Bizarre, International, Politics, Religion

Erdogan: People Using Birth Control Are “Traitors”

220px-Recep_Tayyip_ErdoganPresident Recep Tayyip Erdogan remains one of the most controversial leaders in Turkey’s history. A devout Muslim, Erdogan has steadily dismantled the secular traditions of country — a rare alternative to the Sharia systems or Islamic republics common in Muslim nations. As in those other countries, the insertion of Islamic rules have been accompanied with crackdowns on civil liberties, press freedom, women’s rights, and religious minorities. Recently, that included heavy fines for a television program for showing the immorality of a man dancing with a Western woman. Erdogan also attempted to rewrite history (with human rights) by recently declaring that Muslims discovered America . As criticism has mounted, he has inflamed his religious followers over a vast media conspiracy against his righteous policies. Now, Erdogan has attacked the use of birth control as a form of “treason” and said that women must commit themselves to having three or more children in the interests of the nation: “One or two is not enough.”


Previously, Erdogan has proposed limits on abortion rights, the morning-after pill and Caesarian sections.

There are many secular Muslims,including many women who reject Erdogan’s views. However, Erdogan’s success is based on his ability to rally and maintain support of Islamic parties and groups.

Erdogan warned that traitors using birth control would make a whole generation to “dry up” in speech at the Istanbul wedding ceremony of the son of businessman Mustafa Kefeli, one of his closest allies. He told the couple not to use birth control “[t]o make our nation stronger.” Ironically, he insisted that more children will “take Turkey above the level of modern civilisations,” despite his efforts rollback on basic human freedoms and to impose religious dogma on the population.

Most people go for the funny story or the touching account for the newlywed couple. Erdogan instead wanted that “In this country, they [meaning those who disagree with him] have been engaged in the treason of birth control for years and sought to dry up our generation.”

Women, according to Erdogan, must focus on producing the requisite number of children: “One (child) means loneliness, two means rivalry, three means balance and four means abundance. And God takes care of the rest.”

He ended appropriately enough with “I have faith in you.”

52 thoughts on “Erdogan: People Using Birth Control Are “Traitors””

  1. For example, the Duggars (19 Kids and Counting) are evangelical Christians. They have 3 grandchildren.

    Amanda Marcotte, an abortion advocate and crazy feminist, has no children.

    Her best quote:

    “I don’t particularly like babies. They are loud and smelly and, above all other things, demanding. No matter how much free day care you throw at women, babies are still time-sucking monsters with their constant neediness.

    This is why, if my birth control fails, I am totally having an abortion. Given the choice between living my life how I please and having my body within my control and the fate of a lentil-sized, brainless embryo that has half a chance of dying on its own anyway, I choose me.”

  3. The blessings of Western culture — rule of law, universal suffrage, a free society, etc. — are very rare in human history.

    Its survival is only ensured if the people reproduce themselves and teach their children their beliefs.

    Spain, Italy, Greece, most of Europe and Japan are facing severe demographic decline over the next 25 years. Mark Steyn has written extensively on the topic.

    Failure to reproduce has many origins, but threats are not going to work. Nor does money, as Russia discovered.

  4. It assumes that we are owed etc…not I assumes

    Proofreading…..important. 🙁

  5. Mike Appleton,

    You have a very peculiar method of reading words. Fortunately, the word you attribute to Paul C is not a word that he used. 🙂

  6. @ Paul

    I must take exception to your statement: ” having children is both patriotic and duty to the state.”

    This is only true if you assume that the State owns us, that we belong to the State. I assumes that we are owed life, liberty and happiness BY the State.

    You are responsible for YOU. If you decide to have no family to take care of you in your old age, then you must rely on friends or on the voluntary kindness of strangers [aka charity]

    We do not belong to the Government or to the State in our persons nor do our children (or lack of children) belong to the State.

  7. Paul C.:

    You have a very peculiar definition of treason. Fortunately, it is not a definition recognized in the law.

