|
In this mailing:
by Uzay Bulut
• September 14, 2015 at 5:00 am
- The political
history of Muslim states has often been restricted to two options.
They have either been ruled by nationalist ("secular")
oppressive regimes, or Islamist oppressive regimes. Unfortunately,
many people in Middle East have so much affinity for political Islam
that they do not realize that political Islam is the root cause of
their problems. That attitude is the main reason they cannot get rid
of their backward and violent regimes, or make cultural or
scientific progress.
- Sadly, the
founder of Islam did not leave behind a humanitarian message to
respect people of other faiths and to be on an equal footing with
them. What the the Islamic State (ISIS) and other barbaric Islamist
groups have been doing to people is horrific beyond words; but it is
meticulously based on Islamic scriptures. So it is not the West
causing these human tragedies; it is Islam and Muslims.
- Members of a
culture that murders intellectuals who try to present ideas to
improve their societies do not have the moral right to blame its
backwardness and bloodthirsty culture on the West.
- Muslims
should not try to turn Europe, which is being so generous to them,
into more Muslim lands. We already have far too much barbarity,
misogyny and persecution in the Muslim world. Muslims could do our
people an enormous service if instead they tried harder to turn the
Muslim lands into Europe-like places.
- The Dutch
parliamentarian Geert Wilders has suggested that people who have a
passport from an Islamic country, in addition to a Dutch passport,
should sign an anti-Sharia declaration. It should state that they do
not want to introduce Sharia (Islamic law) into the Netherlands, and
that they repudiate all the violent passages in the Koran. New
refugee-candidates might also sign such a declaration. If they
support Islamic rule, then Europe is probably not the best place for
them.
- These
stipulations are not "discrimination against Muslims," any
more than requiring guests to your home to behave politely is
discrimination against friends. This is merely the same way that
rulers in the Middle East -- the Saudis, and Emiratis, for example
-- regard foreigners and visitors. The proposal is a rational and
legitimate way to protect European civilization and the lives and
liberties of all of its citizens.
- Europe needs
to protect itself and its liberties unapologetically. Why should
Europe be expected to commit suicide and turn into yet another
Muslim land where lives and liberties have no value? The ancestors
of Europeans paid an extremely high price over many years to give
their descendants what they have today. European governments need to
protect the security of their citizens as well as their cultural
identity and freedoms.
- The West
should support Kurdistan in its struggle for independence. Such
support would be one of the most important steps not only to
liberate a progressive and heroic nation but also to help reduce the
refugee tragedy in the region.
|
Saudi Arabia reportedly has 100,000 air conditioned
tents set up that stand empty most of the year, which could house three
million people. (Image source: Akram Abahre)
|
The heartbreaking photos of Muslim refugees trying to reach Europe
have intensified a controversial and urgent issue: The issue of Muslim
immigration and how the world should handle it.
"There are 20 million refugees waiting at the doorstep of
Europe," said Johannes Hahn, EU Commissioner for European
Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations.
Many claim that Europe, facing the crisis produced by the huge
influx of Muslim migrants and refugees fleeing mainly Syria and Iraq,
should open its doors. But given the realities in Europe and the Muslim
world, this suggestion may well be harmful to both the West and to the
Muslim world.
One of the most common arguments is that Europe is not doing enough
for the Muslim refugees and is actually responsible for the turmoil in
Syria as well as the rest of the Muslim world.
by Burak Bekdil
• September 14, 2015 at 4:00 am
- Turkey is
increasingly becoming less safe for journalists as Erdogan's
systematic campaign to intimidate goes at full speed.
- In February
2015, Turkey ranked 149th on Reporters Without Borders
(RSF) list of 180 countries. Venezuela, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Myanmar,
Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates and Algeria
performed better than Turkey, where, according to RSF, arrests and
intimidation of journalists are rampant.
- In a fierce
speech in front of the newspaper's building, AKP member of
parliament, Abdurrahim Boynukalin vowed that the Dogan media company
(which owns Hurriyet) will "get the hell out of Turkey"
when Erdogan will have additional executive powers "whatever
the electoral outcome on Nov. 1 will be."
|
Dutch newspaper journalist Fréderike Geerdink (left)
was detained this month by Turkish police. In March, she was indicted
by a Turkish prosecutor for "terrorist propaganda," because
of her writing on Kurdish affairs. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan (right) insists that Turkey is a state of law and a defender of
freedom of expression.
|
In 2001, a group of Turkish Islamists broke off with their more
hardline comrades and launched a "pro-reform, pro-Western,
pro-European Union" (yet Islamist) party –the Justice and
Development (AKP), promising to advocate universal values on human rights
and democracy. In 2002, they rose to power and have since been ruling
Turkey – despite a road accident they are now trying to fix after they
lost their parliamentary majority in June 7 elections for the first time
since 2002. New early elections are scheduled for Nov. 1.
The AKP's election manifesto in 2002 firmly stated that: "Our
party views law not as a means to frighten or punish but as a means to
provide justice." Impressive. The AKP promised "a state of law
and a justice system in compliance with the universal norms." What
else? From the election manifesto: "State officials will be
prevented from neglecting their responsibilities [by] referring to
justice the work they ought to be doing."
|
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment