Outrage at call for secular Turkey to adopt a ‘religious’ constitution

[webfact]

Outrage at call for secular Turkey to adopt a ‘religious’ constitution



ANKARA: -- Police clashed with protesters outside Turkey’s parliament on Tuesday, amid outrage at a call for the secular country to adopt a religious constitution.

Demonstrators gathered in Ankara to express their fury at the controversial proposal from
parliamentary speaker Ismail Kahraman, a leading member of the ruling Islamist-rooted AK party.

Security forces broke up the rally. Dozens of people were detained.

Kahraman’s call for a religious constitution contradicts the founding principles of the modern republic.

“For one thing, the new constitution should not have secularism,” he said late on Monday.

“There are three countries in the world with secularism in their constitution – France, Ireland and Turkey…
Our constitution should not avoid the concept of a religious constitution. It should discuss religion.”

Critics fear a new charter could put too much power in the hands of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who wants an executive presidency to replace the current parliamentary system.

His AK party has distanced itself from the comments of the speaker, who now says they were “personal views” and that the new constitution should guarantee religious freedoms.

His remarks however – and the reaction they provoked – highlight a schism in Turkish society dating back to the 1920s when Mustafa Kemal Ataturk forged a secular republic from the ruins of an Ottoman theocracy.

President Erdogan and the ruling AK Party he founded, have tried to restore the role of religion in public life, expanding religious education and allowing the head scarf, once banned from state offices, to be worn in colleges and parliament.

The AKP is pushing to replace the existing constitution, which dates back to the period after a 1980 military coup. As speaker, Kahraman is overseeing efforts to draft a new text.

NATO member Turkey, which aspires to join the European Union, has long been touted by its Western partners as a model secular, democratic nation with a majority Muslim population.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-04-27

[DoctorG]

Turkey is slipping back to the dark ages.

[Familyaffairs]

Great idea, for this will definitely block Turkey's EU membership.

[Emster23]

maybe UK should show solidarity with secularism by removing monarch as head of C of E?

[i claudius]

Its funny how most of these Muslim country's started to come into the 20th centuary in the 70s and 80s ,then the religous leaders took over and now most are back in the dark ages and the rest are following .

[canopus1969]

Another county turning into a basket case thanks to (muslim) religion

[Steely Dan]

Erdogan has to be behind this, I can't see him relinquish power before attempting to undo all that Ataturk accomplished. Honor killings are already up more than tenfold since Erdogan came to power, which is but one example of his retrograde influence.

[alocacoc]

Germany is next.

[geriatrickid]

maybe UK should show solidarity with secularism by removing monarch as head of C of E?

You do not know much about the Monarch's duties or role do you?

There is indeed a functional and quite obvious separation of church and state in the United Kingdom.

The 104th Archbishop of Canterbury was quite the numpty when he argued that the secular laws of England should accommodate an"overlap of religious laws, i.e. sharia law". When is the last time you heard the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem suggest that the practice of Judaism is acceptable, or the mullahs who give out fatwas for the slaughter of Christians suggest tolerance instead?

Non Christians can practice their religion anywhere they wish in the UK. HM guarantees their right.

[abrahamzvi]

Germany is next.

You must be joking!!! Germany has a strong secular constitution with a 93% non Muslim ( mostly Christian) population. What are you talking about???

[alocacoc]

Germany is next.

You must be joking!!! Germany has a strong secular constitution with a 93% non Muslim ( mostly Christian) population. What are you talking about???

Obviously you have no idea what right now happen in Germany and other EU countries. In which Year are you living?

[dexterm]

I certainly hope this bid fails.

Keep religion in the home and individual consciences and out of politics. It causes enough problems already in the region.

Secularism is one of the best things Ataturk did for Turkey.

[Baerboxer]

Great idea, for this will definitely block Turkey's EU membership.

If only.

Merkel and her pals will announce we should respect and accommodate the will of the "Turkish People" as decided by the dictator Erdogan - whatever it means for our way of life. We must change to facilitate their integration and happiness.

No freedom of the press, no free speech, religious police enforcing Sharia, no criticizing or negative comments about political leaders - gotta be Merkel and her federalists pals dream for Europe.

[car720]

Could be a big problem for Israel.

[Asheron]

Calling Turkey secular is like calling T***land democratic.

[crankshaft]

Religion of any kind has no place in any society today....

George Carlin's take on religion...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r-e2NDSTuE

Text-to-speech function is limited to 100 characters

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Edited April 27, 2016 by crankshaft

[HenryB]

Could be a big problem for Israel.

No Turkey will be just be caught into a Civil War Killing millions

Europe will fellow and adopt a Religious Muslim Constitution soon leading also to a civil war

[GeorgesAbitbol]

Germany is next.

You must be joking!!! Germany has a strong secular constitution with a 93% non Muslim ( mostly Christian) population. What are you talking about???

Obviously you have no idea what right now happen in Germany and other EU countries. In which Year are you living?

I think it is you who obviously has no idea of what is happening in EU : I can tell you the far right political parties twist the mind of weak people...it seems they do a very good job from what I read..

They know how to make you feel afraid, at the mercy of the big bad guys, so you will let them have more power, reduce your freedom and being manipulated easily...

[jaidam]

Germany is next.

You must be joking!!! Germany has a strong secular constitution with a 93% non Muslim ( mostly Christian) population. What are you talking about???

Obviously you have no idea what right now happen in Germany and other EU countries. In which Year are you living?

practising muslims outnumber practicing christians in most of northern Europe already.the official 95/5 figure is pure nonsense.

[Grouse]

Great idea, for this will definitely block Turkey's EU membership.

If only.

