Secular rally targets Turkish PM

**ahmet** · 14 Apr 07,, 15:30

From CNN 200,000 protest against Turkey PM - CNN.com

200,000 protest against Turkey PM
POSTED: 1117 GMT (1917 HKT), April 14, 2007

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- More than 200,000 Turks protested against Turkey's Islamic-rooted prime minister Saturday, demonstrating the intense opposition he could face from Turkey's secular establishment if he decides to run for president next month.
Protesters called on the government to resign and chanted slogans including, "We don't want an imam as president."
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has brandished his strong religious convictions while at the same time pushing Turkey toward European Union membership, represents a challenge to secularists' traditional approach to government in this 99-percent Muslim country. Many fear that if he or someone close to him wins the presidency, the government will be able to implement an Islamist agenda without opposition.
But with Erdogan's popularity and firm control over parliament, his opponents may have little power to stop him if he does decide to run. His party was elected to an overwhelming majority in parliament and can appoint whomever it wants to the presidency.
The pro-secular military retains a strong influence over politics, however, and in 1997 generals pressured Erdogan's mentor out of the prime minister's office because he was viewed as excessively religious. Any serious tensions between the government and the military could have a serious effect on the economy, analysts warn.

Tens of thousands traveled from across the country overnight to attend the rally in downtown Ankara. Police cordoned off the meeting area -- near the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the revered founder of modern Turkey and the symbol of its secular identity. Police on the scene estimated the crowd at more than 200,000.
Many residents in the capital hung flags out of their balconies or windows in support of the rally. Protesters shouted, "Turkey is secular and will remain secular." Many draped themselves in Turkish flags and carried posters of Ataturk.
"I'm here to prevent Recep Tayyip Erdogan from becoming president," said Serkan Ozcan, a 30-year-old engineer who traveled nearly 370 miles from Izmir to attend the rally. "Never has someone of that mentality been president and never will there be."

Turkey's staunchly pro-secular president, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, said Friday that the threat Islamic fundamentalism posed to the country was higher than ever -- a warning clearly directed at Erdogan.
"For the first time, the pillars of the secular republic are being openly questioned," Sezer said in an address to military officers.
Erdogan's government denies it has an Islamic agenda, but critics say the government is inching the country toward increased religious rule.

The prime minister has stoked secularist concerns by speaking out against restrictions on wearing Islamic-style head scarves in government offices and schools and taking steps to bolster religious institutions. He also tried to criminalize adultery before being forced to back down under intense EU pressure, and some party-run municipalities have taken steps to ban alcohol consumption.
Sezer steps down on May 16. Parliament, which is dominated by lawmakers from Erdogan's party, will elect the new president early next month. Erdogan's party was expected to announce its candidates for the position this month.

"We hope that someone who is loyal to the principles of the republic -- not just in words but in essence -- is elected president," Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, chief of the military, said Thursday in a statement widely interpreted as a warning to Erdogan not to run.
The fiercely secular generals staged three coups between 1960 and 1980, and in 1997 led a campaign that pressured Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan's pro-Islamic government out of power.

The rally was organized by Sener Eruygur, president of the Ataturk Thought Association and former commander of Turkey's paramilitary forces.

Although largely ceremonial, the presidency has become a symbol for secularism under Sezer. A former Constitutional Court judge, he has vetoed a record number of laws he deemed to be in violation of the secular constitution and has blocked efforts to appoint hundreds of reportedly Islamic-oriented candidates to important civil service positions.
Adding to secularists' concerns over an Erdogan run, some members of Erdogan's party have floated the idea of moving Turkey toward a U.S.-style presidential system with a more powerful executive rather than the current parliamentary system.
The generally pro-government newspaper (*)Zaman reported Friday that Erdogan had ordered his party to avoid talk of moving toward a presidential system until after the elections.

(*) Zaman is a pro-Islamic newspaper.

