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	<title>FrontPage Magazine &#187; Michael van der Galien</title>
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		<title>Erdogan&#8217;s Hate-Jew Fest</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/michael-van-der-galien/erdogans-hate-jew-fest/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=erdogans-hate-jew-fest</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Aug 2013 04:31:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael van der Galien]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brotherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Crackdown]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[egypt]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[Blaming Israel for Egypt's anti-Brotherhood turn. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/erdogan.jpg"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-201369" alt="erdogan" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/erdogan.jpg" width="328" height="219" /></a>Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been set loose by his fellow members of the Justice and Development Party (AK Parti). Instead of talking about the protests in Gezi Park (Istanbul) and the accompanying police violence, he has declared a war of words on two other enemies: the Egyptian military and Israel.</p>
<p>When Egyptian general Abdul Fattah Al-Sisi removed Morsi from power, Erdogan immediately defended the deposed president Mohammed Morsi.  The new de facto ruler, Al-Sisi, was, said Erdogan, an anti-democratic, ruthless dictator. A predator, if you will.</p>
<p>Morsi should immediately be restored to power. After all, he had won the elections. In Erdogan’s view of democracy, which boils down to majoritism, nothing else matters.</p>
<p>No, not the 22 million signatures collected by Morsi’s opponents calling on him to resign or the fact that attacks on Christians and their churches were on the rise from the very moment the Muslim Brothers came to power. Increasingly, more Coptic girls were &#8211; and still are &#8211; <a href="http://www.religiousfreedomcoalition.org/2013/05/25/abduction-crisis-as-more-coptic-women-dissappear-in-egypt/">kidnapped, raped and forced</a> to convert to Islam. After that horrendous ordeal they were (and again: are) forced to marry a Muslim, who makes sure they will never see their real, Christian family again.</p>
<p>Erdogan did not and does not care about any of that. He cares only &#8211; or so he says &#8211; about Morsi and his &#8220;democratic victory&#8221; and legitimacy.</p>
<p>Although that makes for a nice sounding excuse, this observer understands that Erdogan does not support Morsi because of anything related to the principles of democracy, but because Morsi and he share the same ideals. Both men are die hard Islamists who want to force their religious views on others. They believe that the state should serve as the hand of God (or Allah in this particular case) and have zero tolerance for critics. After all, they are doing Allah’s work. Opponents must be the devil’s henchmen, which is why it is perfectly fine to ostracize, intimidate and persecute them.</p>
<p>Not only do the two men share the same religious and domestic political views, they also agree with each other on Israel and Jews in general. That the Muslim Brotherhood hates Israel cannot possibly come as a surprise to anyone &#8211; it&#8217;s almost their raison d’etre. For decades, however, Turkey and Israel were close allies.</p>
<p>Sadly, that relationship deteriorated when the AK Parti came to power. Several years ago, Erdogan made headlines when he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrbQsHkVQ_4">stormed out</a> of a meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The Islamic world responded with great joy: finally, a Muslim leader had the guts to humiliate Israel, live on TV.</p>
<p>The rest of the world, however, held its breath. Was this the real Erdogan? He had pretended to adhere to a &#8220;good neighbor&#8221; or &#8220;friends with everybody&#8221; foreign policy philosophy. Was that just a gimmick? A lie, so that Europe and the United States would support his bid for power? Was his real face that of an authoritarian, anti-Israel fundamentalist?</p>
<p>Well, yesterday Erdogan answered that question in the affirmative. During a speech to supporters on Tuesday, he <a href="http://www.timesofisrael.com/erdogan-accuses-israel-of-engineering-egyptian-coup/">said the following</a>: “Who is behind this? Israel. We have evidence!”</p>
<p>He went on to explain that an &#8220;intellectual from France&#8221; had a meeting with the Turkish justice minister in 2011. During that meeting, the intellectual supposedly said that “the Muslim brotherhood will not be in power even if they win the elections. Because democracy is not the ballot box.”</p>
<p>Erdogan: “Now the West starts to say democracy is not the ballot box or not only the box, but we know that the ballot box is the people’s will. This is what has been implemented in Egypt.”</p>
<p>Now, this does not quite explain why Israel would be involved in the Egyptian civil unrest, does it? A French intellectual says something, two years later the Egyptian military stages a coup &#8230; how does that prove that Israel is involved in any of it?</p>
<p>The prime minister has a solution for that rather obvious logical problem: <i>the French intellectual is a Jew. </i>See! That’s the connection right there! How else could the Jewish Frenchman have known about this? The Israeli government must have included him in their plans.</p>
<p>Is is laughable and grotesque, but it’s sadly also Turkey’s official policy towards Israel and Jews in general. As the <a href="http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Erdogan-Israel-orchestrated-Morsi-overthrow-Egypt-unrest-323679">Jerusalem Post </a>points out, Erdogan not only walked out on Shimon Peres, but earlier also blamed an “interest rate lobby” (read: Jews) for masterminding the famous Gezi Park protests, likened Zionism to fascism and &#8211; to top it off &#8211; continuously accuses Israel of “waging a campaign of genocide” against the Palestinians.  Anti-semitism has become a vital part of Turkey’s official foreign policy.</p>
<p>Remarkably, on the same day that Erdogan accused Israel of staging the Egyptian coup, a former Muslim Brotherhood official (Gamal Nasser) <a href="http://www.timesofisrael.com/el-sissis-uncle-the-haganah-member/">said</a> the following about General Al-Sisi: “I was surprised to learn, from the Algerian Al-Watan newspaper, that Al-Sisi is of Jewish origin. His mother is called Mulaika Titani, and her brother was a member of the Jewish Haganah organization. Thus, we see that this man, by any standard, is implementing a Zionist plan to divide Egypt.”</p>
<p>These words could have been spoken by Erdogan himself. He would, at the very least, agree with their sentiment and conspiratorial tone.</p>
<p>And so, the Muslim Brotherhood and Erdogan are once again fully aligned with each other. They not only want to Islamize their countries, but have also poured an Islamist sauce on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protocols_of_the_Elders_of_Zion">The Protocols of the Elders of Zion</a> and revived it; Israel is behind every problem in the Middle East, and each and every single critic of the Islamists is <a href="http://frontpagemag.com/2013/dgreenfield/muslim-brotherhood-takes-the-high-road-accuses-general-al-sisi-of-being-a-secret-jew/">a closet-Zionist</a>.</p>
