Fareed Zakaria on Turkey - and Islam - joining Europe

If Europe is worried about Islam, it would seem to me the answer is not to turn your back on the one modern Muslim country in the world. If your fear is about Islam -- you already got it. You already have millions of Muslims within your borders. So then the question of how to modernize them becomes the crucial one. And in that context it would seem to me you would want to have as much association possible with the one modernizing Muslim society. We're not talking about linking up with Saudi Arabia here. We're talking about linking up with a country that is increasingly liberal economically, politically...that is growing at 7% a year, that has a thriving business class, and that has a long constitutional history...

Discussion on this subject @: http://www.sargasso.nl/archief/2007/10/10/belief-in-democracy-68/

Watch the entire documentary (Dutch subtitles) @ http://www.vpro.nl/programma/tegenlicht/afleveringen/35446086/

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• democracy
• islam
• turkey
• muslim
• europe
• backlight
• vpro
• politics
• zakaria

[MuonlineGPER]

im gay

[peace4usall2]

Honestly i think turkey does not need the EU ,turkey is strong country with a rich culture and hard working people and good relation with arab world and china india and brasil turkey itself its a POWER. so dont think the turks are loosing out. they only want to be good neighbour and any way you want it or not part of europe in turkey.so in near futur i think EU need turkeys market in order to expand.to the middleast .

[silentiumestaureum93]

We dont want anymore shitbag muslims in Europe. And Fareed Zakaria can fuck off back to salamibad!!

[456inthemix]

Turkish Constition is based on Swiss Constition !

[kniftig]

@MrReoNetro I sure hope you're right and the world will be liberated of the idiot fundamental warmongers.. Thanks for the insights and the arguemented discussion

[MrReoNetro]

@kniftig I am 100% sure there will be a pro-secular revolution in Iran within the next couple of years. Back in 2009 during the Iranian revolt I predicted there would be a revolution in Egypt within a 5 years and I was spot on. Ahmedinejad will be the last president of the Islamic republic of Iran. Mousavi will be the first president of the Secular and Democratic Republic of Iran by 2014 mark my words. Irans influence never went beyond parts of Syria, Irak, Lebanon and Afghanistan.Turkey has won

[MrReoNetro]

@kniftig While I do see some weird statements from judges every now and then, they hardly seem any diffrent than those from the times of the military rule. And the poor quality of the current military constitution doesnt help either. I don't agree with the qualification of former advisors, directors, judges etc as secularist. They were first and foremost corrupt elitists who have done this country grave harm. And I dont fear civil war at all, because I know Erdogan will not turn Turkey into Iran

[MrReoNetro]

@kniftig In fact the freedoms of minorities like Christians and Jews was restricted by the pro-american military governments... Its because they, as nationalists, propagated an ethnic and religious homogenous Turkey wich doesnt exist. AKP has broken this lie. Ofcourse there are still problems in Turkey (as there are in Israel) but the current government wants more religious freedom for all. The mayor problem still seems to be in accepting Alevism as Islam, not tolerating Christianity or Judaism

[kniftig]

@MrReoNetro I sure hope so. But now they are both in the posiiton to win respect and authority in the Middle East. And there can only be one winner... 400 years of peace isnt a guarantee for the future. Especially not with someone like Ahmedinidjad.. Anyway thanks for the insights. I've changed my view on Turkey but i stay sceptical if you don't mind, and i hope you will too. Shalom/Salaam Abe!!

[kniftig]

@MrReoNetro ow the Christian parties in Europe aren't any better... But ok, that's good that he's fighting for religious and cultural freedoms, Just wondering why there position was so terrible in the first place? But that is no reason to ignore the other events taking place. Wolf -> Sheepclothes...

[kniftig]

Replacing secular advisors with known fundamentalist.

Military exercises with Syria

The retoric against Israel...

Allowing veals etc. in publi functions

Filling the ourts with fundamentalist

arresting critical journalist

Preventing the Military to protect the secularism. And so on, and so on... Now you tell me, where is this going? I an anly for see misery. Rather a civilwar because most Turks won't accept a religious state or a war with other countries who oppose against the new Muslim state

[MrReoNetro]

@kniftig The AKP is an observer-member in the European Christian party. In the last decade they have restored dozens of churches, opened some of them to prayer, given back schools and monestaries, scrapped obstructive and repressive laws, giving schools more freedom over their curriculum, allowed education in mother tongue for non-Turks, allowed other languages to be used in media and politics, etc.