12 18:35:46) :

messrs doksanay & senben: secularism is as creedal a religion as islam or christianity; "there is no god" is as dogmatic as the shahada, hence the conflict really isn't religion du jour vs secularism, but church-state. all law is in some wise religious (theistic or atheistic), and states need to be governed by laws - hence some sort of religiosity manifests itself every time a court or parliament is in session, and there will always be somebody to cry "foul!" the issue at hand is how to manage what appears to be control of the government by those whose religious biases include apocalyptic and back-to-the-garden elements and bringing such into foreign and domestic policy, raising the spectre of re-dhimmification of minorities and making life unpleasant for practitioners of dissenting forms of islam. there may be people still alive today who remember when this was the case (certainly their near descendants are) , and plenty of living examples in southwest asia and africa to give putative dhimmis and muslims of the non-yataghan-swinging sort the creeps - let alone, those who profess no religion. in israel non-orthodox jews face certain impediments, and established churches in europe still manage to spread endarkenment. mr doganay is correct albeit charitable in his statement about secularists commiting genocide, as he forgot the german campaign against the hereras in namibia and the killing fields of kampuchea; ie secularists in the 20th century may have shed more blood than theists throughout the rest of history combined. all creedal considerations aside, once people are judged by categories and one group dons tolkien's "ring of power," the stage is set for atrocity. it is against such that must be forever vigilant.

Guest - Demir (2009-11-12 17:26:59) :

@Goksel Doganay: Are you comparing the Soviet suppression of religion to what we have in Turkey? I don't know what illusion you live in but you can rest assured that religion is not being suppressed in Turkey in any way, shape or form. It's simply preposterous to even insinuate such a thing!

Guest - Mr Goksel Doganay (2009-11-12 16:52:46) :

SenBen your arguments about Islam and the AKP is reaching a mentally delusional point. Your arguments do not reflect reality. The AKP is not a radical Islamist party but a conservative right wing party. Radicalism is bad, but your attempt to paint Islam as a backward and medieval religion is an outright disgrace and delusional. I can tell you a million regimes throughout that were secular that have killed millions of people. Go and read your history books, namely Nazi Germany, Communist Russia and China. Your argument that a radical secularist person will not kill a person who is religious is totally false. Again go and read your history books and read how religion was totally outlawed in Communist Russia. So much for your argument that radical secularism doesn't kills. Also your arguments are not just reaching delusional but also racism. I'm not a great lover of Arabs or their culture but labelling Arabs as medieval is racist, and a bad reflection on yourself. Also SenBen Turkey is a Muslim country that has a secular democratic system. If your not happy with the Muslim label well that is your problem not the other millions of people in Turkey. People like you have for so long have disguised yourselves very well in order to portray yourselves as Western and Secular but in natural fact you are not even close. The only thing you have in common with Westerners is you wear the sames clothes and drink alcohol. But in terms of freedom of expression, democracy, religious freedom, multi-party democracy you don't believe in these concepts. You keep insisting on secularism as if its an ideology to suppress religion. Secularism can only exist with religious freedom, this is the whole concept of separation of religion with government affairs. If your so worried about freedom of expression, how about you take a trip to memory lane in the 1990's in Turkey where killing journalists was a national sport. How many have been killed since AKP came to power? I think you shold get your facts right before you make delusional arguments. Also I look forward to more articles by Burak Bekdil, it is very good for entertainment.

Guest - Demir (2009-11-12 16:33:15) :

You are absolutely right Mr. Bekdil! Statements like those by Erdogan in relation to a man who is indicted by a international court for war crimes committed in his country is completely unacceptable and even dangerous. Dangerous it is because it sets a precedent that will allow in the future leaders of Christian-majority countries like the US and Britain to say a similar thing about people who are accused of war crimes and belong to the Christian religion. Would we Turks like it if the president of the US said that he does not believe in allegations of massacre against Cypriot Turks because the alleged perpetrators belong to the Christian religion? If in the future we do get such a thing then that statesman will be able to justify it by quoting what Mr. Erdogan had said about al-Bashir in the past. What a dangerous road to go down that would be indeed!

