China says Secularism threatened in Turkey after failed coup

[shhh]

This concerns to our national interest, we have to intervene.

However, Turkey's military coup has nothing to do with our core interest, so we want to stay away from it.

ok

 

[pher]

Usually, China doesn't want to actively meddle other countries' affairs, unless this particular nation wants to engage all kind of hostility against China.

This is when we follow Deng's policy, totally diffirent from what China did under Mao. Next, we will be into " achieving somethin" phrase, you will see more and more opinion from China.

 

[usernameless]

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/999891.shtml


Secularism threatened in Turkey after failed coup

Newspaper headline: Back to Islam

By Liu Caiyu Source:Global Times Published: 2016/8/11 19:53:39
7

A girl wears a headband with the name of Turkish President Erdogan during the gathering at Taksim Square to protest the failed military coup attempt in Istanbul on August 5. Photo: IC



Rolling purge after a failed coup have worsened Turkey's relations with the neighboring European allies and the US, with 75,000 people detained or dismissed for investigation, accused of links to US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen.

Analysts say that Turkey is moving away from secularism and toward a stronger role for Islam in politics.

Turkey, founded as an explicitly secular state and later adopting Western democracy in post-war elections, has been dominated by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) led by the conservative President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the last 15 years.

"Erdogan has been eyeing a compromise between secularism and Islamism, but undoubtedly, the compromise favors the Islamic vision," Cui Shoujun, a researcher from the National Academy of Development and Strategy at the Renmin University of China told the Global Times.

Ethnic reconciliation

The purged groups, including the judiciary, academics and army, are advocates of secularism, a vision that the "father of modern Turkey," Kemal Mustapha Atatürk pursued, Yin Gang, a deputy researcher at the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences told the Global Times.

Gulen was a long-term ally of Erdogan until 2012, when the two split. He has lived in the US since 1999. Turkey has frequently asked the US to extradite him since the coup, sending evidence to Washington that purports to show his involvement in the coup, which he denies.

"The blame placed on Gulen, who represents another faction of Islam, is an internal conflict within Turkey," said Yin.

Followers of Gulen previously established hundreds of thousands of schools and universities throughout the country, aiming at attracting more educated people to an Islam often dismissed as the domain of the rural and the ignorant.

Erdogan is an open Islamist, an attitude proven by the hijab his wife, Emine Erdogan, always wears in public, said Li Shaoxian, the associate dean from China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

While, based on Islam, AKP calls for the interests of Turks within the realms once held by Ottoman Empire, Yin said. "Islam is only a tool. Actually, Erdogan is fighting for ethnic reconciliation among Turks that covers the region spanning the Arab world to Central Asia, a move feared by his neighbors." He said religion is just a tool for many ethnic issues.

Imminent threat

One day after the highly-symbolic visit to Russia, Turkey's rhetoric toward Europe was aggressive, blaming the EU for making some serious mistakes over the failed coup and warning of a halt of accession talks.

"Support for EU membership used to be around 50 percent of the population, I assume it is around 20 percent now," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had his first meeting with Erdogan since the drowned fighter row, seeking to amend ties after the formal apology from the Turkish strongman.

Cui said Turkey is looking for long-term benefits from the warming relations with Russia, the close geographic neighbor with Turkey, despite clashes over Syria.

The West has expressed mounting concerns that the coup repercussions could bring a collapse over the migrant deal sealed in March, especially given Erdogan and his supporters call for a resumption of death penalty across Turkey.

"Europe stands on a very passive position over the migrant crisis. Turkey would not be obedient to cooperation with Europe otherwise, it might bring trouble to the continent in a way to release numerous migrants," Yin told the Global Times.

He said that Turkey is ready to use the prospect of pushing migrants onto Europe as a weapon. "That is the trump card Turkey holds tight to."

But Cui argued that Erdogan has also gained support from the migrant influx. "Syrian refuges could eventually gain a Turkish citizenship in Turkey, many of those are members of elite and middle class with competitive language capacity and working ability, a move likely serves Erdogan politically," Cui said.

Turkey's eagerness to join the EU has not subsided even after huge criticism from Europe. "All those unfavorable judgments from the EU are verbal statement without factual influence. The failed coup is a home affair but the migrant crisis is an imminent threat," he said.

But whether the EU will acquiesce to a recent demand from Turkey that allows its citizens into Europe without visas remains unknown, and entrance to the bloc is a far-off prospect.

Li claimed that the EU cannot bear over 70 million Muslims freely passing through the bloc. "Turkey is a Muslim country. How does the EU take it? The bloc is in a defensive posture given the EU itself is undergoing huge security threats and religious instability, as well as the sluggish economy," he explained. "Turkey cannot join the EU. If it does, it will take time."

The modern secular state of Turkey has been Westernized through high pressure, Li said, adding that the route back to Islam is easy.

Concerns over the aftermath of the failed coup could possibly affect the long-standing positive relations between China and Turkey. But experts dismissed that, saying Erdogan has evaluated the economic potential from working with the Chinese side, despite some tension over Turkish links to the Uyghur in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Ge Sijia contributed to this story

Lots of BS as usual.
First of all, the ones that did the 'coup' are not secularists nor fan of secularism and the army was officially not involved in the 'coup'. The 'coup' was done by infiltrated Gulenists in the army who are loyal to Gulen ideological religious sect first, not the state. Calling them 'secularists' is an insult to secularism.

