Can Moderate Turks Right The Ship Before It Sinks?

Submitted by Dave (United States), Mar 20, 2016 at 16:39

Erdogan once famously quipped that "The mosques are our barracks...the faithful our soldiers". This neatly summarizes the uncompromising and aggressive nature of the Islamist ethos that has propelled much of the Mideast into a sort of medieval, balkanized anarchy. While some may quibble and point out that "Onward Christian soldiers.." is also militant, recall that the next phrase is "marching AS TO to war", a qualification underlining the metaphorical nature of what is expected of Christians. Just look around the Mideast, and it's evident that all too many faithful soldiers are making a shambles of the place by taking their marching orders too literally.

But this is Turkey, a country that until recently was on a glide path of convergence with the modern West. If only more Turks can wake up and see how destructive this reactionary ideology is, then Turkey can resume its progress, but will that happen before Erdogan succeeds in shutting down the democratic infrastructure? The clock is ticking and the audience is holding its breath.

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