Guest - dr p (2009-11-12 14:19:18) :

senben: bravo and spot on. ameer_2: do you look under your bed prior to retiring at night in case zionists might be hiding there? they are everywhere, you know; that cemetary in switzerland where the jewish elders follow their protocol is getting a mite crowded, as the neo-cons have horned into the turf. it's hard to engage in any meaningful discourse when one side - in this case, islamists, but any fanatical faction will do - promiscuously displays its astounding lack of self reflection by seeing all evils in question as resulting from the beliefs and actions of others without the faction. "let he who is without sin cast the first stone" is not a cue to warm-up your pitching arm. i consider myself a devout christian but am thankful to live in (what remains of) a secular republic, as such reminds me to deal with others as people first and categories sometime later, if at all. reminding myself that hitler came to power via a fair and democratic election, i don't reduce democracy to mere elections and a book-of-rules approach (as discussed in previous articles in this paper), and remember that the islamist, like the crusader before him, is first and foremost a self-deluded control freak whose time spent dominating others would have been better spent cleaning his own house. look around you and ask yourself what kind of world you wish to inhabit: a saudi/iranian/pakistani/taliban/alqaida/al bashir hellhole, where the theology is correct whilst life is unbearable, or a secular democratic republic with all of its warts cum freedom and the right to mak a life for yourself? deo volente, the islamists will be defeated and you will get to have a choice.

Guest - SenBen (2009-11-12 12:33:25) :

Mr. ameer_r2 , u speak very well and sophisticated about "agendas" , abused media power and Israel and neo-cons.Further u are writing something about media moguls who are trying to put the AKP into a bad spot. In some cases i agreed u, but then u wrote this and your masc fall down : -"Religion is under attack by secular radicals and others who see ıt as retrogressive"- . Mr ameer_r2 , i have a question to u: How many people died through the religion , how many people died through secularism? And why do u use the word "religion" when u mean the islam. Islam is medieval and retrogressive. So call the things by her name MR armeer_r2 and show us what is important for u. A radical secular is not against religion Mr armeer_r2, he will not kill someone who is religous, but a radical islamist kills secular people or forces them to change their lifes. Thats the nature of radicalism and islam. So sophisticated u write so simple is it to detect what u really want. A "gleichgeschaltet" / equalized media for the advantage of a religous party who has the aim to open Turkey to the medieval arab culture , religion and countries. The case that Erdogan & the AKP are trying to muzzle the critical media is a is a bad signal, we shoud all beware to accept this!

Guest - Ehsaan (2009-11-12 07:25:10) :

Akram A. Khan in her comment proves that Muslims do... When we distinguished people on the basis of their religion, the only things that comes up would be War, Hatred and such bad things, the truth is, people, religious or non-religious, have good and bad ones among them, we have Murder, rape, small and big felony that been committed by both religious or non-religious and also good things have been done by both groups, that`s it. religion is not a good factor to find out who is good or not but it is a very dangerous tool in the hand of charlatans.

Guest - pinar karayilan (2009-11-12 04:53:01) :

mr bekdil what a brilliant article, if more turks were like you there would be more minorities living in turkey right now...less muslims and then there would be more jews, christians, yezidis, bahais, gypsies to attack... but now only there are good vs bad muslims... well we wish more burak bekdils to roam the streets of the crescent and the moon...

Guest - Sean Jeating (2009-11-12 00:32:17) :

Ha ha ha ... now I am looking forward for Mr Gülen's - err - Mr Akyol's reply.

Guest - SenBen (2009-11-11 23:59:09) :

Mr Vilgot, u arnt allone!

