The conversion of Hagia Sophia to a mosque is for Erdogan and Ali Erbas a symbol of Islam’s triumph over secularism, just as its conversion to a museum in 1935 was a symbol of secularism’s triumph over Islam, and its original conversion to a mosque in 1453 was a symbol of Islam’s triumph over Christianity. […]
Turkish foreign minister: EU shouldn’t ‘dare’ to impose sanctions over Turkey’s aggression toward Greece and Cyprus
Çavuşoğlu speaks to the European Union the way an irritated master speaks to a lazy servant. It is clear who he thinks is the boss in their relationship. Also note this: “Thanks to our efforts, irregular migratory flows to Europe have been reduced by 92 percent.” Think about that in light of Erdogan’s repeated threats […]
Erdogan: ‘Jerusalem Has Been Our City For Thousands of Years’
Erdogan addressed the opening of the Turkish Parliament on October 1 with a ringing declaration that “Jerusalem Has Been Our City For Thousands of Years.” The “our” in “our city” seemed to refer now to the Turks, and now to the “Palestinian people.” The story is here. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday implied […]
Turkey’s Erdogan: ‘Jerusalem is our city’
Erdogan’s aspirations to restore the caliphate grow plainer by the day, but Western officials continue to ignore them. “‘Jerusalem is our city,’ Turkey’s Erdogan declares,” by Raphael Ahren, Times of Israel, October 1, 2020: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday implied that Jerusalem belongs to Turkey, referring to the Ottoman Empire’s control over the […]
Greece charges 35 European aid workers with helping to smuggle thousands of migrants from Turkey
Actively abetting civilizational suicide. “Greece accuses aid workers of refugee plots,” by Anthee Carassava, The Times, September 29, 2020 (thanks to Henry): Greece charged 35 European aid workers with espionage yesterday, accusing them of helping to smuggle thousands of migrants and refugees from Turkey. The conservative government in Athens is wary of refugee relief groups […]
Turkey: Muslim cleric demands invasion of Cyprus for the sake of Islam and Muhammad’s aunt
“The Ottoman navy greeted the Prophet Muhammad’s aunt, Umm Haram (known as Hala Sultan), with gunfire as they passed near Cyprus. The tomb of Hala Sultan, who participated in the first Muslim expedition to the sea, is under Greek occupation. Let us greet Hala Sultan again and tell her we will be coming soon.” Erdogan […]
India’s permanent representative to UN rebukes Erdogan’s criticism of India over Kashmir: ‘gross interference’
T. S. Tirumurti is right. Turkey has been an increasing global menace, matching or even surpassing Iran in its brazen attempts to expand its influence and interfere in regional dynamics: “Under Erdogan, Turkey has dramatically escalated its efforts toward foreign military intervention. In 2019, the Turkish military entered and occupied large portions of northern Syria. […]
Turkey’s closeness to the Islamic State is yet more evidence that it is deserting its NATO ‘allies’
Erdogan’s Turkey has been quite active recently, from its conversion of the Hagia Sophia and its provocations in Greece to its ongoing threats to open the gates for millions of Muslim migrants to flood into Europe. Erdogan is ever more clearly an enemy of Kemalist secularism, and envisions the recreation of the Ottoman empire. Since […]
In Libya, Fayez al-Sarraj Announces He Will Quit, Upsetting Erdogan
In Libya, Turkish troops and more than 20,000 Syrian mercenaries brought in by Turkey have turned the tide in favor of the Government of National Accord (GNA), ending the 14-month siege of Tripoli by the LNA and pushing General Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) forces eastward, all the way to Sirte. The two sides — […]
Turkey’s Erdogan-allied Aktif Bank reportedly facilitated money transfers for Taliban
A short-sighted focus on the bottom line, or a deep ideological kinship? Or both? “Turkey’s Aktif Bank facilitated money transfers for Taliban, porn industry – report,” Ahval News, September 21, 2020 (thanks to Henry): FinCEN Files, a number of leaked classified documents from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, shed a light on Turkey’s Aktif […]