[Umit]

"The Turkish Republic can not be a country of sheiks, dervishes and disciples."

-Mustafa Kemal Atatürk



"Religion is an important institution. A nation without religion cannot survive. Yet it is also very important to note that religion is a link between Allah and the individual believer. The brokerage of the pious cannot be permitted. Those who use religion for their own benefit are detestable. We are against such a situation and will not allow it. Those who use religion in such a manner have fooled our people; it is against just such people that we have fought and will continue to fight."

-Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

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Just a reminder to our ruling party, AKP and its fans, without a comment.

[joy]

Oh how Turkey needs another leader like Ataturk a modern day version.

The UK also needs a good new leader and I dont see one out there at the moment.

[Tony]

well i am lost????

[LKA]

Originally Posted by joy

Oh how Turkey needs another leader like Ataturk a modern day version.

The UK also needs a good new leader and I dont see one out there at the moment.

Ataturk was a truly remarkable man wasn't he? Way ahead of his time. No wonder he is still so revered by so many in Turkey....it's a pity that the politicians don't remind themselves of his words a bit more often.

[Umit]

Originally Posted by Tony

well i am lost????

it is a response and a reminder to our ruling party.
i havent fully read this article but i bet it helps you to understand the recent crisis in Turkey;
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...352417672.html

[Karyn UK]

Great man, huge respect for what he achieved and the vision he had.

Karyn

[Steve B]

It is a terrible scenerio Umit. In some ways the judiciary does need reforming, or at least some laws, i.e. wills, but to change the constitution will be a big mistake, we are still trying to make sense of the Canadian constitution and rights and freedoms even though we have had it for over 30 years, the judges make policy with there decisions instead of leaving it up to elected officals and the people, so it is a double edged sword. That being said, they have a important job, being arms length from the goverment to make decisions in the best interest of all. Same in Turkey, besides, like in the Ottoman times, all that is wrong with the goverment has come out of Istanbul, like the special prosecutor in the case. Time for the rest of the country to take a stand, like in Ataturk's time, he realized that it was important to move goverment from Istanbul, as the heart and sould of the nation is the people, all of them, and just not Istanbul. (I guess you can say I am a little biased against Istanbul, just like I am against Toronto back in Canada. Both think there countries revolve around them!) I honestly believe the policy that comes out of those from Istanbul, especially religous, is more of a threat to the Turkish Republic then the Kurkish problems, Armenian problems, etc.