Guest - SenBen (2009-11-11 23:58:07) :

Akram A. Khan , i dont know where u come from, i dont know how old u are, i dont know how u look like, But i know what kind of person u are and what kind of thinking u have. U are an islamist with an addiction to violence combined with an antisemitic & antiwestern ideology. Watch your words! We are not in a Taliban country like Pakistan where critical journalists got beheaded, we are maybe in a country where critical journalists must fear police pressure. But there is a big difference. Further arnt we in a "muslim" country, we are in a democratiy country where the majority has the religion of islam. I know that islamists like u wanne spread the radikal islam everywhere and likes to eliminate critical & secular people. But we in Turkey arnt a radical arab country, we arnt Pakistan, where the societies are medieval attituted and are under the poison of the radical wahhabit version of islam . So watch your words , noone will kick here someone. Islamists like you likes violence, we turkish secular people like a civil manner. So stay away from our country, do what u want in your societies, but dont touch our country & our brave men and women. Your "Muslim Ummah" is not our aim. Believe in stones and fix the dignity of your women in a textile but dont bother us with an islamistic behaviour! We dont want to define us over a religion, we wanne define us over our character and personal dreams , wishes and individuel way of life. We dont accept a society where people like u forces other with a book in the hand how they have to live. I hope u UNDERSTAND me MR Khan ! MR. BEKDIL dont stop writing and dont watch the words of a man like this Khan. We are proud to be on your side !

Guest - Vilgot (2009-11-11 22:06:58) :

If we consider how the horrible regime in Iran is treating its Muslim population (just look at google to read the more horrible cases of torture, rapes, etc), I can not understand how our PM can find that being acceptable and not shouting "you know how to torture!" when he meets with his colleauge. Instead he talks loudly about how well they understand each other. Am I the only one finding this strange?

Guest - Akram A. Khan (2009-11-11 22:00:04) :

The author should be awarded a big "KICK" in the rear.He lives in a muslim country and write agains his own country.

Guest - ameer_r2 (2009-11-11 21:37:17) :

The general public would like to be informed about issues affecting them through the print and TV media and the journalists and commentators have an agenda that makes their analysis little more than propaganda. This true for the opinions expressed in the comments made. It ıs therefore necessary for those who wish to understand what is happening to access more than one news source. We see how the Republican Party and Fox news evaluate Barak Obama and the Democratic Party which seems to be similar to how the opposition here in Turkey and their media fellow travelers judge Erdogan and the AKP. Independent voters are able to see through the one-sided approach which tries only to please their mogul masters or preach to the already converted. Politics is a mean business whether domestically or internationally and is governed by national interest and the personal desire to be in power. The neo-con and Israeli alliance has begun a campaign to paint the AKP policy as Islamist and hypocritical rather than an attempt at a pragmatic policy that seeks to please its base and not to alienate its true friends while trying to be consistent with its principles and national interest. Statesman and honest journalists are rare. The common man and voter has a difficult time in getting an objective informed opinion whether on the state of the world from the economy to climate change. Religion is under attack by secular radicals and others who see ıt as retrogressive. When it is misused or abused it should be criticized as should those who use secularism as a rallying cry to oppose changes in the status quo.

Guest - FRV (2009-11-11 21:04:46) :

Burak Bekdil is a great journalist with a sharp mind and a sharp pen. Kudos to him to be always one step ahead.

Guest - no more erdogan (2009-11-11 19:53:44) :

Fantastic article. We are so tired of having an ignorant villager for our prime minister.

Guest - STEVE GOLDBERG (2009-11-11 19:10:01) :

Ah, for the good old days when the Military was in power.....Erdogan's mouth ensures that Turkey will never enter the EU nor get the 2010 Olympic games.... From a former lover of Turkey and all things Turkish...

Guest - Gavur (2009-11-11 19:04:51) :

Fantastic article Mr. Bekdil, Although for a Kemalist, you are doing a heck of a job exposing the rampant Turkish chauvanism, and fascism which make up the foundation of that countries politics. You've also managed to express to any non-Turkish reader, how utterly delusional and borderline psychotic, the Turkish government's stance regarding genocide really is. All without once mentioning the Armenians. Bravo!

