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The following is a selection of entries from daily reports over the last few months.
Suspects In Charity-Islamist Media Connection Give Statements In German Court
Large sums donated by the Turkish community in Germany to a charity organization were transferred to pro-AKP Islamist media organs in Turkey (including the Yeni Safak daily, Kanal 7 TV and Haber7.com), according to suspects' statements in a German court.
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9649.htm
Turkey Moves Ahead With "Unsatisfactory" Caucasus Diplomacy
The shuttle diplomacy by PM Erdogan following the war, encompassing visits to Moscow and Tbilisi, will be followed up in Istanbul this week, with back-to-back visits by the Georgian and Russian foreign ministers.
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9543.htm
Turkey Stuck In Middle Of Rising Tensions in Black Sea
Rising tensions in the Black Sea place Turkey in a very difficult position. The first challenge Turkey faced was the passage of U.S. warships through its straits carrying humanitarian aid to Georgia, a move which was slammed by Russia.
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9542.htm
21 Al-Qaeda Militants Detained In Istanbul
In an operation against Al-Qaeda militants today, Turkish police detained 21 people believed to have been trained in Afghanistan and to be planning to carry out attacks.
[To read the rest of the article, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9541.htm
Citizens Protest Istanbul Alcohol Ban
As the AKP-ruled Istanbul municipality takes over many popular seaside restaurants that serve alcoholic beverages and delivers their management to its own contractor, residents of Istanbul feel threatened that their lifestyle is under Islamist attack.
[To read the rest of the article, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9509.htm
Russia Warns Turkey On U.S. Ships In Black Sea
Russia's deputy military chief Anatoly Nogovitsyn has called the NATO warships' entrance into the Black Sea a "serious threat" to his country’s security. He said that under the 1936 Montreux Convention on the status of the Turkish straits, warships can only remain in the Black Sea for 21 days, and added, "I would like to reiterate that if the NATO ships remain in the Black Sea after the 21 day-period, Turkey will be held responsible."
[To read the rest of the article, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9487.htm
German Police Raid Offices Of Islamist Milli Gorus Organization
Germany's Department of Protection of Constitution ordered a search of the offices of the Islamist "Milli Gorus" organization for its radical activities. German police and treasury officials conducted a thorough search of some 20 office buildings used by the organization, which was founded by former Turkish PM Necmettin Erbakan.
Source: Anatolia News Agency, Habervaktim.com, Turkey, August 26, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9450.htm
Syria's Interior Minister Comes To Ankara
Syrian Interior Minister Basam Abd Al-Majid arrived in Ankara yesterday for a visit, at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Besir Atalay. Atalay welcomed Al-Majid at Ankara's Esenboga Airport. Afterwards he told reporters that meetings between Turkish and Syrian delegations would be held today. Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad visited Turkey earlier this month, after a visit to Tehran.
Source: Anatolia News Agency, August 20, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9307.htm
Turkey Once Again Says "Nyet" To Allowing Passage To U.S.
Turkey has rejected a U.S. request to allow passage through the Bosphorus straits into the Black Sea for U.S. vessels carrying humanitarian aid to Georgia.
Likewise, it denied NATO naval forces permission to use the straits for deployment in the Black Sea.
Previously, on March 1, 2003, the Turkish parliament, with an absolute AKP majority, said "No" to allowing U.S. forces passage to northern Iraq over Turkish territory – a decision that caused a crisis of confidence in the relations between the two countries that did not heal for a long time. At the time, the Pentagon accused Turkey of changing the course of the war in Iraq due to the inability of the U.S. forces to open a northern front into Iraq. Today a similar crisis is brewing between the two NATO allies.
