Monday, October 03, 2005

Turkey, the EU, and Public Opinion

The Gates of Vienna reports that public opinion in nearly ALL EU countries is against Turkish membership:

Turkey, the EU, and Public Opinion

French and German public opinion is firmly against membership, but the Austrians outflank even them, 80-90% opposed, citing those Gates as a prominent reason.

Western Resistance has an enlightening post about Turkish society:

Turkey: Special Report


In marked contrast to the Islamist Erdogan, the founder of modern Turkey, Kemal Ataturk, seems positively enlightened. Born in 1881, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was a national hero during the Dardanelles campaign, he led the national liberation struggle against the British from 1919 onwards, and brought full independence to the nation. Most importantly, he ended the Ottoman dynasty, which had lasted for six centuries. In 1923, on October 9th, he created the Republic of Turkey.

President until his death in 1938, Ataturk introduced reforms in all areas of society, a society that had previously been ruled by clerics and lackeys of the Ottomans. He established Turkey as a secular nation. He wanted the country to be western, and stopped the wearing of the Fez, replacing it with western hats for civil servants. On February 17, 1926, the laws of Sharia were officially abolished, and a legal system, based on the Swiss model, was introduced. On 9 April, 1928, a clause in the constitution, which declared that Islam was the country's official religion, was removed. In the same year, the Arabic script which had formerly been mandatory was ordered to be replaced by Roman script. At the same time, the teaching of Islam in schools was banned to minors.

What irked Islamists the most happened after Ataturk's death. In 1935, the official weekly day of rest, which had formerly been the Muslim sabbath of Friday, was abolished, and replaced with Sunday. The traditional family titles were replaced with western surnames and forenames.

3 Comments:

At October 03, 2005 6:41 PM, Blogger Stijn said...

Someone said that Turkey would actually be a real expansion of the EU. The other countries are more like reunification.

 
At October 03, 2005 11:42 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mark my words, this is the beginning of the end of the EU. The brazenness of the elite to IGNORE what amounts to over three quarters of the will of the populace in many countries is tyranny and totalitarianism. I'm sorry but these bastards are giving Stalin a run for most understanding leader of century.

Oh yeah, and F**K Bush with his last ditch arm twisting.

 
At October 04, 2005 1:25 AM, Blogger Mike H. said...

I see Erdogan in the same vein as Hugo Chavez, I don't trust either of them. If Erdogan establishes a theocracy the laws of the EU would be abused to the benefit of the Islamists. I don't agree with the Pres. on this one, but he is my pres. ethnocentrist.

 

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