Guest - hayuhi (2009-11-11 19:01:35) :

I see no exaggeration whatsover in this article. Yes," Muslims do not do genocide"Nor do they deny it! All those Armenians just decided to leave for Bahamas and never return back to their homes. Keep up the good work Mr. Bekdil, reading this sort of articles,sheds some hope that at least some Turks have the ability and willingness to self reflect and question things and most of all be able to laugh at themselves. This can only be good.

Guest - Mr Goksel Doganay (2009-11-11 18:11:21) :

I do agree that the Prime Minister does raise his voice often and may need to relax at times. But I think Mr Bekdil over exaggerates them and tries to twist them to the enth degree. Mr Bekdil tries to use sarcasm and wit in his articles, however they do not reflect reality and if you look at the facts you will see that his articles do not stack up in factuality. When Mr Erdogan says no real Muslim will not commit genocide, he doesn’t say that no Muslim leader is not responsible or will not commit crimes. He is merely stating that a firm believer of Islam will not commit genocide or murder. If he does then he is not a true and firm believer. Any sane Muslim or Turk would have understood this, unless you’re a radical secularist. The Prime Minister was convicted of inciting religious hatred which has been changed retrospectively. Namely his so called crime is not a crime no more. It is interesting that Mr Erdogan was punished for reading a poem that is written in Turkish school books which they read. He was merely punished for his growing popularity and even if he read the national anthem he would have been punished. Also, that law in question I support but the application is totally wrong. That law in question was meant to punish people for hate crimes such as racism, not punish people for reading a poem.

Guest - Mr Goksel Doganay (2009-11-11 17:59:52) :

SenBen Sudan is not a neighbour of Turkey but it certainly is a friend of Turkey and relations between the two countries culturally go long back, namely the First World War. In Sudan Turkish history and language is also a part of their curriculum. So as a Turk if any country that teaches Turkish culture in their curriculum I would definitely support them. I think comparing the Sudanese leader to a wife beater and a murderer is totally incorrect and very lame. The ICC has issued a warrant, it has not found him guilty of any crimes yet and the court itself is not recognised by Turkey, US or Israel. It is so far not universal and does not cover the crime of terrorism. Sudan may not have a glowing human rights record, but how is that George Bush and Tony Blair who waged war on Iraq and have been blamed for widespread destruction and killing of innocent civilians are not at all been considered? Isn’t there a double standard here? I think it is a disgrace that you target Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the AKP on this account. My suggestion also is how often do you get involved in domestic disputes? If you feel so strongly against domestic violence or crime why don’t you join an organisation that works to end crime? I’m sure there are many organisations out there you could join to end violence and crime. You know very well the AKP is not anti-Semitic or anti-Western. Go and check your facts and the record. It is the AKP that is pro-liberal, pro-Western, pro-American and certainly no anti-Semite. It is the AKP that has respected the rules of democracy and rule of law by winning two elections. It has implemented many laws that are in line with EU norms and it is the party that got Turkey as a EU candidate. It is the CHP that is anti-Western, anti-Liberal, does not respect the rules of democracy namely going to the Constitutional court to overturn laws. Ties between Israel and Turkey in the Business world have increased dramatically since the AKP tenure, so if he was a true anti-Semite as you claim him to be, why do most Jews vote for him? And why have ties increased so much since AKP tenure? Yes Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a bulldog, the opposition parties namely the CHP acts like a crying little child. So therefore he treats the opposition like how any Turkish parent will treat a little child. I’m sure you know what I mean.

Guest - foteini (2009-11-11 17:51:58) :

Splendid artcle! My compliments to the author: he describes perfectly the words and the actions of turkish political leaders.