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9295.htm
Ankara Hopes To Conclude Energy Talks With Iran Within Month
Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler said yesterday that Turkey would hold negotiations with neighboring Iran on an energy deal, and hopes that the talks will yield results in one month. The energy deal is opposed by the U.S. Expectations were high that the two countries would sign energy agreements during last week's Istanbul visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but the talks failed to produce a deal. Asked by reporters whether U.S. opposition had played a role in the failure to sign the agreements, Guler said, "We are an independent country, and we have interests. What we do is look after those interests." He added that a timetable was still being followed regarding negotiations with the Iranians on the technicalities of a deal. Turkey's ministers for energy and foreign affairs will travel to Tehran in two weeks to discuss the technical details of the agreement.
Source: Zaman, Turkey, August 19, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9293.htm
U.S. Presses An Unwilling Turkey To Allow Passage To Black Sea For NATO Naval Vessels
The U.S. is putting pressure on Turkey for the deployment of NATO navy forces in the Black Sea for patrol missions. Turkey is concerned that such move would breach the Montreux Convention and eventually harm its sovereign rights on the straits. Turkey has long opposed the deployment of NATO navy forces on the Black Sea, saying that the region is safe and that the patrols of Blackseafor, formed by contributions of the countries surrounding the Black Sea, is sufficient. However, the recent clashes between Georgia and Russia have weakened Turkey's thesis, prompting the U.S. to relaunch its bid for deployment of NATO forces to the BlackSea. The 1936 Montreux Agreement limits the total weight of warships of any country that does not border the Black Sea to 45,000 tons. The Bosphorus Straits, within Turkey's territorial waters, are considered one of the most strategic waterways in the world, and according to the Montreux Convention Turkey has sovereignty over them.
Unnamed U.S. officials were quoted last week as saying that Turkey had been "sluggish and unresponsive" in granting permission for two U.S. hospital ships to carry humanitarian aid to Georgia. Turkey's Foreign Ministry said Friday that Ankara was cooperating with countries sending humanitarian aid to Georgia and that no request had been denied. According to Turkish media reports, Turkey is operating under the terms of the Montreux convention that regulates international traffic through the straits, and also is making every effort not to harm its relations with Russia.
Source: Hurriyet, Cumhuriyet, Turkey, August 18-19, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9292.htm
Turkish President Gul Pardons Islamist Leader Erbakan
Turkish President Abdullah Gul today pardoned former Islamist PM Necmettin Erbakan, the father of political Islam in Turkey and the former leader of the banned Welfare Party (RP). The Presidential Press Center said that Erbakan's "chronic illness" did not permit the continuation of his sentence. The Ankara Criminal Court earlier ruled that Erbakan could serve out the two-year-four-month prison sentence handed down in what is publicly known as "the case of the missing trillion." Erbakan started his sentence in his home on May 26, 2008.
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9289.htm
Turkish, Sudanese Presidents Hold Private Meeting
Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for genocide in Darfur, met today at the sidelines of the Turkey-Africa Cooperation summit hosted by Gul in Istanbul. According to an oficial Anatolian Agency report, Gul told his guest that everyone feels sorrow over human tragedies regardless of their race, language, and religion, and that everyone should do their best to end such pain. Gul added that Turkey would continue to offer health services in Sudan.
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9278.htm
After Iran's Ahmadinejad, Sudan's Al-Bashir Comes To Istanbul For Turkey-Africa Summit
Turkish President Abdullah Gul is hosting in Istanbul, on August 19 and 20, the first Turkey-Africa Cooperation summit, with the participation of heads of state and ministers from 50 African countries. Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court forgenocide in Darfur, is among the participants. It is Al-Bashir's second visit to Turkey this year and his first one abroad after being indicted.
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9259.htm
Hurriyet Analyst: "Why Did We Invite [Ahmadinejad]?"