**ahmet** · 14 Apr 07,, 15:35

From BBC BBC NEWS | Europe | Secular rally targets Turkish PM

Secular rally targets Turkish PM

Many of the demonstrators are middle class and highly educated
Tens of thousands people have gathered in Turkey's capital Ankara for a rally in support of secularism.
The rally comes two days before the presidential election process begins and is intended to pressure current PM Recip Tayyip Erdogan not to stand.

His opponents accuse him of having an Islamic agenda - a charge he denies.

The protest is taking place near the mausoleum of the country's most revered leader, Kemal Ataturk, who founded the Turkish republic as a secular state.
Tens of thousands of people were brought to the capital by bus for the protest.

The square near the mausoleum was jam-packed with people, many of them draped in red-and-white flags and chanting anti-Islamic slogans.
"Turkey is secular and will remain secular forever," they shouted. Islamic state fears
The BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Ankara says the demonstrators are mainly middle class and highly educated people.

"I feel a little scared about the developments. I would not like to have an Islamic regime in Turkey," one demonstrator, who gave her name as Nursel, told the BBC.
"I would like to protect the secular system. That's why I am here. Especially as a female, this is very important for me."

Mr Erdogan says he will uphold Ataturk's values
There has been increasing speculation that Mr Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party will nominate him as its candidate to replace the current president, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, who steps down in May.

If nominated, he would be almost certain to be elected by parliament, where his party has a healthy majority.

Correspondents say that despite the large turnout at the rally the secular establishment, including the army, has no real power to prevent Mr Erdogan from winning.

In five years in power, Mr Erdogan's government has overseen a wide range of democratic reforms.

However, our correspondent says that critics point to earlier attempts to criminalise adultery and appoint an Islamic central banker as signs of things to come.
Mr Sezer warned in a speech on Friday that the threat to Turkey of Islamic radicalism was stronger than ever.

**ahmet** · 14 Apr 07,, 16:05

Photos from the meeting at

HABERTÜRK - Türkiye'nin En Büyük Ýnternet Gazetesi

**glyn** · 14 Apr 07,, 16:24

Thank you ahmet for informing us

. I have not seen anything about this in the UK media.

**Ray** · 14 Apr 07,, 16:25

I saw it on BBC.

But what I found interesting is that the BBC lady reporter was dressed in black and wore a headscarf.

The protesters and I presume they were Moslems were without headscarf and were in rather colourful clothes and not one was in black!

I found it amusing, stupid and intensely irritating that a Western lady was acting idiotic and pretending that Turkey was some Iran or Saudi Arabia! A subtle method of disinformation?

Innocently suggestive?

This type of innocent suggestion makes one wonder if there is an agenda! And if it were a disinformation campaign it does not cut ice with those who are aware and in Asia, it is mostly those who are educated who see the BBC and CNN.

It becomes embarrassing for those who wish the BBC and other channels well and take them to be a trifle more independent than others.

**ahmet** · 14 Apr 07,, 16:45

I watched news on BBC WORLD channel but the female reporter there wasn't wearing a headscarf at 3 pm in Turkiye i think that is 1 pm in UK. Maybe disinforming, yeah. I don't know why but I often see this kinda things. People in Europe and other countries think that all the Turkish people wear headscarves and are radical. Even some of them think Turks speak Arabic or something like that. In movies they shot Turkiye described and shown like an Arabic country. And that is what gets on my nerves. I can give examples if you like.

**Ray** · 14 Apr 07,, 16:54

It looked like a headscarf since it came down draped like the Punjabi 'dupatta'.

I am sure about the 'dupatta' type of a clothing!

Could it be a well oiled straight long hair that was so well shaped that it looked a headscarf?

Who knows?

I sincerely hope that I have seen it wrong.

Was the lady reporter in black?

**ahmet** · 14 Apr 07,, 17:09

Sorry about the duplicate post.