Furthermore, it's a typical foreign article that fear mongers and repeats the same BS, but doesn't back up the 'moving away from secularism' claim with hard cold facts and evidence. Sure, the AKP has a religious tone to it, just like more or less the christian democrats of Germany and the Netherlands, but changing Turkey's fundamentals and constitution to a religious one is simply BS. We keep hearing that for years from foreign, especially Western mainstream media propaganda, media. Well, we'll be waiting for some more years for their prophecy to happen, i guess.

Lastly, articles on the 'coup' keep talking about Erdogan, but in reality all political parties oppose the 'coup'. In fact what has happened has united the AKP and the opposition. It's a first in a long time that political parties, especially the major AKP, CHP and MHP (~90% of Turkey), and their supporters came together at protest rallies and stood against the 'coup'. In the past it was mostly the AKP (and MHP) supporters that were fervent opponents of the US and some major West European countries, but thanks to what happened, now even the CHP supporters and anti-govt media (generally Kemalists and pro-western) are questioning the reliability and hypocrisy of the US and EU, whose politicians and media were/are evidently whitewashing the 'coup' and taking a protective stance towards Gulenists while blaming the Turkish state. To the Gulenists, US and some EU countries: thank you so much for uniting the Turkish society and making all of us think who our true friends and allies are What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. And a stronger Turkey, the US and EU doesn't want. Simply put; the US wants to see again a loyal soulless Turkey with no foreign policy that only serves as a NATO base and protects US (and Israeli) interest in the region, hence all the negative propaganda and hypocritical stance towards Turkey and the Turkish govt by the Western politicians and media. Anti-Americanism was already very high among the Turkish public, but with all of this happening it will reach a record.

For a more accurate, balanced and unbiased news on Turkey, i advise: Dailysabah (pro-govt) and Hurriyetdailynews (anti-govt).

 

[Decisive Storm]

China will never intervene other countries' domestic politics.

Good.
China as most non-western world countries already suffered from foreign interference in its Internal Affairs.

' Every nation has the right to pursue a development path that suits its own conditions '.
Period.

 

[xenon54 out]

Those who think the coup was done by seculars have cleary not done their homework.
Im glad that this wannabe ayatolla couldnt succeed with his plans.

 

[Henry ME 95]

Note that both Xenon54 & usernameless are correct on the gulenists.
they are another islamist faction that only opposed Erdogan. they were not a secular group of officers.
that said it is also worth noting that until 2010 the leader of the gulens & erdogan were allies.

 

[CrimsonFury]

Lazy and half witted journalism

 

[Gregor Clegane]

China is not secular.

 

[usernameless]

Note that both Xenon54 & usernameless are correct on the gulenists.
they are another islamist faction that only opposed Erdogan. they were not a secular group of officers.
that said it is also worth noting that until 2010 the leader of the gulens & erdogan were allies.

The AKP was threatened by a coup by the army back in 2007. The infiltrated Gulenists in the army, judiciary etc. arrested and locked up those secular generals through two trials; Ergenekon and Balyoz. Thus far the AKP and Gulenists overcame a coup and that's where the alliance had come to an end, i think. The AKP basically made a deal with a devil and turned a blind eye to remove a threat. However, while the AKP was running away from one coup, it got caught by another coup, but this time from the Gulenists, who brought in their own men into the positions of the secular generals they arrested and locked up. The AKP (and all previous governments in the past that were neutral or friendly towards Gulen) got played and fooled by the Gulenists. If i'm not mistaken, those locked up secular generals are now being returned to their post or at least freed from prison. (You probably know this, but i wrote it nonetheless for the non-Turks)

 

[Luffy 500]

Gulenist are officially sufis and by the looks of it , seems like extreme sufis with heretical beliefs. Gulen advocated secularism throughout his life and even said hijab is not necessary. He said its not worth struggling for islamic laws in a state. He favored israel in mavi marmara and always was pro- west. In Syria the guy favored Assad and criticized Erdogan for opposing assad. The CIA and far left in the west are his open friends - people who can't stand islamic expressions in politics and state. Make no mistake - orthodox muslims anywhere in the world would justifiably call gulen's teaching unislamic. Seculars will have a lot in common with gulen than orthodox muslims.

What happened in turkey was a power struggle between a 2 very different factions and NOT opposing islamic groups. It was west VS turkey's conservative AKP that enjoys support of turkish muslims.

 

[jamal18]

Good to see a shift away from secularism and towards Islam in Turkey.

 

[usernameless]

Good to see a shift away from secularism and towards Islam in Turkey.

Sorry guys, not gonna happen. AKP does have a religious tone to it, but Turkey's constitution won't be changed. The AKP has never proposed such a thing, and if they really try one day, then i won't be surprised if AKP loses votes. Erdogan is a charismatic politician that uses religion now and then to captivate people, but that's that. Surprise:
https://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/09/14/166814.html
Don't be fooled by foreign media claiming Turkey is becoming Islamic and losing secularism. It's like believing in the existence of Santa.