Guest - jamshid Irani (2009-11-11 16:09:09) :

Every Mr. Erdogan`s speeches is just pave the road for another Ottoman`s genocide. This man is talking like Ahmadinejad-the best known religious populist dictator living in Iran- these men know very well that if they say salam and salavat uppon Muhammad, they would have the opportunity to lie what ever they like, that is why Ahmadinejad`s police killed even the son (mohsen Ruholamini) of another group of revolutionary guard related to M.rezaei in prison (kahrizak) but he do not give up saying justice and kindness, god saves turkey`s people.

Guest - AtheistTurk (2009-11-11 15:48:57) :

BRILLIANT collumn. Thank you, Mr Burak Bekdil for your insightful and intelligent commentary. I look forward to reading future articles by you.

Guest - faizee (2009-11-11 15:39:01) :

Highly exagerated and partial column. Those who follow the news daily can easily understand "your" rediculus ideas and explanations.

Guest - rich (2009-11-11 15:25:14) :

Excellent points. Of course, let's not even talk about Armenia. Those were martians who did that, right. I think Mr. Erdogan has left the realm of reality and suffers from narcissism!! Hopefully the Turkish people will wake up- and elect a new government. And Turkey wants to host the Olympics? And join the EU? Not likely with Emperor Erdogan.

Guest - Martin (2009-11-11 15:04:00) :

@Mr Goksel Doganay - If you are a fan of some of the positive things that have happened under the AKP, surely you can realise then what a liability the Prime Minister is to these causes more or less every time he opens his mouth these days. Mr Bekdil makes no secret of his views in what he writes. It is one-sided and he uses sarcasm and wit to portray the AKP in a poor light. So what ? His job is becoming very easy these days. Whilst this latest article is quite damning in what it has to say, it is ALL based on what the Turkish Prime Minister and othe AKP members say themselves. No real lengthy argument or carefully guided words are needed. All he needs to do is quote Erdoğan. If I was to say ''All white people do this ....'' or ''No black person does .....'' I would correctly face charges of racism. Because this is religious prejudice however, somehow some people think its OK to turn a blind eye. If Burak Bekdil was commenting on what he'd heard a drunk or stoned beggar ranting about on the pavement, it would be bad enough. But these are the rantings of the Prime Minister of Turkey. But should we be surprised ? No - he has already served a jail sentence for inciting religious hatred, hasn't he ?

Guest - Krikon (2009-11-11 14:30:14) :

Thank you Mr BURAK BEKDIL! Always, when I read your articles, I feel confident that there is still hope for a modern, secular and democratic Turkey far away from radical Islamic rooted ideas.

Guest - masis (2009-11-11 13:58:03) :

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan was going to explicitly convince the world that Turkey did NOT commit genocide against the Armenian people. But who cares while it's a clear-cut fact.

Guest - dr p (2009-11-11 13:57:06) :

mr bekdil sheds an interesting light on a new version of the extrordinary man - the muslim: he's honest, courtly, neighbourly, liberal, plain dealers, honest brokers; no genocidal maniacs or covenant-breakers, they. in his haste to publish screed and thereby offend the sensibilities of the likes of mr doganay, mr bekdil left out some key characteristics: sends mommy flowers on her birthday, loves small children and dogs, and chews his food thoroughly before swallowing. with such a following, who needs a mosque-based, dome-clad, minaret-wielding army, when a chain of charm schools would be more effective? diyanet, take note.

