Usually moments of silence are solemn and dignified events that can help heal wounds left in the aftermath of tragedies. Two such occasions this week however show how they can leave troubled feelings in their wake. The first blown event was G-20 Moment of Silence for the victims in Paris. The problem is that it turned out to be a G-19 Moment of Silence because President Obama walked in late. While one would hope that this deeply symbolic moment would be sufficiently important to get the President there on time, problems can occur. Yet, this President has been criticized for years for being consistently late to events, which shows a lack of respect as well as organization. This is one of the worst such failures in a long line of delayed arrivals. The second incident was far more disturbing in Turkey.
Before the soccer game between Turkey and Greece, the officials called for a moment of silence for the Paris victims. The response from Turkish fans was to start yelling “Allahu Akbar” in Istanbul and booing the expression of sympathy for the hundreds of dead and wounded victims of the attack by Muslim extremists.
The scene at the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium in Istanbul was deeply disturbing and Turkey manager Fatih Terim was quoted as saying: “Our fans should have behaved during the one minute silence.” That is an understatement.
I understand that, like American football games, fans at soccer games are not necessarily the best behaved crowd. However, this raises more obvious concerns for many who have watched changes in Turkey under the current government. The attacks have been widely condemned by Islamic scholars and groups — making this response even more disconcerting.
It is deeply concerning that, even with a disgusting massacre of innocent people like the one in Paris, many fans would still see their allegiance with the murderers due to religion. It also deepens the concern of the impact of the disastrous tenure of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who has fueled the rise of Islamic parties in that country. 
We have been following the gradual erosion of Turkey as a symbol of secularism in the Islamic world under Erdogan. Erdogan was elected by Muslim parties and has steadily broken down secular traditions and introduced more and more Islamic influences in government.
I often write about my great love for Turkey and Istanbul, a city that defies description for its beauty and history. I have been fortunate to visit Turkey and I have met many Muslim civil libertarians and secularists who have bravely resisted the encroachment of religion into their government. Erdogan has destroyed the one major Muslim country that showed that it was possible to have separation of mosque and state in a Muslim nation. The result seems to be a rise in extremists like those seen at the game. We have seen the same trend in countries like Pakistan where the government seeks to encourage but control religious parties despite rising extremist elements.
Unfortunately, this moment of silence spoke loudly about the direction of Turkey under Erdogan.
There has been a trend in the media and online that the Muslim community feels we don’t care enough about Syria. Shouting “Allahu Akbar” during a moment of silence for the victims of the terror attack in Paris is excused because we don’t have moment of silence for the Syrian dead. I have heard this multiple times in the media.
I cry foul. Western nations are hemorrhaging inconceivable amounts of money, taking in hundreds of thousands of “Syrian” refugees who may, or may not, even be Syrian, and who may or may not be terrorists, while the Middle East has taken in zero of them, the last time I checked. To spend such vast money and resources, and then to be told that it’s just fine cheer on terrorist activities because the West “doesn’t care” is outrageous. We cannot buy in to such shenanigans to excuse extremist behavior, and cheering on terrorists is literally extremist.
Do you know who actually doesn’t care about Syrian refugees? The wealthy Middle Eastern countries with plenty of wealth and land who won’t take in any of them.
Dutch:
“Just as a point of information and not one of confrontation here, the Turks are ‘protesting’ that there are no moments of silence for the Muslims that have died in Syria.” How do you know that was their motivation to yell “Allahu Akbar” during a moment of silence for terrorist attacks? Those attacks, by the way, very likely killed Muslims in Paris, too.
In fact, the world was outraged when a journalist tripped a fleeing Syrian refugee with a child, so it’s not like they can say no one cares.
As far as the occupation question, I have heard a proposal that we organize a Sunni occupation by Egyptians and Saudis. Of course, I always worry that this will just be extremists guarding extremists, but at least there won’t be an interminable occupation by the West. The ME should help clean up its messes. But can it, or will it devolve further?
The Salafist terror groups aka ‘Moderate Syrian rebels” have been armed and trained and financed by US, Israeli, and Saudi elements. That is verifiably true and there is an obvious geostrategic dynamic of NATO-Israel-Saudi-IS versus Russia-Iran-Syria-HIzballah. The negotatiator on NPR was pretending it was a three way negotiation but that’s transparently false. So give Hilde a break.
HOWEVER, that does not mean that the CIA “controls” or orders any such thing as these terror attacks. I don’t believe that for a second. IT does mean that IS is a Frankenstein creation that was intended to destabilize Libya and Syria and it has done that quite well as intended and these are collateral damages.
Do wise people think that the CIA or whomever the strategic dirty work planners are really care about western casualties? Of course they don’t. If big corporations count injured and dead consumers like numbers in their risk management equations, you can be sure the government powers that be don’t give a crap either.
So we are all just peasants in the west and the façade of democratic self rule is a joke. The mere fact that neither the US nor the EU enforce borders against millions of illegal migrants shows that the laws are mostly aimed at fleecing and controlling the native populations by any means necessary including terror and migrant invasion. Our “Western” regimes are just as illegitimate as any.
It’s unfortunate that Hildegard continues to try to find conspiracies that don’t exist. First, if you remember, she posted another wackjob describing a video clip as proof that there was no massacre and that this whole episode was some sort of French play, where actors were playing the parts of victims. There was no massacre–just actors, playing parts. Remember that? Seems she’s jumped off that delusional mystery ride–probably because of the body count and the funerals. Now she’s posting a video relieving the Islamic terrorists of all responsibility, as this is some sort of widespread imperialist plot. F’ing nuts.