<p>If the Muslim Brothers and Erdogan were not capable of inflicting so much damage on the region and the rest of the world, we could laugh at these silly theories. As it is the West cannot afford itself that luxury. Erdogan and Morsi’s henchmen have to be stopped.</p>
<p><strong>Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref%3dnb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&amp;field-keywords=david+horowitz&amp;rh=n:133140011%2ck:david+horowitz&amp;ajr=0#/ref=sr_st?keywords=david+horowitz&amp;qid=1316459840&amp;rh=n:133140011%2ck:david+horowitz&amp;sort=daterank" target="_blank">Click here</a>.  </strong></p>
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		<title>The Mass Jailing of Turkish Secularists</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/michael-van-der-galien/the-mass-jailing-of-turkish-secularists/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-mass-jailing-of-turkish-secularists</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Aug 2013 04:30:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael van der Galien]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[liberal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[prison]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Protest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recep tayyip erdogan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[secular]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sentence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[turkey]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Why protesters fear they are losing the battle against Islamism. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/turkey-protests-3june2013.jpg"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-199562" alt="turkey-protests-3june2013" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/turkey-protests-3june2013-450x319.jpg" width="315" height="223" /></a>Monday, August the 4th, was one of the most important days in modern Turkish history. Two hundred seventy-five (275) individuals known to be secularists stood trial for supposedly planning a military coup. In the end, <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/17-sentenced-to-life-in-turkeys-ergenekon-coup-plot-trial-including-ex-military-chief.aspx?pageID=238&amp;nID=52034&amp;NewsCatID=339">some 200</a> of them were convicted, with many receiving <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/17-sentenced-to-life-in-turkeys-ergenekon-coup-plot-trial-including-ex-military-chief.aspx?pageID=238&amp;nID=52034&amp;NewsCatID=339">lifelong sentences</a>.</p>
<p>The government had vilified the suspects from day one. Without further ado, they were thrown in jail, where they received worse treatment than the convicted terrorist and PKK-leader Abdullah Öcalan.</p>
<p>Their crime? According to the prosecutors and AKP officials the suspects planned to wreak so much havoc in Turkey &#8211; by carrying out (fake) terrorist attacks and generally polarizing society &#8211; that the Turkish people would eventually support a military coup just so order could be restored again.</p>
<p>Among the suspects were many officers. One of them was General Ilker Basbug, who served as the army’s chief-of-staff until he retired in 2010. Once enjoying the quiet life of a retiree, Basbug was arrested. According to the charges, he was the &#8220;terrorist&#8221; group’s leader. Yesterday, Basbug was sentenced to life in jail.</p>
<p>Other suspects included journalists and even writers. Apparently, such &#8220;subversive&#8221; individuals pose a significant threat to democracy by writing down their opinions and analyses. Like General Basbug, several of them were convicted on Monday. One of them, Tuncay Özkan, received an aggravated life sentence as well. Journalist Adnan Bulut was sentenced to six years, while former journalist-turned-politician for the main opposition party (the CHP), Mustafa Balbay, was sentenced to 34 years and eight months in prison.</p>
<p>Before the verdict was announced, the latter made clear what he thought of the allegations against him. “A warm autumn is coming,” he said. “They want to take over this case. We will not let it happen. This case is political. They want to hide away the case from the public.”</p>
<p>Yet another journalist who was convicted for being part of this conspiracy is Gülen Kömürcü, who worked for the <em>Aksam</em> (&#8220;Evening&#8221;) newspaper when she was arrested. This &#8220;dangerous terrorist&#8221; was sentenced to seven years and six months. After her conviction Kömürcü received dozens <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/17-sentenced-to-life-in-turkeys-ergenekon-coup-plot-trial-including-ex-military-chief.aspx?pageID=238&amp;nID=52034&amp;NewsCatID=339">of friendly well-wishes</a> from Turks who, like the suspects, believe the case to be political in nature.</p>
<p>And there certainly is something to say for that.  AKP-leaders have for years publicly commented on the case. Even Erdogan himself has made several statements about it, going so far as to accuse his political opposition of defending &#8212; in the words of the Erdogan-friendly <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/17-sentenced-to-life-in-turkeys-ergenekon-coup-plot-trial-including-ex-military-chief.aspx?pageID=238&amp;nID=52034&amp;NewsCatID=339">Today’s Zaman</a> &#8211; the “Ergenekon terrorist organization.” Note that this was before anyone had been convicted of any wrongdoing. In no other country would political leaders have spoken about an ongoing investigation in such a polarizing manner.</p>
<p>Such details do not seem to bother Erdogan. He even made clear that this was a highly personal case to him, since he had received &#8220;<a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/17-sentenced-to-life-in-turkeys-ergenekon-coup-plot-trial-including-ex-military-chief.aspx?pageID=238&amp;nID=52034&amp;NewsCatID=339">personal threats</a>&#8221; from the plotters. He made no secret of his view that the suspects &#8212; all of them &#8212; were clearly guilty and deserving of the most severe possible punishment. Again, he did so before any conviction had been handed out. Worse still, he even had the gall to lambast the Istanbul Bar Association when it criticized the case’s chief prosecutor for using Ergenekon as a means to retaliate against the government’s rivals; a statement that was not exactly controversial, since just about the entire opposition felt the same.</p>
<p>After the announcement of the verdicts, secular Turks responded with disbelief and outrage. On <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/17-sentenced-to-life-in-turkeys-ergenekon-coup-plot-trial-including-ex-military-chief.aspx?pageID=238&amp;nID=52034&amp;NewsCatID=339">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/17-sentenced-to-life-in-turkeys-ergenekon-coup-plot-trial-including-ex-military-chief.aspx?pageID=238&amp;nID=52034&amp;NewsCatID=339">Facebook</a> many have replaced their usual avatars with a solid black image. The reason? They mourn what they consider to be the death of Turkey’s secular system.</p>
<p>Perhaps that requires an explanation: Until a few years ago many people still had faith in the judiciary and in the military, both of which were considered bulwarks of secularism. Whenever a government wanted to mix politics with religion, one of the bulwarks intervened and set matters straight.</p>
<p>Sadly, secularists now conclude, those days are no more. They see the verdicts in the Ergenekon case as the ultimate proof that these &#8220;bulwarks&#8221; of secularism no longer exist. To them, the trial’s outcome is <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/17-sentenced-to-life-in-turkeys-ergenekon-coup-plot-trial-including-ex-military-chief.aspx?pageID=238&amp;nID=52034&amp;NewsCatID=339">the final nail in the coffin</a> of laïcité in Turkey. Not only, they say, has the military become powerless, but the AK Parti now also controls the country’s judges, which is why they are actively cooperating with <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/17-sentenced-to-life-in-turkeys-ergenekon-coup-plot-trial-including-ex-military-chief.aspx?pageID=238&amp;nID=52034&amp;NewsCatID=339">political (show) trials</a>.</p>
<p>One of the most worrying aspects of the case is the fact that not only military officers and (former) politicians have been convicted, but journalists as well. Members of the Turkish opposition understand that this is a very dangerous development since it touches on the very foundation of democracy: No democracy can survive without a free and independent press. Besides, what do the government and the judges in this case believe &#8220;writers and journalists&#8221; will do during a coup? Throw pencils at AKP-officials?</p>
<p>The answer is, critics say, that the government fears journalists’ ability to shape public opinion. Every single one of the arrested and convicted journalists is an ideological secularist, with a long history of criticism aimed at the ruling AK Parti. These professionals now have to pay for their outspokenness by spending many years, if not the rest of their lives, in jail. One of them, the aforementioned Tuncay Özkan, was even sentenced to life in solitary confinement. How were the prosecutors able to do that? Simple: they accused all the suspects of being members (or at least supportive) of a terrorist organization. That way, the judges could carry out higher sentences than would normally be the case. As a result, journalists will be imprisoned for many years, even decades, rather than months (or not at all).</p>
<p>Not only secular Turks, but foreigners too have responded with outrage to such severe punishments. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/17-sentenced-to-life-in-turkeys-ergenekon-coup-plot-trial-including-ex-military-chief.aspx?pageID=238&amp;nID=52034&amp;NewsCatID=339">made clear</a> that locking up journalists is always unacceptable. “I am deeply alarmed by today’s convictions and harsh sentences that are of unprecedented length and severity in the entire OSCE region,” OSCE media freedom representative Dunja Mijatovic said. “Criminal prosecution of those with dissenting views violates the fundamental right to free expression and the country’s OSCE commitments to develop and protect free media.”</p>
<p>She continued: “The damage of today’s verdicts on free expression and media freedom in Turkey is immeasurable. I reiterate my call to the authorities for urgent and fundamental legislative reforms to improve media freedom, as well as the transparent and swift trial of all imprisoned journalists.”</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/17-sentenced-to-life-in-turkeys-ergenekon-coup-plot-trial-including-ex-military-chief.aspx?pageID=238&amp;nID=52034&amp;NewsCatID=339">European Union agrees</a> with that sentiment, saying that it has serious concerns &#8220;over the rights of the defense, the lengthy pre-trial detention and the excessively long and &#8216;catch-all&#8217; indictments&#8221; that are too general.</p>
<p>Be that as it may, for now, the convictions stand. It will take some time for the convicts to appeal to higher courts, especially on a European level. In the meantime, we can only conclude  that the polarization of Turkish society continues unabated <i>and </i>that the freedom of speech finds itself in an increasingly more perilous state. After all, these convictions will cause editors, newspaper owners and journalists to censure themselves even more than they have been doing for the last few years.</p>
<p>As <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/17-sentenced-to-life-in-turkeys-ergenekon-coup-plot-trial-including-ex-military-chief.aspx?pageID=238&amp;nID=52034&amp;NewsCatID=339">I wrote</a> last week: “That’s why the freedom of speech may not only be on trial in Turkey, but may very well have already been sentenced to death. The prosecution and the judge want to end its life, and dissenting jurors, who understand what is at stake, are too afraid to intervene on the defendant’s behalf.”</p>
<p><strong>Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&amp;field-keywords=david+horowitz&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;ajr=0#/ref=sr_st?keywords=david+horowitz&amp;qid=1316459840&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;sort=daterank">Click here</a>.</strong></p>
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		<title>Erdogan Takes Revenge</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/michael-van-der-galien/erdogan-takes-revenge/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=erdogan-takes-revenge</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Aug 2013 04:35:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael van der Galien]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Free Speech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Protest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recep tayyip erdogan]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[The death of free speech in Turkey. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/130606_FOR_Erdogan.jpg.CROP_.original-original.jpg"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-198992" alt="Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a signing ce" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/130606_FOR_Erdogan.jpg.CROP_.original-original-450x307.jpg" width="315" height="215" /></a>Now that most protests have come to an end and the rest of the world is focusing on Egypt rather than Turkey, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has decided that the time is ripe for some good, old-fashioned revenge. <a href="http://world.time.com/2013/07/30/in-turkey-critics-of-erdogans-government-claim-familiar-pattern-of-reprisal/">Turkish style</a>.</span></i></p>
<p>As I reported earlier for FrontPage Magazine, it started early in July, when a few journalists were publicly harrangued for their coverage of the protests in Gezi Park. One of them was even publicly called a &#8220;<a href="http://world.time.com/2013/07/30/in-turkey-critics-of-erdogans-government-claim-familiar-pattern-of-reprisal/">traitor</a>&#8221; by the mayor of Ankara, a member of the prime minister’s party, the AK Parti (Justice and Development Party).</p>
<p>In the following weeks, as many as 22 journalists and columnists have <a href="http://world.time.com/2013/07/30/in-turkey-critics-of-erdogans-government-claim-familiar-pattern-of-reprisal/">been fired</a> since the start of the famous protests in Istanbul and other major Turkish cities. Thirty-seven others had to accept a &#8220;forced leave of absence,&#8221; meaning that they had to pretend to enjoy some precious off-time, while they, in fact, were desperate to get back to work.</p>
<p>One of the fired columnists is <a href="http://world.time.com/2013/07/30/in-turkey-critics-of-erdogans-government-claim-familiar-pattern-of-reprisal/">Yavuz Baydar</a> from the daily <em>Sabah</em>. His first mistake was, as <em>Sabah</em>’s ombudsman, publishing letters from readers that criticized the government&#8217;s stance on the protests. After that he went even further by writing a column related to the protests and media-government relations. The editorial board refused to publish his piece, however.</p>
<p>At that moment, Baydar decided to take a leave of absence. Instead of keeping silent about the stranglehold in which the government holds the media, he decided to speak out. In a column for <a href="http://world.time.com/2013/07/30/in-turkey-critics-of-erdogans-government-claim-familiar-pattern-of-reprisal/">the <em>New York Times</em></a>, he explained that media moguls are undermining the &#8220;basic principles of democracy&#8221; in Turkey.  He added that media &#8220;bosses fear losing lucrative business deals with the government.&#8221;</p>
<p>After having written the opinion piece for the <em>New York Times</em>, Baydar once again tried to get a similar critical column published in <em>Sabah</em>. Instead, he was fired.</p>
<p>Many other journalists have have gone through the same ordeal in the last few weeks. And they are the lucky ones. According to Reporters Without Borders’ (RWB) <a href="http://world.time.com/2013/07/30/in-turkey-critics-of-erdogans-government-claim-familiar-pattern-of-reprisal/">World Press Freedom Index</a>, the situation has gotten so out of hand that Turkey is now “the world’s biggest prison for journalists.” Yes, the country beats Afghanistan, North Korea, China, Iraq and Iran in that regard. Of course more journalists may be killed in some of those countries, but with regards to locking them up, Turkey leads them all.</p>
<p>Apparently, Erdogan is quite happy with that remarkable record. Instead of backing down, his government is arresting even more people. Not only journalists, but whomever has the audacity to criticize the AKP. For instance, <a href="http://world.time.com/2013/07/30/in-turkey-critics-of-erdogans-government-claim-familiar-pattern-of-reprisal/">nine more</a> Twitter- users and protesters, living in five different cities, were recently detained.</p>
<p>At the same time, two &#8220;suspects&#8221; were sent to court on July 30 to face charges of “opposing the law on public marches and demonstrations.” Their crime? They had organized an iftar dinner in Gezi Park. An iftar dinner is the evening meal that breaks the fast during Ramadan. Erdogan organizes such dinners for his own supporters, but when those critical of him try to do the same they are considered enemies of the state, and quickly detained.</p>
<p>University students are in trouble too, for <a href="http://world.time.com/2013/07/30/in-turkey-critics-of-erdogans-government-claim-familiar-pattern-of-reprisal/">it was announced</a> Tuesday that students who engage (or engaged) in “resistance, stage boycotts, chant slogans or become involved in similar activites” will no longer be granted student loans. The Higher Education Loans and Dormitories Institution (KYK) says that such activities constitute “a violation of the right to an education.”</p>
<p>That the constitutional and human right to free speech is being violated by punishing students apparently does not bother the Institution one bit. “In the education institutions he/she attends, in its extensions in the dormitory he/she resides, outside of the education institution or the dormitory, either solely or collectively, in whichever form, those who are concerned with events of anarchy and terrorism, engaging in behaviors violating the right to education (resistance, boycott, occupation, writing, painting, slogan-chanting, et cetera), whether attempted partially or fully,” are ineligible.</p>
<p>Note how the KYK uses words such as “anarchy” and “terrorism”: These are the same phrases Erdogan uses to describe the Gezi Park protesters. When he is not calling them “<a href="http://world.time.com/2013/07/30/in-turkey-critics-of-erdogans-government-claim-familiar-pattern-of-reprisal/">piteous rodents</a>,” that is. Somewhat surprisingly, this report was later denied by Youth and Sports Minister Suat Kilic.</p>
<p>However, according to <a href="http://world.time.com/2013/07/30/in-turkey-critics-of-erdogans-government-claim-familiar-pattern-of-reprisal/">Hurriyet Daily News</a>, the anti-protesting policy has been in place for several years, but has simply not been implemented<i>. </i>That might, the Turkish English-language newspaper says, change this year around.</p>
<p>Going after students in this fashion would undoubtedly make sense to the increasingly paranoid and authoritarian Erdogan since the protests were led by them and soccer (football) supporters &#8230; which leads me to <a href="http://world.time.com/2013/07/30/in-turkey-critics-of-erdogans-government-claim-familiar-pattern-of-reprisal/">another measure</a> the AKP government may take according to the Interior Minister: outlawing “chanting political or ideological slogans at stadiums/matches.” If Erdogan and his allies have their way, no opinions critical of the AKP will be heard on campus, in stadiums, in parks, or on the streets. In other words: anywhere.</p>
<p>If Erdogan continues down this path, freedom of speech will be no more in Turkey.  Sadly, I have little reason to believe that terrible fate can be averted. There still are no alternatives for voters who have had enough of the AKP, except the notoriously corrupt (secular) CHP and the radically-nationalist MHP. For many, that isn’t a choice <i>at all</i>.</p>
<p>Additionally, increasingly more people are allowing the government to silence them out of fear for their livelihoods. After all, students want &#8211; no, <i>need</i> &#8211; loans and journalists <i>need</i> to make money. Rather than growing a backbone and continuing their resistance regardless of the price to be paid, many opt for the easy way out: remaining silent, not saying a word about what they really think.</p>
<p>That’s why the freedom of speech may not only be on trial in Turkey, but may very well have already been sentenced to death. The prosecution and the judge want to end its life, and dissenting jurors, who understand what is at stake, are too afraid to intervene on the defendant’s behalf.</p>
<p><strong>Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&amp;field-keywords=david+horowitz&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;ajr=0#/ref=sr_st?keywords=david+horowitz&amp;qid=1316459840&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;sort=daterank">Click here</a>.</strong></p>
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		<title>Erdogan Squirms Over Egypt&#8217;s 2013 Revolution</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/michael-van-der-galien/erdogan-squirms-over-egypts-2013-revolution/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=erdogan-squirms-over-egypts-2013-revolution</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Jul 2013 04:13:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael van der Galien]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coup]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[egypt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Military]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Morsi]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[recep tayyip erdogan]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=196132</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Could the Turkish Islamist leader be next? ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/TURKEY-ERDOGAN-USED-12-06-13.jpg"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-196325" alt="TURKEY-ERDOGAN-USED-12-06-13" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/TURKEY-ERDOGAN-USED-12-06-13.jpg" width="238" height="183" /></a>Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has, as one of the few world leaders to do so, strongly condemned the overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. He has called it &#8220;anti-democratic,&#8221; saying that the Brotherhood should be restored to power as soon as possible.</p>
<p>“Any attitude that can drag Egypt into confrontation should be avoided,” said the man who became infamous last month for setting riot police, armed with tear gas and water cannons, loose on peaceful protesters. “We expect that all politicians, Morsi and the prime minister in the first instance, will be immediately released.”</p>
<p>He went on <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-pm-urges-so-called-new-rulers-of-egypt-to-release-morsi.aspx?pageID=238&amp;nID=50232&amp;NewsCatID=338">to call</a> the interim-administration, Egypt&#8217;s “so-called” rulers and added that general Al-Sisi had no right to complain about Turkey’s involvement in his country’s internal affairs. “We are expressing that we stand with the Egyptian people and our principles,” he said.</p>
<p>Apparently, those principles mean that it is perfectly fine to oppress opponents by systematically persecuting them and <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-pm-urges-so-called-new-rulers-of-egypt-to-release-morsi.aspx?pageID=238&amp;nID=50232&amp;NewsCatID=338">to kill christians</a> on a scale seldom seen before, since that is what has happened in Egypt after disposed president Mohamed Morsi first came to power. But try and save a country’s secular nature and its religious minorities, and suddenly you are a menace to world peace.</p>
<p>Turkey’s foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, has also <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-pm-urges-so-called-new-rulers-of-egypt-to-release-morsi.aspx?pageID=238&amp;nID=50232&amp;NewsCatID=338">weighed in</a>. “I strongly condemn the massacre during the morning prayers in the name of basic human values that we have been defending,” he wrote on his Twitter account after it was reported that as many as 34 Muslim Brothers were killed in clashes with the military.  Whether those numbers are correct or not is apparently not a question of interest to the Turkish government. Reports that the Muslim Brothers <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-pm-urges-so-called-new-rulers-of-egypt-to-release-morsi.aspx?pageID=238&amp;nID=50232&amp;NewsCatID=338">were <i>armed</i></a><i> </i>are also brushed aside. The army is the enemy, the Brotherhood is an example to all Muslim democrats.</p>
<p>That is rather strange because it has already been conclusively proved that the Muslim Brothers are armed <i>and</i> that they even go so far as to shoot their fellow party members just so they can smear the army. See the video below for evidence. They are literally sacrificing their own people in order to reach their political goals:</p>
<p><iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/AdFk-v-4G0o" height="325" width="425" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Erdogan is not interested in such bloody, inconvenient facts. Like his fellow Islamists in Egypt, he chooses to attack the Egyptian army instead.</p>
<p>One of Erdogan’s senior foreign ministry officials <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-pm-urges-so-called-new-rulers-of-egypt-to-release-morsi.aspx?pageID=238&amp;nID=50232&amp;NewsCatID=338">explained</a> what Turkey hopes to achieve in Egypt: “Military coups are unacceptable, in Egypt or elsewhere. Undoing the coup and re-instating the toppled government should be the priorities of countries with a democratic understanding.” Like his prime minister, the source does not comprehend that, in a democratic system, the majority should not only be protected from the minority, but vice versa as well. <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-pm-urges-so-called-new-rulers-of-egypt-to-release-morsi.aspx?pageID=238&amp;nID=50232&amp;NewsCatID=338">Majoritism is not democracy</a>.</p>
<p>Erdogan is the only world leader who has taken such a firm stance against the military coup. Even Obama has failed to use such strong language, even though he too has supported the Muslim Brotherhood for years.</p>
<p>Although remarkable, Erdogan’s response to the coup is not suprising. He fears for his own political future. Military coups have long been part of Turkey’s political reality. In the last 50 years alone there have been three coups, the last of which took place in 1997, when Erdogan’s <i>hoca</i> (teacher) Erbakan was ousted from power.</p>
<p>From the very moment he became prime minister, Erdogan has feared he will suffer the same fate. That is why he has replaced the army’s top officers with soldiers who have Islamist leanings. Being as paranoid as he is, however, the prime minister still fears that this will not be enough to prevent the military from staging a coup if it decides that the government is betraying Atatürk’s legacy. Hence his furious attacks against Egypt’s military and his refusal to acknowledge the interim-cabinet as legitimate.</p>
<p>Additionally, Erdogan is worried because a defeat for Morsi is a defeat for himself. The AK Parti and the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood have rather close ties. This Cairo-Ankara axis evolved naturally out of their shared political and religious views and goals: both do not only want to Islamize their respective countries, but the entire region.</p>
<p>Soon after the so-called Arab Spring started, it quickly developed into an Islamist Revolution. Muslim fundamentalists everywhere saw their dreams finally being realized: a goal for which they had worked so hard, for so many years to achieve. But now, at the very moment their victory seems at hand, it suddenly is in danger of collapsing. A successful coup in Egypt spells trouble for all Islamists: other countries hit by the Islamist tidal wave may very well follow suit, or so they fear.</p>
<p>Erdogan sees the recent developments in Egypt for what they are: a movement against the political Islamization of the region. He fears that something similar could happen in his own and other countries, which will be the undoing of the progress he and his fellow Islamists have made in recent years. That means that the Erdogan we have seen in the last couple of weeks, including his response to the Egyptian coup, is not a man driven by confidence, but by fear.</p>
<p>And that should be reason for hope for those who worry about Turkey’s &#8211; and the region’s<i> &#8211; </i>descent into authoritarianism and Islamism.</p>
<p><strong>Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&amp;field-keywords=david+horowitz&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;ajr=0#/ref=sr_st?keywords=david+horowitz&amp;qid=1316459840&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;sort=daterank">Click here</a>.</strong></p>
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		<title>The Heart of Erdogan&#8217;s Darkness</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/michael-van-der-galien/the-heart-of-erdogans-darkness/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-heart-of-erdogans-darkness</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 02 Jul 2013 04:35:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael van der Galien]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Crackdown]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[critics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Erdogan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Protest]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[violence]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Turkey approaches the precipice of authoritarianism. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TURKEY_-_occupy-gezi-protests-erdogan.jpg"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-195020" alt="TURKEY_-_occupy-gezi-protests-erdogan" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TURKEY_-_occupy-gezi-protests-erdogan-450x326.jpg" width="270" height="196" /></a>Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is becoming more authoritarian by the day. His government has announced it will use every tool available to investigate and punish protesters, critics in the media, and social media users. Additionally, Ankara has started to openly threaten foreign websites such as Twitter and Facebook, hoping they will end up betraying their users.</p>
<p>Whenever he gives a speech to his followers or appears on TV, Erdogan repeats that foreigners, not Turks, are the driving force behind the protests that have engulfed Turkey for the last month. For example, he regularly refers to a sinister &#8220;interest rate lobby&#8221; that, together with certain &#8220;foreign capitals,&#8221; works to destroy the economy. Since not even he can deny that the ones doing the actual protesting are Turkish, Erdogan and his henchmen can only conclude that they are traitors deserving of the harshest possible punishment.</p>
<p>That is why the government is doing everything in its power to <a href="http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/turkey-cracks-down-on-social-media-users-supporting-protests/">identify protesters</a> active on social media so they can be persecuted. Both Twitter and Facebook have been &#8220;asked&#8221; to share user information with the Turkish government. It would not surprise me that, once identified, these individuals will be charged with one sort of terrorism or another.</p>
<p>Luckily, the two American social networking behemoths refuse to cooperate. Neither is inclined to step into a country’s domestic political affairs. They are there to serve the freedom of speech and to enable people to express themselves. If a government wants to crack down on dissent, it will have to do so without their help.</p>
<p>The Justice and Development Party (AK Parti or AKP) being what it is, <a href="http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/turkey-cracks-down-on-social-media-users-supporting-protests/">immediately lashed out</a> at these companies. Said minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Binali Yildirim: “The Turkish Republic doesn’t recognize those who don’t recognize it!” For good measure he added a threat: “79 million people will hit them with an Ottoman slap.” Before you think that he is referring to a girlie kind of slap that would not impress anyone: In Turkish culture, the Ottoman slap is an &#8220;<a href="http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/turkey-cracks-down-on-social-media-users-supporting-protests/">all powerful</a>&#8221; way to take out one’s opponent.</p>
<p>In the meantime, Turkish journalists who dare do their job and share the real story with their readers (or viewers) are singled out and intimidated. For instance, the mayor of Ankara, Melih Gökcek, launched <a href="http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/turkey-cracks-down-on-social-media-users-supporting-protests/">a public smear campaign</a> against Turkish BBC reporter Selin Girit who reported on the protests and who tried to explain to her viewers why things had gotten so out of hand.</p>
<p>Girit, Gökcek tweeted, was “an English agent” engaging in “treachery to her nation.” He even called on his followers &#8211; AKP-voters &#8211; to speak out against her and harass her online by using the hashtag #ingiltereadınaajanlıkyapmaselingirit (“Don’t be an agent on behalf of England Selin Girit). “I want that everyone who loves their country to make the hashtag a trending topic. That way, our reaction will be heard abroad,” he added.</p>
<p>It did not take long for <a href="http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/turkey-cracks-down-on-social-media-users-supporting-protests/">Girit’s Twitter stream</a> to be overwhelmed with personal attack after personal attack. She did not speak out against it herself, but her company did, calling the attacks “unacceptable.” True, albeit a bit of an understatement.</p>
<p>Attacks on Twitter users, private companies, and journalists; it all happens in modern Turkey. And there is more. It was <a href="http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/turkey-cracks-down-on-social-media-users-supporting-protests/">also reported</a> this week that the Islamist government is even going so far as to &#8220;investigate&#8221; the bank accounts of their foreign customers. According to the report, the Capital Markets Board asked banks a couple of days ago to submit the account activity of foreign customers between May 20 and June 19 because it had &#8220;received complaints&#8221; that these individuals had received and used money to stir up the protests. Supposedly, this is all part of some grand kind of &#8220;conspiracy&#8221; by the aforementioned &#8220;interest rate lobby,&#8221; who want to throw Turkey into chaos.</p>
<p>Of course, there is no reason whatsoever to believe that there is a foreign conspiracy behind the protests. As I <a href="http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/turkey-cracks-down-on-social-media-users-supporting-protests/">reported</a> for FrontPage Magazine earlier this month, the organizers are Turks who simply disagree with Erdogan’s policies and fear his increasingly authoritarian leadership style.</p>
<p>To Erdogan, however, these conspiracy theories are too good to resist. After all, it allows him to brush aside the legitimate concerns of the opposition and to use intimidation and other techniques in order to silence critics.</p>
<p>I do not believe that it already is too late for Turkey, but it certainly is very troubling that, even now the mass protests have calmed down, the government still refuses to respect the freedom of expression and the freedom of the press. If Erdogan persists, Turkey’s democratic system may very well end up being damaged beyond repair. That would be unacceptable, not only to Turks, but also to the West, which is why it is up to the European Union to convince him to take a different tack. He may not listen to his domestic critics, but if his most important <a href="http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/06/turkey-cracks-down-on-social-media-users-supporting-protests/">trade partner</a> refuses to do business with him by linking the eurozone and Turkish economies even more, Erdogan may very well decide to change course nonetheless.</p>
<p>Let us hope so, for we cannot afford to let Turkey slide into authoritarianism. Europe and the United States need Turkey as a strong and democratic regional partner. Doing nothing is, therefore, simply not an option.</p>
<p><strong>Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&amp;field-keywords=david+horowitz&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;ajr=0#/ref=sr_st?keywords=david+horowitz&amp;qid=1316459840&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;sort=daterank">Click here</a>.</strong></p>
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		<title>Brutality in Turkey</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/michael-van-der-galien/brutality-in-turkey/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=brutality-in-turkey</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Jun 2013 04:52:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael van der Galien]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brutality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Erdogan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Police]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Protest]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[The police become the Islamist PM's personal thug army. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/taksim-2.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-194302 alignleft" alt="taksim 2" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/taksim-2.jpg" width="259" height="191" /></a>Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has created his own private army: the country’s police forces.</p>
<p>When the protest in Gezi Parki first started, many Turks and commentators thought it would soon go away. After all, it was organized by a couple of treehuggers, who refused to let some trees be demolished in order for a new mosque and mall to be built. It is difficult to take something like that all too seriously.</p>
<p>However, after only a day or two, the protests suddenly exploded. Tens of thousands of Istanbullians joined, protests were organized in as many as 79 other cities, and entire families took to the streets.</p>
<p>The reason &#8220;the resistance&#8221; suddenly became so popular was Prime Minister Erdogan’s and the police’s reaction to the protesters. Instead of trying argue with them and perhaps reaching a compromise, they were brutally attacked by the police and insulted by Erdogan, who called them &#8220;terrorists&#8221; and &#8220;looters.&#8221; Secularists and other opponents of the prime minister saw what happened and decided to step in. &#8220;Enough already,&#8221; they said, &#8220;it’s time to take action against this man who wants to Islamize the country and who refuses to accept any limits on his power.&#8221;</p>
<p>Next Erdogan set his own personal army &#8211; the police &#8211; loose on all his critics. The results are shocking: at least four people have been killed and as many as 5,000 have been wounded. Additionally, many others have been detained and interrogated &#8211; even people who didn’t participate in the protests themselves, but who simply reported about them on Twitter.</p>
<p>Only a few years ago, this scenario would have been considered impossible. Now, however, it sadly is Turkey’s new reality.</p>
<p>How is that possible?</p>
<p>In the years leading up to the protests, the AK Parti has increased the size of the country’s police forces <a href="http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=crim_plce&amp;lang=en#">significantly</a> since 2003. Not suprisingly, many new officers are AKP-supporters. Those who didn’t already support the Islamists have been dragged into their camp by receiving significant pay raises <i>and</i> by receiving more powers and responsibilities than they could have dreamed of when the country was still ruled by its old secular elite.  At the same time, the army has been systematically overlooked (with soldiers now being seriously underpaid) and its power dismantled.</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/taksim.jpg"><img class="alignright  wp-image-194303" alt="taksim" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/taksim-450x313.jpg" width="315" height="219" /></a>The result is that the police now know that they are in charge and have no one to fear &#8230; except the man to whom they own their money and influence: the prime minister. When he gives them an order, therefore, they <i>will</i> obey. Yes, even if that means that they have to use their weapons against their own countrymen, who are simply excercising their right to the freedom of speech.</p>
<p>In exchange for their unquestioned support, Erdogan has embarked on a grand publicity tour in which he tries to improve not only his own, but also the police’s image. This weekend he <a href="http://www.todayszaman.com/news-319082-erdogan-hails-turkish-police-says-they-were-unfairly-targeted.html">said</a> for instance that the police have “succesfully passed the test of democracy” because of the way they handled the protests.</p>
<p>Read that sentence again and then watch the video below of a dozen police officers in Antalya giving &#8220;democratic treatment&#8221; to three protesters hiding in a parking garage:</p>
<p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/x1BPR4gYf6U" height="225" width="400" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Last weekend, police again had a go at protesters in Taksim (Istanbul), who wanted to commemmorate those who had died earlier this month. The protest was livestreamed on several websites, among which RussiaToday.com (an addmittely pro-Putin channel, but one has to make due with whatever one has). For hours and hours the protesters behaved perfectly. They were clearly there for a peaceful gathering. Even when they were surrounded by the police, they remained calm, singing some songs together.</p>
<p>Once darkness set in, however, the police attacked. First they used water cannons to blow everyone out of the way, journalists included:</p>
<p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZxGFk-AmIX4" height="225" width="400" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Later they reverted to using teargas again; everything in an attempt to squash the protests and to convince the protesters to go home <i>and stay there</i>.</p>
<p>In a free and democratic society, police exist in order to protect citizens from those who mean them harm. In today’s Turkey, however, the Islamist AK Parti has purposefully reshaped the police in order to <i><a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkeys-ruling-akp-replaced-kemalism-with-islamism-ep-member-says.aspx?pageID=238&amp;nID=49313&amp;NewsCatID=338">protect the state from its people</a></i>.</p>
<p>The consequences of this change can be very dire indeed. Unless the protesters succeed in wrestling some of their freedoms back from their government, it will enable Erdogan to behave even more authoritarian and to push more Islamization down his people’s throats &#8211; with a little help from his personal army.</p>
<p><strong>Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&amp;field-keywords=david+horowitz&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;ajr=0#/ref=sr_st?keywords=david+horowitz&amp;qid=1316459840&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;sort=daterank">Click here</a>.</strong></p>
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		<title>Inside the Turkish Protests</title>
		<link>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/michael-van-der-galien/inside-the-turkish-protests/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=inside-the-turkish-protests</link>
		<comments>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/michael-van-der-galien/inside-the-turkish-protests/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 21 Jun 2013 04:45:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael van der Galien]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Mailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FrontPage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Freedom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[islamist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mosque]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Protests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[state]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[turkey]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://frontpagemag.com/?p=193856</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Freedom fighters dare to battle for the separation of mosque and state.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/alsancak.jpg"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-193874" alt="alsancak" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/alsancak-450x337.jpg" width="252" height="189" /></a>The battle taking place in Turkey touches the very core of the Turkish Republic and its future. The country’s secularists who were in power for decades, but who have for the last ten years taken a backseat, have taken to the streets demanding the separation of mosque and state, while the Islamists led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan aim to Islamize the country faster and more thoroughly than ever before, while cracking down on all possible dissent.</p>
<p>I was able to speak to protesters in two different cities (Izmir and Istanbul) about their aims and the reasons for their sudden protests. At first, international media reported that the protests had started purely because inhabitants of Istanbul wanted to save a park (Gezi Parki). Although that certainly played a role, it was made clear to me from the get-go that the park was simply the last straw: their anger with Erdogan had increased year after year, and lately month after month. Finally, they said, they were fed up. They drew a line in the sand and said, &#8220;No more&#8221; to Erdogan’s authoritarianism and Islamism.<a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/karsiyaka-22.jpg"><img class="alignright  wp-image-193875" alt="karsiyaka 22" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/karsiyaka-22-262x350.jpg" width="168" height="224" /></a></p>
<p>Some of the protesters I spoke to had voted for Erdogan’s AK Parti in 2003. At that moment the country was hit hard by an economic crisis (which eerily reminds me of some other authoritarians who came to power in such difficult times, and who gradually increased their hold on their populace). He pretended to be a liberal democrat, a man who could unite the Turkish people, both conservative Muslims and secularists, and who would take the desperately needed measures the economy required to spring back to life. With him, he said &#8212; and voters believed &#8212; that a new era of universal freedom and economic prosperity was to arrive.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Sadly, things turned out slightly different than these voters had expected, they said. In the last ten years, they told me, Erdogan first strenghtened his hold on the government and all its institutions (including the judicial power and the military), after which he &#8211; at first slowly, later much faster &#8211; started to Islamize the country. In the last few months especially that Islamization had speeded up, with the prime minister saying women should have three children, a ban on the sale of alcohol between 10PM and 6AM, and an attempt to greatly reduce the right of abortion. When the opposition voiced their criticism they were at best ignored and at worst imprisoned (as has happened to hundreds of journalists).</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/women.png"><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-193876" alt="women" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/women.png" width="342" height="197" /></a></p>
<p>“Erdogan is a fascist, it’s that simple,” one of the protesters in Izmir told me. “He has to step down!” Another passionate youth said that “Erdogan has gone too far. Did you know that there’s no image of [Mustafa Kemal Atatürk - the founder of the modern and secular Turkish Republic] in schoolbooks anymore? He wants to remove all traces of Atatürk, who represents Turkish secularism. He wants to replace our laws with the Sharia!”</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/alsancak-2.jpg"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-193877" alt="alsancak 2" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/alsancak-2-262x350.jpg" width="183" height="245" /></a>One of the reasons that I understood the significance and true meaning of these protests early on is that many of the protesters are women. One of them told me that they all fear for their future role in a Turkey governed by the AK Parti. “Do I have to stay at home and raise three children or more? Will he decide that for me? Will I not be able to decide what I want to do and how I want to live my life? Do I need a headscarf eventually?”</p>
<p>Erdogan’s response to these questions and concerns has been brutal. Lawyers, doctors, protesters, Twitter users, Facebook users, journalists (both foreign and domestic) have been arrested this month. By behaving in that manner, the prime minister has, protesters justifiably say, confirmed their suspicions: he is out to Islamize the country and he will not stop until he has achieved that overarching goal.</p>
<p>Much has been written the last few years about a so-called &#8220;Arab Spring.&#8221; Arab peoples were ridding themselves of their dictators to finally embrace democracy. Yes, it was the start of a new Middle Eastern Golden Age. Sadly, that scenario was, as we now know, not to be. The secular dictators of the region have not been replaced by democrats, but by Islamofascists. Egypt, Tunisia, Libya are all lost to the West. They have been taken over by the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamic radicals who not only wish to destroy Israel, but also to enslave and oppress their own people.</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/girl-beaten.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-193879" alt="girl beaten" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/girl-beaten.jpg" width="350" height="232" /></a></p>
<p>In Turkey, however, there <i>is</i> a real Spring taking place. The protesters who have taken to the streets for weeks now, and who are attacked, tear gassed and arrested by the police are freedom-loving secularists, who defend their right to live as they see fit, and who demand answers from a prime minister who is increasingly showing his true &#8211; authoritarian and Islamist &#8211; colors.</p>
<p><strong>More photos of the protest in Turkey:</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/protesten-izmir-1.png"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-193880" alt="protesten izmir 1" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/protesten-izmir-1-450x184.png" width="450" height="184" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/karsiyaka.png"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-193881" alt="karsiyaka" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/karsiyaka-450x184.png" width="450" height="184" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/akp-office-izmir.png"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-193883" alt="akp office izmir" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/akp-office-izmir-450x184.png" width="450" height="184" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/arrest-lawyer.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-193882" alt="arrest lawyer" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/arrest-lawyer-262x350.jpg" width="262" height="350" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/office.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-193884" alt="office" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/office-450x337.jpg" width="450" height="337" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/izmir.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-193885" alt="izmir" src="http://cdn.frontpagemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/izmir-450x337.jpg" width="450" height="337" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&amp;field-keywords=david+horowitz&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;ajr=0#/ref=sr_st?keywords=david+horowitz&amp;qid=1316459840&amp;rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Adavid+horowitz&amp;sort=daterank">Click here</a>.</strong></p>
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