Columnist/analyst Fatih Cekirge of the largest Turkish daily Hurriyet questioned why Ahmadinejad, who called the U.S. "Satan's Government," said "Israel should be wiped out off the map," and refused to visit Anitkabir (Ataturk's tomb) was invited to Turkey. He wrote that Ahmadinejad had his grand showtime at Sultanahmet Mosque thanks to the cheers of a few radically confused [Islamists] who hate Ataturk's path to civilization, and that he had also scored a "goal" on his way out by apologizing to the public for the discomfort his visit caused and saying that he wouldn't have allowed the closing of streets in Tehran. Cekirge went on to say cold winds are now blowing towards Turkey from Israel, and asks why Turkey would take such a diplomatic initiative at the cost of the questions now being raised in Israel, the U.S., and international financial circles. He says that the answer coming from behind the scenes in Ankara is that [President] Bush is making preparations to strike Iran before the U.S. presidential election, that such an attack is about to happen, and that this poses a trap for Turkey: If the U.S. decides to attack it may again want to use Turkey's airspace and may also demand a stricter embargo for Iran.
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9252.htm
Ahmadinejad Cheered By Turkish Islamists With 'Allahu Akbar,' 'Mujahid Nejad,' 'Damn America, Damn Israel'
Strict security measures and traffic closures during the two-day Istanbul visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad turned large parts of the city into ghost towns, stranding thousands of citizens for many hours. The suffering of the public that couldn't get to work, hospitals, or flights produced anger and protests.
Meanwhile, Turkey's Islamists gathered at Ottoman Sultanahmet Mosque, where Ahmadinejad attended Friday prayers. Crowds inside and outside the mosque tried to get close to him and kiss his hands, creating a nightmare for security officers. Ahmadinejad performed his namaz not in the designated spot in the front row but among other congregants in one of the back rows. When the congregants began chanting "Allahu Akbar" to Ahmadinejad at the end of the prayer, the imam said that this term was to be uttered only for Allah, that it should not be used as a slogan for demonstrations, and that the congregation should cheer only outside the mosque. Ahmadinejad seemed delighted at the hundreds of Islamists waiting outside the mosque who cheered "Mujahid [Holy/Jihad Warrior] Nejad" and "Damned America, damned Israel," waving and saluting to the crowd and often stopping his car to thank them.
Sources: Hurriyet, Milliyet, Vatan, Turkey, August 16, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9243.htm
At Closed Meeting, Ahmadinejad Dismisses Possibility Of U.S. Attack: "Americans Could Not Lift A Finger At Events In Georgia"
Prior to Friday's press conference, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad held a closed meeting with representatives from Turkish media and think tanks. Reportedly, he claimed that if Turkey and Iran could work together in political, economic, and technological areas, the problems of the Middle East would be solved.
At the meeting, Ahmadinejad showed that his firm stance on his country's nuclear program had not changed, with harsh remarks against both the U.S. and Israel. He told the attendees, "It is not possible for the U.S., which even failed to protect its ally Georgia, to attack Iran. The U.S. could not even protect its own ally. U.S. clout in world politics is diminishing. Moreover, it is in a major economic depression. We will see that the U.S. empire will crack and eventually collapse. There is nothing that it can do against Iran."
Sources: Zaman, TDN, Turkey, August 16, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9227.htm
Ahmadinejad Lashes Out At Israel, U.S. Before Leaving Turkey
Before leaving Turkey on Friday, August 15, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad again lashed out at Israel and the U.S., saying that the Ottomans had acted as a barrier to the [Zionist] wave and that when it collapsed and the Turkish Republic was founded, attacks against the region began. He accused Israel of being the core of the problems in the region, and said that addressing the region's other problems was not possible as long as this problem is not solved. He blamed Israel for all three wars in the past 60 years, and accused it of acting as a "station' for the great powers, helping them advance their interests in the region. Pursuing his inflammatory rhetoric in a NATO country that has close ties with Israel, he said that time was up for the Zionist regime, and that many world nations did not want this state anymore. Ahmadinejad said that the U.S. was an aggressor and cruel and would have to leave Iraq soon.
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9226.htm
Ahmadinejad To Turkish TV: Israel Not Worth The Investment, Just Like An Old Car That Has Stopped Running
CNNTurk and NTV channels interviewed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran, on the eve of his visit in Turkey. Following is the transcript of the interview:
NTV: You will be meeting with President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Erdogan tomorrow in Istanbul. What are your expectations and with what files are you going to Turkey?
A: [Prayer] Salutations to you and to the great, believing, and patriotic people of Turkey. There are historical and cultural ties between the great, faithful, and patriotic Turkish and Iranian peoples. You can find the relations of Iran and Turkey in the depth of the history and in their sacred ties. The two countries are culturally close and the two peoples share many similarities. The two counties have good and friendly and further developing relations. We have trade relations, cultural relations and I am happy to say that we also have growing political relations."
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9172.htm
Turkey's Zaman: "Ahmadinejad Is Welcome To Turkey"
Columnist Sahin Alpay of the Islamist daily Zaman wrote that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is welcome to Turkey, adding that Iran is Turkey's neighbor and that maintaining friendly relations with Tehran is essential not only to secure its respect for Turkey's regime and integrity but also for economic reasons. Iran is a major supplier for Turkey's increasing energy needs and a growing market for Turkish industries.
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9107.htm
Turkey's Opposition Mainstream Media Slam AKP Draft Law To Register Sales Of Pornographic Materials Build Houses Of Prayer In Every School
Should the "youth protection bill," submitted by AKP MP Prof. Edibe Sozen, become law, anyone purchasing pornographic publications would have to give the seller his ID number and signature, to be handed over to authorities. Children under 16 would be banned from restaurants and places of entertainment after midnight, even if accompanied by their parents. The controversial bill also demanded that houses of prayer be built for students of all religions in every school, from elementary to university, meaning a mosque in every school for Turkey's 99.9 % Muslim population. MP Sozen claimed that she had based her proposed law on the German model, but a German MP said that schools in Germany had no houses of prayer and no religious symbols.
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9072.htm
Turkish Cartoon: "And The AKP Wasn't Shut Down"
PM Erdogan [chanting AKP slogan] to President Gul: "No stopping, we'll continue on our path! Ha ha ha!"
Gul: "Stop, my eyes are tearing [from laughing]. Ha ha ha!"
Source: LeMan humor magazine, August 6, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9021.htm
Turkey's Defiant Message To U.S.: "You Can't Use Turkish Soil Against Our Neighbor Iran, Just As You Couldn't Against Iraq"
The mainstream Turkish daily Vatan, as well as several news portals, reported that Turkey has responded harshly to criticism in the U.S. and the West of the upcoming visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Istanbul, to the effec that Turkey would be the first NATO country to invite him. According to media reports, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said, "We are not Denmark. Iran is our neighbor. A war would destabilize the entire region and mostly affect Turkey. We are against it." Ministry sources reportedly said that Turkey's message was clear to the U.S.: "You know the limits that Turkey set. As you were not allowed to use Turkish soil against Iraq on March 1 [2003], you will not be able to use it now against Iran." The issue of Iran's nuclear dossier is expected to head the agenda during Ahmadinejad's visit, and energy cooperation between the two countries and Turkey's natural gas purchases for the winter will also be discussed.
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9000.htm
Turkish FM: Ahmadinejad Visit 'Very Important,' Not Visiting Ataturk Tomb, Violating Protocol 'Minor Detail'
Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan has come under fire from the public and the media for downplaying the importance of following established protocol during the upcoming visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Answering reporters' questions about Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's controversial visit and his refusal to come to Ankara to avoid visiting Ataturk's tomb, Babacan said, "I consider arguments including minor details such as the format and the location of the visit inappropriate before such an important visit." He added that highlighting issues other than the core and content of the visit was aimed at overshadowing its importance and success. Babacan said, "What I ask is that you pay attention not to the form of this important visit, but to its substance." Iranian officials in Turkey do not visit Ataturk's tomb, Anitkabir, because the founder of modern Turkey was the antithesis of everything that Iran's Islamist regime represents. Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan will be in Istanbul to meet with Ahmadinejad.