SEND THIS VIRAL: JOURNALIST SPEAKS THE TRUTH ABOUT PARIS ATTACK, & MUCH MORE
Somehow I think the Trump pledge to “Build UP That Wall” has more resonance today than a week ago.
Washington Refines Its False Flag Operations — Paul Craig Roberts
http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2015/11/16/washington-refines-its-false-flag-operations-paul-craig-roberts/
“The only benefactor of the Paris attack is the Western political establishment and Washington’s goal of unseating Assad in Syria. The Paris attack has removed the threat to the French, German, and British political establishments from the National Front, Pegida, and the UK Independence Party. The Paris attack has removed the threat to the US political establishment from Trump and Sanders. The Paris attack has advanced Washington’s goal of removing Assad from power.
The answer to the Roman question, “cui bono,” is clear.
But don’t expect to hear it from the Western media.”
BarkinDog is off sailing. So I get to bark on the blog.
We don’t need any refugees either.
Tom: The “soft on Communism” accusations made JFK and LBJ more militaristic. I am not saying JFK was “pushed” where he did not want to go. He did run for office on his PT 109 thing. And when he got into office he spent time with Marlyn Monroe and others. Nixon got us out of Nam but did it slowly. I am not sure that a Democrat President would have been able to leave Nam without taking a beating.
Today there are those in both parties who do not want ground troop warfare in Syria and Iraq or other muddle east territories. But Obama is getting it really hard today because he has not started the ground war. The war is coming. The Dems wont win unless Obama puts the human troops on the ground soon in Iraq, Syria and the hard place. Obama is between Iraq and a hard place. If he does not go to war he will go out a lame duck and be called worse.
Expect an attack in the U.S. any minute. I do think we will get hit soon.
NORAD, get ’em up. Get ’em ready.
Fort Detrick, get the bugs out.
It’s show time.
BitchinDog….There was a “cold warrior mentality” in the Democratic Party that I think was independent of any from Republican pressure to paint the Dems as “soft on Communism”.
We had two long term Senators from Washington State…Jackson and Magnuson…who were of that mold.
The Gene McCarthy or George McGovern “dovish” wing of the Democratic Party didn’t exist until the late 1960s.
There was a really interesting exchange in the Oct. 21, 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debate.
Nixon termed JFK’S plan to use Cuban exiles to “retake” Cuba as “dangerously irresponsible”. He specifically warned that such as invasion would be an open invitation for the Soviets to increase their presence in Cuba.
(The transcript of this 10-21-1960 debate is online).
In April 1961 we saw the Bay of Pigs fiasco, followed by the Cuban Missle Crisis 18 months later.
In some respects, I think JFK was more hawkish than Nixon. I cite the comments in this debate as an instance where Nixon was actually advising caution and restraint, rather than egging JFK on to take aggressive stance.
(I’m not a Nixon fan by any means…..this just happens to be a case where Nixon made some extremely accurate predictions, and was actually “dovish” compared to JFK.)
And what’s so odd is that those that call to let loose the dogs of War, are absolutely terrified of Syrian refugees. Just like they were terrified of Ebola. And Mexicans with cantaloupe calves.
Dog
You’re right. It’ll mean war. We’ll win. But here’s the hard part. What happens after we win? If we leave, ISIL or some other will morph right back. If we stay, we will be surrounded by a population that hates us as oppressors and occupiers.
We cannot win Part Two. Ever.
You’re offended by some Turks being insufficiently sorrowful? You’re gonna have to face a whole lot more hard to come as we race down this path.
JFK criticized Eisenhower over a non-existent ” missile gap” with the Soviets.
He also criticized Ike for allowing a Communist regime “90 miles from our shores”.
Nobody “pushed” JFK or LBJ into Vietnam.
I think that The Donald or another hawkish republiCon will win the White House race because of the terrorist events. If you go back to the late fifties and sixties the Democrats were accused of being “soft on Communism” and therefore John Kennedy and LBJ got pushed into Vietnam. This has morphed over to the terror world. They are indeed a threat and indeed it will take humans on the ground to defeat them. Not boots on the ground. Obama is looking lame. The Frogs and Krauts are not standing up with any readiness to send human troops into Syria and Iraq. Bombing is not enough. This will shift the election in favor of The Donald or some other hawk. Hillary will have to start clamoring for human troops on the ground or she will get beat. It is real clear. We dogs can see things clearly.
Just as a point of information and not one of confrontation here, the Turks are ‘protesting’ that there are no moments of silence for the Muslims that have died in Syria.
time to start choosing up sides for WWIII
Dieter, Then I would urge you to shop for groceries via Peapod or Amazon.
The behavior of vast numbers of Turks, who are supposedly allied with us AND France, jeering at a moment of silence for a terrorist attack in Paris, does nothing to engender trust. The celebrations after terrorist attacks around the world further mistrust.
We judge people by their actions, and Turkey’s commitment as an ally to the West just took a hit. The trend in the country is troubling.
For comparison, I’ve voiced my concerns about terrorists slipping in with the Syrian refugees. And yet I was outraged that a journalist tripped a parent with a child fleeing Syria. I was crushed that the US bombed a Doctors Without Borders hospital, and I still want to know what happened. I grieved for the civilians lost, especially the kids, regardless of ethnicity. And although Putin is a grave concern, I was heartbroken that a Russian plane was destroyed by a terrorist bomb, with children aboard.
I just can’t understand anyone who would be thrilled at harm befalling civilians, regardless of whose “team” they are on.
http://www.fortressoffaith.org/blog/2013/08/12/muslim-vs-jewish-contributions-to-civilization/