Arther C. Withernee, Correspondent for WEMW
Report 29 September 2006
The New Anatolian printed a US colonel's vision for a "new" Mideast map which includes Turkey relinquishing eastern territory to "Kurdistan".
See the article :
http://www.thenewanatolian.com/tna-15493.html
plus see the map :
http://ampin.wordpress.com/2006/09/17/news-new-map-of-middle-east/
It would mean Mount Agrı (Ararat) would no longer be within Turkish borders. When Atatürk founded the Turkish Republic, he did so declaring "no more, no less" with regards to Turkish land territory.
The contoversial map was first published by former US Army official Ralph Peters in the unofficial Armed Forces magazine
Arther C. Withernee, Correspondent for WEMW
Report 29 September 2006
Friday, September 29, 2006
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Religion In Turkish Politics
Arther C. Withernee, Correspondent for WEMW
Report 24 September 2006
These articles in the Turkish Daily News present a basic outline of the relationship between religious sects and politics in Turkey :
Relations between religious orders and big politics
Spiritual path to money, politics and worldly power
It perhaps illustrates why the concept of secular Turkey is questionable and the prospect of Turkey joining the EU is far from a done deal.
In addition to that, the same newspaper runs the following story from Australia :
Costello’s praise of Atatürk sparks Australian Muslims reaction
Indeed, Ataturk's secular legacy is under threat from the left, right and centre. In fact, it seems foreigners are often more open to praise the principles of Ataturk than Turks.
Arther C. Withernee, Correspondent for WEMW
Report 24 September 2006
Report 24 September 2006
These articles in the Turkish Daily News present a basic outline of the relationship between religious sects and politics in Turkey :
Relations between religious orders and big politics
Spiritual path to money, politics and worldly power
It perhaps illustrates why the concept of secular Turkey is questionable and the prospect of Turkey joining the EU is far from a done deal.
In addition to that, the same newspaper runs the following story from Australia :
Costello’s praise of Atatürk sparks Australian Muslims reaction
Indeed, Ataturk's secular legacy is under threat from the left, right and centre. In fact, it seems foreigners are often more open to praise the principles of Ataturk than Turks.
Arther C. Withernee, Correspondent for WEMW
Report 24 September 2006
Sunday, September 17, 2006
The Pope's Own Life Of Brian
Arther C. Withernee, Correspondent for WEMW
Report 17 September 2006
Back in 1979's British comedy team Monty Python produced the film Life of Brian. It caused an uproar among conservative religious communities who interpreted it as an afront to Jesus Christ. Now the Pope has inadvertently upset Muslims throughout the world with an academic speech given at his old university.
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, joining a global chorus of Muslim protest, said Pope Benedict should withdraw the "ugly" comments he made about Islam ( see The Turkish Daily News ). Over recent days we have seen familiar scenes on our TV screens of angry mobs burning effigies and shouting down the Pope in the oh so unenlightened manner to which we have come accustomed. Sometimes, one suspects any excuse to burn and shout is welcome.
The offending quote by Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus was "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." Here you can read it all and make up your own mind - find key excerpts from the speech and the Pope's speech in full.
Emperor Manuel II was based in Hagia Sofya when Constantinople was then the capital of the Byzantine Empire. The irony is Atatürk and Turkey addressed these fundamental constitutional concerns decades before. Indeed, in 1935 Atatürk declared Hagia Sofya a museum and flagstone symbol of Turkey's new secular constitution. As US actor Sean Penn pointed out this week on CNN's Larry King Live, today's constitutional dilemmas are so often centred around the separation of church and state.
Again, WEMW asks why PM Erdoğan does not utilise the legacy of Atatürk to lead his Muslim nation in an intelligent way forward regarding religion and state politics? After all, it was Atatürk's secular republic that enabled a simit seller from Istanbul's Kasımpaşa district to become the Prime Minister of the country; an unlikely event under the previous religious Ottoman Caliphate regime. I guess PM Erdoğan sees things a little differently and prefers the route of aligning minarets with bayonets. Oh dear, what a pity it all is.
Arther C. Withernee, Correspondent for WEMW
Report 17 September 2006
Report 17 September 2006
Back in 1979's British comedy team Monty Python produced the film Life of Brian. It caused an uproar among conservative religious communities who interpreted it as an afront to Jesus Christ. Now the Pope has inadvertently upset Muslims throughout the world with an academic speech given at his old university.
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, joining a global chorus of Muslim protest, said Pope Benedict should withdraw the "ugly" comments he made about Islam ( see The Turkish Daily News ). Over recent days we have seen familiar scenes on our TV screens of angry mobs burning effigies and shouting down the Pope in the oh so unenlightened manner to which we have come accustomed. Sometimes, one suspects any excuse to burn and shout is welcome.
The offending quote by Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus was "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." Here you can read it all and make up your own mind - find key excerpts from the speech and the Pope's speech in full.
Emperor Manuel II was based in Hagia Sofya when Constantinople was then the capital of the Byzantine Empire. The irony is Atatürk and Turkey addressed these fundamental constitutional concerns decades before. Indeed, in 1935 Atatürk declared Hagia Sofya a museum and flagstone symbol of Turkey's new secular constitution. As US actor Sean Penn pointed out this week on CNN's Larry King Live, today's constitutional dilemmas are so often centred around the separation of church and state.
Again, WEMW asks why PM Erdoğan does not utilise the legacy of Atatürk to lead his Muslim nation in an intelligent way forward regarding religion and state politics? After all, it was Atatürk's secular republic that enabled a simit seller from Istanbul's Kasımpaşa district to become the Prime Minister of the country; an unlikely event under the previous religious Ottoman Caliphate regime. I guess PM Erdoğan sees things a little differently and prefers the route of aligning minarets with bayonets. Oh dear, what a pity it all is.
Arther C. Withernee, Correspondent for WEMW
Report 17 September 2006
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