Sources: Hurriyet, TDN, Haberturk, August 6, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/8999.htm
Iranian Daily: Islamists' Victory In Turkey Proves Effectiveness Of 'Resistance'
In an editorial, the Iranian daily Jomhouri-e Eslami stated that the victory of the AKP party in Turkey is an important turning point, a great triumph for religious streams in the region, and a defeat for the anti-religious parties in the Middle East and worldwide. The paper stated that following its exoneration, the AKP could continue to ensure freedom of religion and to advance the religious aspirations of the Turkish people with the support of the country's constitutional court.
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/9001.htm
2,000 Turks To Afghanistan For Jihad Since 2002
The largest Turkish news portal Haberturk.com reported today that according to information released July 20 by Turkish Islamist websites, over 2,000 Turkish jihad fighters have gone to Afghanistan since 2002. According to Abu Yasser Et Turki, a Turkish commander of the Islamic Jihad Alliance organization, most of these jihadist Turks have returned to Turkey due to difficult conditions. The Islamic Jihad Alliance is thought to be comprised of Turks and Uzbeks. A video recording of the interview with Et Turki is expected to be posted on the Islamist websites affiliated with this organization, such as cihaderi.com and tevhidaslanlari.com. Some of the terrorists involved in the November 2003 attacks on two synagogues, the British Consulate, and a bank, in which over 60 people were killed, as well as in last month's attack on the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul in which three Turkish policemen were killed, had trained in Afghanistan.
Source: Haberturk.com, Turkey, August 5, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/8971.htm
Iranian President: Iran Determined To Expand Ties With "Friend And Sister" Turkey
Turkey's state-run Anatolia Agency reported that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Iran is determined to expand ties with Turkey, which he called a "friend and sister." During his meeting with Turkey's new Ambassador to Tehran Selim Karaosmanoglu Ahmadinejad said that Turkey and Iran have rooted and strong historical and cultural relations, and that the two countries were monitoring each other's developments. He added that he hoped bilateral relations and cooperation would be boosted in all fields thanks to national resolve in both countries and the efforts of the leadership in both countries.
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/8902.htm
Turkish Judges And Prosecutors Union Leader: Europeans Must Talk To Representatives Of Other Turkish Institutions, Not Only With Anti-Secular AKP Government
Judges and Prosecutors Union chairman Omer Faruk Eminagaoglu has said that the ruling AKP seeks a system of shari'a and to eliminate the country's secular regime. He told the U.K. daily The Guardian that the AKP's focus was on producing halal food, signing bilateral agreements with Islamic countries with which they are friendly, increasing Islamic education in public schools, and covering the heads of women university students.
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/8888.htm
Malaysia Int'l Islamic University Prof: Fethullah Gulen – Turkey's Unofficial Ambassador In U.S.
An article on Fethullah Gulen in the Borneo Bulletin, in Brunei, states that Gulen plays a positive role for Islam, and that he spreads the message of Islam around the world. The article quoted Prof. Azmuddin Ibrahim of the International Islamic University in Malaysia as saying, "Fethullah Gulen is the unofficial ambassador of Turkey in the U.S."
Source: Vakit (habervaktim.com), Turkey, July 31, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/8879.htm
Turkish Journalist Sentenced To 11 Months In Jail For Insulting President
An Istanbul court has sentenced magazine editor and owner Dogan Erkan to 11 months in jail for insulting President Abdullah Gul in his publication. Erkan's attorney said that the comments in question had been published before Gul became president and were merely strong criticism.
Source: Zaman, Turkey, July 30, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/8829.htm
Iranian Papers: Prosecution Of Turkey's AKP Party Won't Remove It From Power
Referring to the case filed by Turkey's prosecutor-general against Turkey's ruling AKP party, for harming the country's secular values and in a demand to ban it, the Iranian dailies Jomhouri-e Eslami and Etemad-e Meli expressed complete support for Turkey's Islamists, and called the prosecution "a plot in legal guise" that would not succeed.