There is no agenda that has been explained. I doubt he would be still PM if he exposed his real plans on Turkiye's regime. But everyone knows if current prime minister or someone from his party becomes president there will be nothing to stop them to change the regime. This party had 27% of the votes in the last election. Actually he told his and his party's aims using some metaphors, not directly, in one of his speeches in national assembly. He said something like "river flows in its own way and you can't change it" calling to military and other secularist people in Turkiye. He means this 27% of Turkiye who are ignorant and sharia lovers by river. He got many harsh reactions from constitutional courts, civil society organizations and military who are charged for protecting the secular sysytem of Turkiye. Our current president Ahmet Necdet Sezer was always an obstacle for them by vetoing their decisions.

**ahmet** · 14 Apr 07,, 17:10

Yeah, she was in black.

**ahmet** · 14 Apr 07,, 17:28

Actually there is one kind of headscarf that causes speculations. This headscarf worn by supporters of Erdogan's party and they made it a symbol of their party, a political symbol by wearing it in a different way and it looks stupid if you ask me. As you can guess Erdogan's wife is wearing it too. So another reason that he shouldn't be the president since president or his spouse shouldn't be carrying a symbol of any political parties. This is explained in our constitution clearly. It says president should represent all of the Turkish citizens not a bunch of sharia-wanna-bes.

And when you told them not to wear these politically sybolized cloths on their heads they talk about their religion's requirements or human rights and they head to the European Human Rights Courts. They think people are stupid.

**Ray** · 14 Apr 07,, 17:42

It will be a sad day if Turkey loses it secularism.

It took a lot of courage and will by Attaturk to change Turkey from a decadent Islamic country to what it is now.

**~~AlpErTunga~~** · 14 Apr 07,, 18:23

Originally Posted by Ray

It will be a sad day if Turkey loses it secularism.

It took a lot of courage and will by Attaturk to change Turkey from a decadent Islamic country to what it is now.

This sad day will never come; don't worry friend.

But there is single "t" in the word of Ataturk.

A man ,who doesn't know about the idea about Ataturk in Turkiye, may think wrong. I don't mean you. But generally western people think Ataturkism is an idea that is based on only one person. But Ataturk is not a man in Turkiye anymore. Ataturk is the symbol of Turkish independence; Turkish Revolution of Enlightenment; symbol of sovereignity of Turkish people. Because of these we are so sensitive to any 'wrong' word about him. He brought a ruin of Islamic puppet-empire to modern Turkish Republic.

**~~AlpErTunga~~** · 14 Apr 07,, 18:30

Originally Posted by Ray

I saw it on BBC.

But what I found interesting is that the BBC lady reporter was dressed in black and wore a headscarf.

The protesters and I presume they were Moslems were without headscarf and were in rather colourful clothes and not one was in black!

I found it amusing, stupid and intensely irritating that a Western lady was acting idiotic and pretending that Turkey was some Iran or Saudi Arabia! A subtle method of disinformation?

Innocently suggestive?

This type of innocent suggestion makes one wonder if there is an agenda! And if it were a disinformation campaign it does not cut ice with those who are aware and in Asia, it is mostly those who are educated who see the BBC and CNN.

It becomes embarrassing for those who wish the BBC and other channels well and take them to be a trifle more independent than others.

It is nice to see that you saw the picture, whic is tried to be drawn by 'others'. But; Why? Why do they want to do that actually?

**Ray** · 14 Apr 07,, 21:42

Because of Osama!

I know Turkey is not in league with that Arab, but then that is how the world perceives.

Again, it is a matter of perception. Osama and his AQ has got the world suspicious of all who are Islamic in structure.

The current Turkish govt's preoccupation and apparent tilt to religion does not appear encouraging!

**Amled** · 14 Apr 07,, 22:56

Originally Posted by Ray

The current Turkish govt's preoccupation and apparent tilt to religion does not appear encouraging!

A tilt that does not make it any easier for those forces within the EU who are fighting to have Turkey admitted to the Union.
Rather the opposite one would think, it is certain to put the wind in the sails of those who are opposing such a move.