By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
Only several days after world leaders converged on Paris to express solidarity with the French People and remorse for the victims’ families of recent terrorist attacks there, Turkish President Recip Erdoğan provided the world another gaffe that nested between the bizarre and the mysterious.
Though Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu attended the memorial led by numerous heads of state in a parade rally, a significant step backwards occurred when President Erdoğan later proclaimed that Muslims have never taken part in terrorist massacres.
We previously reported a few of these strange utterances, such as: Muslims discovered the Americas before Columbus; those using birth control are “traitors”; and declaring that Turkey had the greatest level of press freedom.
His latest is not just inaccurate, but a sure sign of how he views, or at least declares he views, a reality that exists certainly not within a realm one would expect of a secular leader or a rational individual for that matter.
“As Muslims, we’ve never taken part in terrorist massacres. Behind these lie racism, hate speech, and Islamophobia. French citizens carry out such a massacre, and Muslims pay the price. The West’s hypocrisy is obvious.
Take note that the acts of terror are not carried out in a vacuum. The acts follow a predetermined script and we should be [aware of a] a plot against the Islamic world.”
The Turkish President’s words come during a speech after having received Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a state visit. Beforehand in a move that drew much ridicule among his political opponents, Erdoğan descended a grand staircase of his new fifteen hundred room palace. He was flanked by several men donning medieval Ottoman armor and bearing swords.
Certainly there will be more to come. Elections in Turkey are forthcoming.
By Darren Smith
Source:
The views expressed in this posting are the author’s alone and not those of the blog, the host, or other weekend bloggers. As an open forum, weekend bloggers post independently without pre-approval or review. Content and any displays or art are solely their decision and responsibility.
shelly, the emperor’s clothes have no emperor. He’s an empty suit surrounded by hangers-on and a wrinkled brow makes him look less wise than simply senile.
I like Isaac’s way of thinking. But doesn’t Turkey have nuclear weapons and membership in NATO? We can’t afford to get TOO clever with these people. They’ve had a lot more experience at guile than we have.
Erdogan is just like Obama insofar as he is a Terminal Narcissist. But I think he is a Hitler….There are those on the far right who believe that but I think that Obama is trying to do a peace nik think myself
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/variety/2015/02/17/Erodgan-speaks-on-Turkey-s-isolation-says-he-is-unconcerned-.html
He said “I’m alone and other leaders envy me”
The Turkish emperor has no clothes.
Yes, Tyger Gilbert. Sorry for not being clear.
Gigi: “At first, Muhammad conquered and overruled the Arab nations. He began to set out to conquer nations e.g. Armenia (639), Egypt (639), North Africa (652 & 665), Cyprus, (654), Pakistan (664-712), Constantinople (674-678 & 717-718), Spain (711-718, Georgia, (736), Crete (820), Sicily (827).”
Since Muhammad is believed to have died in 632, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad, I assume you meant that his followers, the believers of Islam, conquered those nations over that approximately 200-year time span, not Muhammad himself.
Otherwise, it’s an interesting, good account historically.
Most Islamic leaders and sympathizers turn and twist truth to fit their agenda. I have never trusted Erdogen, and I think he plays both side of the table to fit his own desires.
American’s need to review their history to understand the Muslim mindset.
Arabian countries have been invading and attacking innocent people in the name of their god(s) for thousands of years. History shows us that Judah of Israel was invaded and taken captive by Babylonia (now part of Iraq) in 603 BC, when Judah’s leader Jehoiakim refused to pay tribute in Nebuchadnezzar.
Muhammad developed his religion in the 600’s, using selective parts of Jewish scripture, as well as writing his own rules and regulations to make up the Quran. There have been Muslim conquering invasions in the world ever since.
Islam has always strived to be the world’s ruler and make Islam the only religion. They set out to conquer and force people to join their belief.
At first, Muhammad conquered and overruled the Arab nations. He began to set out to conquer nations e.g. Armenia (639), Egypt (639), North Africa (652 & 665), Cyprus, (654), Pakistan (664-712), Constantinople (674-678 & 717-718), Spain (711-718, Georgia, (736), Crete (820), Sicily (827). Other invasions and conquering of land continued i.e. Mongolia, parts of Russia, etc..
By the turn of the century the Muslims moved to declare the Byzantine-Ottoman war (1299-1453). The power of the Muslim empire began to wane and the Ottoman Empire collapsed in 1918 at the hands of the British Empire and its allies, in the aftermath of World War I.
But this did not dissolve nor stop Islam or Muslim invasions. The Christian Churches battled the Muslims, notably during the Constantine Empire and the Crusades of 11th Century, with one of their war efforts to keep Jerusalem opened to all religions and free from a total Muslim take over.
Although many American’s have only recently (since 1990’s) begun to see the effects of Muslim invasions and massacres on our home front, the people who follow the Muslim ideology have been totally immersed, deluged, indoctrinated, and surrounded by a culture of hate, fear, and militaristic state of mind. Because they are denied access to most technology and personal freedoms, they cannot think for themselves. They are taught to hate from an early age, as stated by Karen S. in her blog response.
Terrorism that involved Muslim perpetrators began in the United States with the 1993 shootings at CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia, followed by the 1993 World Trade Center bombing in New York City. The latest was the April 2013 Boston Marathon bombings in Massachusetts. After the September 11 attacks and the start of the Afghanistan war in 2001, there was concern about the potential radicalization of American Muslims. A 2007 Pew poll reported that 15% of American Muslims under the age of 30 supported suicide bombings against civilian targets in at least some circumstances, on the other hand 11% said it could be “rarely justified.” Among those over the age of 30, just 6% expressed their support for the same. (9% of Muslims over 30 and 5% under 30 chose not to answer). A March 2010 Bipartisan Policy Center paper points out an increasing number of American Muslims are playing high-level operational roles in al-Qaeda and aligned groups, as well as a larger numbers of American Muslims who are attaching themselves to these groups. (Wikipedia) [refer to Paul Hutchinson’s blog response above to see how Islam/Muslim’s have disrupted the lives of Americans.]
There is a Islamic phobia in the U.S., just as there was a Japanese phobia during WWII. As we’ve learned over the last 75 years, phobia’s demand extreme measures. I believe there are genuine Islamic Muslims who came to this country, or were born here, who are truly patriotic and good citizens. However, it is difficult to know the patriot from the terrorist, and therefore, we must continue to be vigilant, discerning, and prayerful.
Harry, that is an interesting site.
I wonder what life in the US would be like if the Sioux were Muslims.
Very peaceful, I’m told.
Lindsey Graham Kraker was on tv this morning on a talk show. He is all ramped up to put boots on the ground in Yemen, Iran, Iraq, place in between which is a hard place… So, the terrorist attack on the cartoon carnival got us an ally and that is what Lindsey and the Military Industrial Complex want. Now Obama is under pressure to put boots on the ground in all those pirate territories. War is coming soon. Lindsey wants to be some Republican’s choice for V.P.
Meanwhile we are awaiting a terror attack in Britain and one in Germany. That would push boots on the ground from those two. The Frogs are on board.