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/8783.htm
Iran Heads Agenda In U.S. Nat'l Security Adviser's Ankara Talks
During his one-day Ankara visit, U.S. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley sent Iran a message that there will be no negotiating unless Tehran halts its uranium enrichment program. Hadley met with Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, PM Tayyip Erdogan, and President Gul and visited Turkey's General Staff today, and emphasized that Iran also posed a threat to Turkey. According to Hurriyet, Ankara's response was, "We are for negotiation, not war."
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/8614.htm
Iranian Daily: Secularists Will Not Succeed in Seizing Power in Turkey
An editorial in the Iranian conservative daily Kayhan, which is affiliated with Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, claimed that secularists in Turkey would not succeed in seizing power. The paper said that not only would a secular coup meet with resistance on the part of the Turkish people, but that most regime apparatuses are in the hands of Islamists, who are expected to garner over 90% of votes in the general elections.
Source: Kayhan, Iran, July 15, 2008, http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/8610.htm
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/8612.htm
Iran Appoints Ambassador To Turkey After Two-Year Interval
After the last Iranian ambassador to Ankara, Firooz Daulatabadi, completed his mission in Turkey in late 2006, Iran is now pursuing relations with Turkey on the Charge d'Affairs level. Iran has appointed Bahman Hosseinpour as the new ambassador to Turkey. Hosseinpour was formerly Iranian consul general in Istanbul. Iran's Charge d'Affairs in Ankara was Gholamreza Bagheri Moghaddam.
Source: Anatolia News Agency, July 14, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/8514.htm
Report: Turkey Moves To Censor Images Of Alcoholic Drinks On TV
The Turkish Daily News published a story from the Turkish daily Zaman stating that Turkey's Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTÜK), the broadcasting watchdog, has announced that it will ban scenes in TV series in which alcoholic drinks are shown. According to the Zaman report, RTÜK president Zahid Akman said the body was preparing for an amendment to the existing RTÜK regulation, noting that its aim was to prevent any broadcasts that encourage alcohol consumption in society.
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/8490.htm
Vakit: CIA, Mossad, British Secret Service Behind Attack On U.S. Consulate
The pro-AKP, radical Islamist Turkish daily Vakit claimed that the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul was committed by foreign intelligence agencies, namely the CIA, Mossad and the British Secret Service and accused the mainstream media of attempting to lay the crime on Al-Qaeda or other Islamist groups. Vakit attacked the mainstream media for describing the terrorists as having beards.
The Islamist daily reported that Dr. Selcuk Ozdag of Mugla University told the newspaper that he believed foreign intelligence organizations were behind the attack to push the Turkish government to America's lap. He said that these foreign agencies would attempt to lay the responsibility for the attack on Islamist groups or on Iran, to draw Turkey into the conflict with Iran and oblige it to act with the U.S. against its neighbor.
Source: Vakit, Turkey, July 10, 2008
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/8452.htm
Islamic Tourism Booming In Turkey
Islamist sect leader and wife in 5-star Islamic resort
The mainstream Turkish daily Vatan reported on the rapid increase in Islamic tourism in Turkey as a result of the Islamization process in the society that began in 2002 when Islamist AKP came to power. Vatan quoted from an article on the same subject in "The Independent" of Britain and says that many resorts where topless women were once seen tanning, have been transformed to Islamic hotels that cater for Islamist lifestyle with no alcohol, and segregated bathing for men and women, where loud ezan (call to prayer) sounds have replaced music.
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/8367.htm
Turkey Commemorates 15th Anniversary Of Massacre Of Alevi Intellectuals In Sivas By Islamists
Tens of thousands of people attended the commemoration service today for the 37 people killed in Turkey's central province of Sivas on July 2, 1993. Alevi organizations, politicians, trade unions, professional chambers, non-governmental organizations, journalists, and many artists and intellectuals met in Sivas today to commemorate the deaths, and repeated their demand to turn the Madimak Hotel, where the massacre took place, into a "tolerance and enlightenment museum." The AKP government has been criticized for not granting permission for the hotel to be turned into a museum.
[To read the rest of the report, visit the full blog post]
http://www.thememriblog.org/turkey/blog_personal/en/8283.htm
