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Insulting "Turkishness" -- whatever that means. Meanwhile, Ali Bardakoglu of the Directorate General for Religious Affairs says that the idea that Christians have a hard time in Turkey is all in our mind. From AP, with thanks to Andrew Bostom:
ISTANBUL, Turkey - Two men who converted to Christianity went on trial Thursday for allegedly insulting "Turkishness" and inciting religious hatred against Islam, the Anatolia news agency reported.The trial opened just days before a visit to Turkey by Pope Benedict XVI. During his visit, the pontiff is expected to discuss improved religious rights for the country's tiny Christian minority who complain of discrimination.
Hakan Tastan, 37, and Turan Topal, 46, are accused of making the insults and of inciting hate while allegedly trying to convert other Turks to Christianity. If convicted, the two Turkish men could face up to nine years in prison.
The men were charged under Turkey's Article 301, which has been used to bring charges against dozens of intellectuals — including Nobel Prize-winner Orhan Pamuk.
The law has widely been condemned for severely limiting free expression and European officials have demanded Turkey change it as part of reforms to join the EU.
They also are charged under a law against inciting hatred based on religion.
Prosecutors accuse the two of allegedly telling possible converts that Islam was "a primitive and fabricated" religion and that Turks would remain "barbarians" as long they continued practicing Islam, Anatolia reported.
Posted by Robert at November 24, 2006 10:06 AM
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TURKISH PM TO POPE "If the Pope says Christians in Turkey are mistreated, I will tell him that he has been seriously misinformed, he said."
christian converts on trial under shiiria style law (apostasy is not a secular legal concern) why WHAT christan converts on trial?
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at November 24, 2006 10:28 AM
quote is from other jihadarticle
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/014163.php#comments
Posted by: THE ALLIES SHALL WIN at November 24, 2006 10:29 AM
THE ALLIES SHALL WIN:
You took the words right out of my mouth!
Posted by: Sir Oinks Alot at November 24, 2006 10:36 AM
Thanks Sir Oinks Alot --Turkey's huge hypocrisy has been self evident for years on many levels by Greece and other countries around there now EU is starting to say: "hey maybe those Greeks are right geee maybe Turkey isnt sooo great --99% muslim and all hmmmmmmmm!" lol
Posted by: THE ALLIES SHALL WIN at November 24, 2006 10:43 AM
correction:
... as witnessed by Greece and surrounding nations...
I need coffee
Posted by: THE ALLIES SHALL WIN at November 24, 2006 10:44 AM
There is no compulsion in religion .. I repeat .. there is no .. I repeat .. there ..
Posted by: TheOmegaMan at November 24, 2006 11:27 AM
A bit of information:
In Turkey nowadays let alone Christians and converts, even people without any religious faith, that is secular Muslims too are also under threat. BTW, the bunch of thugs that made the row in Hagia Sophia belong to a splinter group from the ultra nationalist (and also islamist) Grey Volves. And those people are the nearest thing to rabid killers because most of them carry guns and used them in the past in political assassinations (of mainly leftists and intellectuals). Unfortunately they benefit to a large extent the sympathy from the security forces.
It is time for the EU to stop playing the taquiyya and tell the Turks to look for somewhere else. At this point I salute the sincerity of the french and the Austrians. At least on this topic they have the guts to tell the truth, that the sexy Greek FM Bakoyanni and others lack.
BTW, the so-called mild islamist government in Turkey does not believe in the virtue of joining the EU either. They simply pretend to work for the EU accession. Their hidden agenda is to use the EU as a shield to help weaken the secular military so as to remove the last obstacle to the islamization of the country.
at November 24, 2006 11:34 AM
Pope's visit offers Turkey's Christians hope for improved religious rights
Posted by: ummahnewslinks at November 24, 2006 1:15 PM
Spiegel interview with Turkey's highest Muslim dignitary:
"An Attack on the Pillars of Islam"
Posted by: ummahnewslinks at November 24, 2006 2:58 PM
I hope this puts the secular Turkey myth to rest. Not only does this country not belong in the EU it should have sanctions put on it. Actually every muslims country should have sanctions put on them. Where is amnesty international now. I guess they are too busy comparing Bush to hitler and investigation Israels war with lebanon.
Posted by: pissedoffcanadian at November 24, 2006 4:04 PM
Pissedoffcanadian you took the words right out of my mouth.
How can a country that calls itself secular possibly put anyone on trial for apostacy? Well we know the answer, if that country is a Muslim state called Turkey, 99%Muslim state. That's all people should need to know, the conclusions are evident.
Where are the sanctions against these people, and the Grey Wolves mentioned above are a group that openly states that they believe the entire area should be cleansed of Greeks. They openly admire Adolph Hitler for his practices, however that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone as this is common throughout the Muslim world.
How do these guys get away with this without the world caring? I hope Allies is right that people will start waking up and saying wow, those crazy Greeks are actually right about the Turks.
Niv
Posted by: niv at November 24, 2006 5:41 PM
The behaviour towards Christian converts displays clearly the hypocrisy of the so-called "secular" or "moderate" Islam.
Turkey is NOT trying to build bridges to Europe and secularizing.
As its flag proclaims it has the vocation of an Islamic country and its designs are not of establishing greater understanding with Europe, but to invade it.
at November 24, 2006 8:58 PM
Turks are sending a very clear message:
Turkey is NOT an open secular society as so many uneducated wrongly believe.
Simply put, Turkey is not qualified to become admitted to the European Union.
Period.
Not even close.
Turks oppose Judeo-Christian values and prefer to roll around on their prayer rugs facing east(Mecca).
Posted by: Johnathan at November 24, 2006 9:55 PM
Ten or twenty years ago, the Turkish courts ruled in favor of some men who wished to have their religious affiliation changed from "Muslim" to "Christian" on their ID's. They had become Evangelicals while guest workers in Germany. The judges were trying to put forth a modern, freedom-loving image as Turkey was knocking on the EU's doors back then.
Pray for Turkey. May we soon see Christian congregations again flourishing in all those New Testament sites--and more!
Posted by: Kepha at November 24, 2006 10:15 PM
I guess the founder of modern Turkey, Kemal Ataturk, is spinning in his grave!
Excerpt from Grey Wolf, Mustafa Kemal - An Intimate Study of a Dictator, H.C. Armstrong, 1934, p. 241:
"For five hundred years these rules and theories of an Arab sheik," Kemal said, "and the interpretations of generations of lazy, good-for-nothing priests have decided the civil and the criminal law of Turkey."
"They had decided the form of the constitution, the details of the lives of each Turk, his food, his hours of rising and sleeping, the shape of his clothes, the routine of the midwife who produced his children, what he learnt in his schools, his customs, his thoughts, even his most intimate habits."
"Islam, this theology of an immoral Arab, is a dead thing."
Possibly it might have suited tribes of nomads in the desert. It was no good for a modern progressive State.
"God's revelation!" There was no God. That was one of the chains by which the priests and bad rulers bound the people down.
"A ruler who needs religion to help him rule is a weakling. No weakling should rule.."
Posted by: Shahryar at November 25, 2006 6:34 AM
Prosecutors accuse the two of allegedly telling possible converts that Islam was "a primitive and fabricated" religion and that Turks would remain "barbarians" as long they continued practicing Islam, Anatolia reported.
Prosecuted (persecuted?) for spreading the truth. Islam is a pervision spread by deviated perverts.
Posted by: Pelayo at November 25, 2006 9:37 AM
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