Merkel and her pals will announce we should respect and accommodate the will of the "Turkish People" as decided by the dictator Erdogan - whatever it means for our way of life. We must change to facilitate their integration and happiness.

No freedom of the press, no free speech, religious police enforcing Sharia, no criticizing or negative comments about political leaders - gotta be Merkel and her federalists pals dream for Europe.

You are totally incorrect. Even if Germany wanted to bring Turkey in, they couldn't without 100% agreement of other EU states. Austria anyone?

[arjunadawn]

I can't see why there is "outrage." There is nothing surprising about this, not to some TV posters anyway. Some of us have been saying for nearly two years that there is an effort to turn Turkey into a theocratic state and is being envisioned as the real heir to the caliphate ("once and future caliph"). Islamism has few novel or inventive faces. It is the same century after epoch. Its behaviors, insurgent claims, increased alienation of host mores and laws, and when a critical gravity is reached, a total reach for shariah. This has happened far too many times to count. That Turkey, topically dressed in Western clothes, would not have to constantly guard against a resurgent theocracy is ludicrous. Why would Turkey be immune when kids from Liverpool or Paris or Michigan are not?

This is but one more reflection of the elephant in the room that most leaders in the west refuse to address, certainly the "ISIL" crowd on Pennsylvania Avenue refuses to address the core issue- and that is the underlying ideology, not its medusa heads. Some have said for a long time, Turkey does not oppose a caliphate, only al Baghdadi leading it!

[Johpa]

Another county turning into a basket case thanks to (muslim) religion

And would that be in contrast to the secular USofA turning into a basket case due the fervent belief in unbridled capitalism?

[arjunadawn]

Another county turning into a basket case thanks to (muslim) religion

And would that be in contrast to the secular USofA turning into a basket case due the fervent belief in unbridled capitalism?

Off topic!. False analogy: overlooks America is a breadbasket not because of economics, but its progressive bedfellow ideology (that also courts/enables the very islamism now epidemic in every single place America has inflicted its Progressive ethos)- Turkey/Erodgan to wit.

Its no wonder Turkey/Erodgan receives the diplomatic green lights it does from the West. The US has for years allowed Erodgan to wage a separate covert war against the only forces that were actually opposing DAESH (Kurds). This was the price the US paid to use Turkey/Erodgan as a gas station and convenience store for DAESH (and a middle-man for Libyan arms). This artificially elevated the stature of Erodgan as a key agent, a player, an ally. European bay'ah to Turkey/Erodgan over the masses he sent north effectively immunized him internationally (he immediately leveraged this further with more concessions); it provided a blanket immunity and centered Turkey as a key aspirant to the islamist leadership, not Saudi Arabia (this is the end game). Erodgan no longer has a need to stalk his agenda. The West has demonstrated that Erodgan can not just act his prerogatives internationally, but also islamist declarations upon other State actors (see Germany/EU).

Lets be clear, Turkey leaning sharia/islamist is not necessarily the way things are evolving of their own agency. Islamism is being nurtured and cultivated in the world very much the way any other 'blocs' are nurtured and developed. It is apparent that the West sees a caliph as a viable partner and a necessary device to control its own religion. No other explanation other than the darkest can explain the West's subordination.

The West has done this. But this is no surprise. Every single thing the West, under the US, has touched in the past 8 years has turned decidedly islamist. Every single thing; not one exception.

[abrahamzvi]

Germany is next.

You must be joking!!! Germany has a strong secular constitution with a 93% non Muslim ( mostly Christian) population. What are you talking about???

Obviously you have no idea what right now happen in Germany and other EU countries. In which Year are you living?

Please you tell me what is happening in Germany and other EU countries. If you want to convince people that in an EU with 350 million people, it is impossible to allow 2-3 million refugees (here I am referring to true refugees, not to "economic" refugees), then , please explain to us all why. I do accept that terrorism is a serious problem, but is it caused by the influx of refugees? 9/11 took place long before there were any refugees.

I do accept and maintain that the refugees have to adapt to the customs and obey the laws of the host countries, but what you are preaching and unfortunately many in Europe are, its pure hatred, racialism and thrive on fear and incitement. We all know what such factors have led to in previous centuries.

BTW, I have just returned home to Thailand (I have been living here for quite a few years, although I am a convinced and avid EU citizen and believer in a US of Europe!), from an extensive stay in Europe and the US. So I think I know what I am talking about. Further, although I do read TV, I also regularly read British, French, German and US papers, so that my information is rather extensive and I think objective, as, it seems, opposed to yours!!!

[Mosha]

Great idea, for this will definitely block Turkey's EU membership.

If only.

Merkel and her pals will announce we should respect and accommodate the will of the "Turkish People" as decided by the dictator Erdogan - whatever it means for our way of life. We must change to facilitate their integration and happiness.

No freedom of the press, no free speech, religious police enforcing Sharia, no criticizing or negative comments about political leaders - gotta be Merkel and her federalists pals dream for Europe.

You are totally incorrect. Even if Germany wanted to bring Turkey in, they couldn't without 100% agreement of other EU states. Austria anyone?

E European countries will all veto it.

Sent from my SMART_4G_Speedy_5inch using Tapatalk

[Rancid]

Erdogan has to be behind this, I can't see him relinquish power before attempting to undo all that Ataturk accomplished. Honor killings are already up more than tenfold since Erdogan came to power, which is but one example of his retrograde influence.

Was long suspected Erdogan was moving towards an Islamic Theocracy, something he always denied. What will it take till the EU says enough is enough, jailing reporters was OK, financing, training and buying oil from ISIS was OK, blackmail about refugees was OK, killing off the Kurds was OK. Maybe if Turkey came out against Transgender Toilets then the EU might finally cut him off in outrage.