    1. Mike – historically it has been treasonous not to have children and patriotic to have them.

  8. Islamic Civilization is Dying

    “Rather than focus on Islamism and its conflict with modernity as chief culprit for this instability, Mr. Goldman pointed to the massive decline in Muslim birthrates attending the growing education of women. Iranian women, for example, used to bear 7 children on average; now the rate has fallen to 1.5, with the most highly educated subgroup approaching a fertility rate of 1.0. Such an inverted population pyramid means that fewer and fewer young people will be forced to support a growing but aging populace. This is not some pipe dream of Western demographers; President Ahmadinejad himself has called the decision by Iranian youth not to have children an act of genocide against the Iranian nation.

    Turkey, which also boasts a high literacy rate, including among its women, has seen the fertility rate among ethnic Turks declining to 1.5 children per woman. At the same time, Turkey’s restive Kurdish population is now some 20% of the citizenry, with Kurdish women averaging 4.5 children. If this trend continues, and there seems to be no reason it will not, the inverting Turkish population pyramid will be overwhelmed by the “normal” Kurdish one, in essence creating a Kurdistan within the borders of Turkey, a situation fraught with the potential for intensified conflict.

    The population decline of these two Muslim countries is to be contrasted with Egypt with its 45% illiteracy rate, and where two thirds of the population lives in rural areas relatively untouched by education or opportunities for women. Combine Egypt’s burgeoning population with its diploma mill universities (producing essentially unemployable graduates), its reliance on imports for half its caloric consumption, and its draw-down of hard currency reserves and one has what can be viewed as a “perfect storm” for upheaval and potential chaos.”

  9. Mike Appleton
    Bearing children is not a duty owed to the state, nor is it demanded by patriotism. I am no more interested in Mr. Erdogan’s religious identity than I am in Mr. Netanyahu’s. What does interest me, however, is the threat posed by theocratic governments, and that is the underlying issue here.
    ————————————————-
    Well said!

  10. Bearing children is not a duty owed to the state, nor is it demanded by patriotism. I am no more interested in Mr. Erdogan’s religious identity than I am in Mr. Netanyahu’s. What does interest me, however, is the threat posed by theocratic governments, and that is the underlying issue here.

    1. Mike – having children is both patriotic and duty to the state. Not replacing yourself is actually traitorous since you are placing a greater and greater burden on fewer and fewer people.

  11. If Mr. Erdogan wants more Turks, I believe that the Germans would be happy to send him a couple of million.

    Seriously, Turkey can’t handle their population right now (their surplus labor is being taken by Europe, giving Mr. Erdogan a safety valve). What happens when Germany stops taking Turks?

    I suspect that Egypt could be the canary in the Muslim coal mine.

  13. “A devout Muslim, Erdogan has steadily dismantled the secular traditions of country — a rare alternative to the Sharia systems or Islamic republics common in Muslim nation”
    —————————
    Hun?
    How many majority muslim nations are there?
    How many do have shariah law as their guiding force?
    How many other muslim leaders have you heard attacking birth control?
    Do you even know that in many parts of the Muslim world, birth control is taught as a religious duty?
    Come on, Prof, step up the research and tone down the using the one crazy example as evidence for the whole, its been happening more and more lately…
    Erdogan happens to be a Muslim, he is not Islam. His issues are his alone, and Turkey’s at most. His thoughts, ideas, practice have nothing to do with the other billion and a half of Muslims out there.

  16. And by God, we will see to it that women do their God given duties! A mother’s pin shall be awarded to mothers of more than five children. Women who don’t have four children shall be impregnated until they do! God demands it, the government will assert the ultimate authority under the name of the Almighty! Fertility centers will be fully government funded to ensure women do their duty to Christendom.

    The Christian Theocracy version.

  17. Napoleon had it right that religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich. I suppose one must take the good aspects with the bad.

  18. I have to agree on this. As I move into my twilight years I realize I need more replacements to pay into the system to pay for me. Even the Chinese are starting to give up on the ‘one child family’ idea. I think each couple should have at least four children.

  20. Muslim and Catholic leaders are united vis a vis birth control. Turkey is hurtling forward to the Dark Ages.

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