Strong opinions based on shallow information

Submitted by Cagri (Netherlands), Mar 5, 2010 at 07:22

This user comment is a very good example of having strong opinions with limited knowledge meshed with usual European prejudices about Turkey.

I first intended to respond to inaccuracies, and baseless judgmental claims all around this particular user comment, but they are just too many and too diverse to take out one by one and respond. The comment really demonstrate nicely the deep hate towards Turkey, using all possible, partially informed criticism that can be put together, whether they are relevant to original article or not.

The article you are commenting on accurately observes a struggle between two ideologies that try to take/keep control of Turkey. On one side Kemalism represented by the army, and the Islamist movement represented by the current government of AKP on the other. I'm not a Kemalist by any means, and I am well aware of the vices the Kamalism as with any other ideology followed blindly. However, when I put two possibilities together, I think it is a gross mistake to side by AKP, if you really care for democracy and freedom.

Despite it's conservative autocratic practice, Kemalizm do encourage progress, modernity, science. While the stop that the AKP and its previous incarnations wants to get off from the 'democracy tram' (AKP leader Erdogan publicly said 'Democracy is a tram, we take it until the stop we intend to go'), only includes what Islamic rule says, and it certainly does not encourage any of the above, and keeps the autocratic practice with a stronger tinge of conservatism.

If you are interested to see the country go down because you hate it for its past or whatever reason, go on and support AKP and Islamists. But, if you have any interest for a modern/democratic Turkey, do criticize the Kemalists, not by supporting a worse option. The Turkey I grew up had been far less religious, but thanks to US/European recipe against communism we have the current state now. And, now, if powers that be feel that AKP is the cure for Kemalism, the country may indeed go where AKP wants to take it.

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