The IHH, which sent last year’s jihad flotilla to Gaza, appears to be behind this. Islamic Tolerance Alert from modern, moderate, secular (for now) Turkey: “Mideast: Turkey Cancels ‘3 Religions’ Concert, Israel Dismayed,” from ANSAmed, June 10 (thanks to Insubria):
(ANSAmed) – TEL AVIV, JUNE 10 – Israel has reacted with disappointment to the last-minute cancellation of a concert dedicated to inter-religious tolerance to be held in Istanbul following threats received from extremist Islamic groups. These groups included – according to local mass media reports – the Turkish NGO IHH which has organised the Freedom Flotilla for Gaza due to set sail at the end of this month.
Organised by such bodies as Istanbul’s city council and the Israeli consulate, the concert planned to include performances by an Israeli cantor, a Turkish imam and a soloist from the Armenian Church in Istanbul. But just as rehearsals were coming to an end yesterday, the Israeli cantor, Lior Almaliach, learned that the concert had been cancelled and that he would be well advised to leave Turkey on that same day.
A hard condemnation ensued from Israel’s foreign ministry, which accused the IHH itself of being behind the pressure to have the event cancelled. ”It comes as no surprise that this organisation should attack a cultural event trying to spread tolerance between religions,” – the ministry’s spokesperson, Igal Palmor, is reported by military radio to have said, ”Those with a terrorist mentality reach for their pistols every time they hear the word ‘culture”’.
Last week the Israeli press gave great prominence to the fact that Israeli cyclists who had been invited to take part in an international race in Turkey had been forced by the organisers to return home ahead of schedule due to the unwillingness of Arab competitors to race against them. (ANSAmed)