Well He has toned it down some since being "Banned for life" from political office in '98... you see how that turned out.koine2002 wrote:I don't think Erdogan is an Islamist. I think he's only an Islamist if it furthers his goals. The man reminds me of a megalomaniac who responds to criticism with brute force. He forcibly silences internal opposition. He tries to get foreign countries to arrest and extradite their own citizens who criticize him in print and on the web. He files libel lawsuits when that fails.parabelum wrote:Beiruty wrote:The coup will fail. US government declared support for the Turkish government (as per CNN). Turkey is still a secular government. It would only make the whole regional unstable, if the there is no elected government in power for long periodparabelum wrote:Bingo.koine2002 wrote:The Turkish military is the reason that Turkey is not a radical Islamic country.
They (Turkish Military) see Erdogan as moving more towards the support of radical Islamic groups byway of direct and indirect support. Military does not want Islamization of Turkey. That's what we are seeing in my opinion.
While it is true that Turkey is not yet a radicalized Country, I have heard from close family members who travel from Sarajevo Bosnia to Istanbul from time to time that Turkey has gotten a lot more oppressive since Erdogan. Locals complain that Erdogan has been packing Military and Judicial offices with Islamic radicals/sympathizers (sound familiar .... ).
Also, the press and freedoms have been oppressed heavily under Erdogan. Fact that "our government" supports Erdogan tells me everything I need to know.
If the coup fails, expect more purges and higher influx of Islamic radicals.
Just my opinion of course.
"The speech Erdogan gave that led to his downfall and his prison sentence was delivered in 1997 in the town of Siirt, in Turkey's troubled Southeast.
The public prosecutor charged Erdogan with "inciting hatred based on religious differences" at a political rally in Siirt. During his speech, Erdogan read a poem by nationalist ideologist Ziya Gokalp, in which he said:
"Our minarets are our bayonets, Our domes are our helmets, Our mosques are our barracks. We will put a final end to ethnic segregation. No one can ever intimidate us.
"If the skies and the ground were to open against us. If floods and volcanoes were to burst, We will not turn from our mission. My reference is Islam. If I am not able to speak of this, What is the use of living?"
Banned for life
Under the court ruling, Erdogan will be banned from public life forever and will not be able to take part in politics."
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/erdoga ... 1999-03-27