Friday, June 30, 2006

Erdogan to EU: Limit free speech

Turkish PM Erdogan was visiting the parliamentary assembly of the council of Europe in Strasbourg on Wednesday. There he made this statement:
The violent reaction to the publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad underlines the need to impose limits on free speech.
This is so brilliant it takes a while to sink in.

Mere mortals like you or me would think that those violent reactions would underline the need to impose limits on religion motivated violence. Then again, I am not Erdogan, I am just a lowly blogger.

But dear Recep isn't done yet:
All freedoms have a limit. You cannot have unlimited freedoms, there has never been unlimited freedom of expression in history.
And you are probably a bit of an expert on 'unlimited freedom of expressions', aren't you? Remember Orhan Pamuk?
Erdogan said that a lack of religious and cultural tolerance towards Islam by the west could fuel a rise in extremism and lead indirectly to terrorism.
You mean 'religious and cultural tolerance' like this?
The combination of these trends threatens to turn the west and the Islamic world into adversaries. Terrorism perpetrated in the name of religion will lead to a global crisis.
So, two questions: Who is actually perpetrating that terrorism in the name of religion, and why is the West to blame for those perpetrating it again?
The Turkish prime minister also said that Europe’s Muslim population was becoming increasingly more isolated, as seen in the recent rioting in France, and much more needed to be done to incorporate “new communities”.

“Europe needs to show more affection to the people living in ghettos and integrate them into society.”
Well, dear Recep, that would be so much easier if showed a little 'affection' to the country they live in, earn their money, enjoy their education and services, instead of reserving it exclusively for the world-wide Ummah. It would be so much easier if they would leave our cars and shops alone, if they would harm our filmmakers, writers and opinionmakers with subpoenas only.

But alas, an increasing number of your co-religionists are bent on usurping our little corner of Earth for the greater glory of the Big Black Stone idol, violent or otherwise. Don't you think that explains the somewhat suspicious attitudes of an increasing number of non-muslims in Europe, dear Recep? Not even a little?

(crossposted at Klein Verzet)

4 comments:

Jordan said...

He is aware that...

1. Hitler's Mein Kamp is a Turkish and Arabic best seller

2. Protocols of Zion is treated as factual information in childrens textbooks in much of the Islamic world

3. The biggest Turkish movie of the year features a Jewish doctor who kills civilians to steal their organs

Yep, gotta stop those damn cartoons!

I was very optimistic on Turkey. It seemed to be a shining light of what is possible in the Islamic world. But the killing of the judges, "creeping Sharia" in rural areas, and now this agenda to curtail offensive speach is causing me to have doubts about Turkey's future.

I will say this, there is no way the EU will allow Turkey to become a FULL member. Stronger economic ties, you bet. But back and forth free migration... not going to happen. EU is not prepared to assimilate millions of additional muslims considering how isolated its current Muslim population seems to be. EU needs a 15 year time out to work things out.

Always On Watch said...

“There is a growing perception [in the Muslim world] that it is besieged and its values are under attack.”

Oh, really? I see the situation as the other way around: Western ideals and values are under attack.

Anonymous said...

Islam is a classic information-control cult. Its continued existence in the long term depends upon its ability to stifle criticism by all available means, legal and illegal.

Either the koran is the literal Word of God (despite all its malevolence), or it is the biggest, sickest hoax ever perpetrated. There is no consistent intermediate 'moderate' position.

If the Cult, the Meteorite Demon, the Pedophile and the Hate Manual are subjected to continued unabated ridicule and criticism, then sooner or later not only Kaffirs, but hopefully individual Muslims will have 'Emperor's New Clothes' realisations.

However I don't think Islam can be effectively replaced by secularism. It hasn't worked very well in Turkey. Replacement by another religion is the only way to eradicate The Death Cult.

Jordan said...

I still think Turkey is salvagable. It is a place that still welcomes Jews and is fairly liberal.

Just need some good news!