Guest - SenBen (2009-11-11 12:01:09) :

Dear Mr Goksel Doganay, u wrote: How should Turkey have relations with these countries (neighbours)? It shoud have relations to the neighbours without spitting into the face of an other neighbour. Is Sudan a neighbour of Turkey btw? Mr Doganay, if your neigbour to the left is a murderer and beats his wife everyday and has argues with an 3. neigbour who is only defending himself, what are u doing? Supporting this rogue neigbour ? Or do u want to work with the 3. neighbour who is also a victiom. If the 3. neighbour made or makes also wrong things, how can u try to play the judge when your own hands are bloody? Difficult isnt it? Yes it is, but one thing is easy, u cant make policy with antisemitic & antiwestern & pro-islamic dumb statements. This sentence of Erdogan "Muslims don´t.." remembers me of the wall of laws in the book "the animal farm", where the pigs misused this childish laws to make the policy of their advantage. The author described very well this issue. He is not critizising the opening of Turkey to his neighbours, read the article well, he is criticising the manner and attitudes of Mr Erdogan and his team aswell the mixing of religous components into the policy. Erdogans behavoiur remembers me to a child which feels insulted and tries to take revenge with emotional hostile behaviour. Erdogan is a bulldog & a pretentious diva. A interesting mix, the beauty and the beast in 1 person. The PM becomes more and more a politically bomb because his mixing of his attitudes, character and the religous part of him is not very fruitable for the foreign & domestic policy.

Guest - Kemalist Turk (2009-11-11 11:45:32) :

Erdoğan is an embarasment not only to Turkey but also to true Muslims who desire only peace and nothing but peace.

Guest - Major Pat (2009-11-11 11:15:18) :

You are correct Sir. Turkey has become a Bridge to the 12th Century.

Guest - MobyDick (2009-11-11 10:27:35) :

Mr Bekdil. It is extremely easy to write all those stuff when you are a columnist who could never be able to understand how to act or to talk like a Prime Misnister!

Guest - Vilgot (2009-11-11 10:23:52) :

Thanks for a fun but in a way sad article. It is, as everybody can see, very exagerated and one sided, but as such it highlights some of the recent trends.

Guest - A. Rubin (2009-11-11 09:06:30) :

According to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, “A Muslim cannot commit genocide.” Perhaps this is not surprising from a country which has its own troubled history in coming to terms with its role in the decimation of its Armenian population in early 20th century.

Guest - Mickey in San Francisco (2009-11-11 06:36:02) :

Bravo for Burak Bekdil's courageously lucid satire! As an American who lived in Turkey some time ago and loved the outspoken, free discourse of its people, Erdogan's recent shenanigans have been dismaying. The general picture of the "new Turkey" is that of a reactionary, repressive state led by a brainwashed Islamist fool. I'm delighted that, to whatever small degree, heroic Turks like Bekdil are still speaking undisguised truth in the face of tyrannical lies. Thank you!

Guest - Mr Goksel Doganay (2009-11-11 05:54:58) :

What are tiresome article that does not reflect logic or reality. Since when has Burak Bekdil been so caring and so concerned for human rights, democracy, Jews, freedom and the rule of law. This article is a said reflection of him and tries to make a mockery of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Abdullah Gul. If he is so concerned with AKP policies then why hasn't he provided an alternative rather than make criticisms after criticisms. Can Burak Bekdil explain to me and to everybody else, who are Turkey's neighbours? How should Turkey have relations with these countries? Should Turkey just ignore em or should Turkey have good relations with them? These countries do not particularly have good human rights records so does isolating these countries work to improve their human rights? Why is he so in love with Israel now? Why hasn't he ever written about Israel before the AKP came to power? Does he really care about Israelis or the Jewish people? Or is he just an opportunist who thinks he has found a weakness in AKP policy? Does he seriously think that the AKP ignored secularsim for relations with Muslim neighbours? If that is so, what about relations with Russia, Bulgaria, Greece and Armenia? Does he have any idea of Turkey's history regarding its religion and culture? If so how does he expect Sunni Muslims in Turkey to be so close with Shiite Iraq and Iran? If Burak Bekdil can explain to me how concerned he is for human rights maybe I'll join him and start shedding crocodile tears with him.

Guest - SenBen (2009-11-11 02:59:39) :

Thank you Mr. Bekdil for your intelligent comment. Your words are my words!

Guest - George 7 (2009-11-11 00:35:30) :

A sober description of religious and cultural discrimination by our leaders in our region.

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