Islam And The West

Jack Straw the current British Secretary of state for Justice and former Foreign Secretary under Tony Blair’s administration is currently visiting Turkey.

While giving a speech at the Bosphorous University in Istanbul Jack Straw called for secular Muslim Turkey to be allowed to join the European Union:

“Jack Straw yesterday called for Turkey to be allowed to join the EU to prove the West and Islam can live peacefully side by side….

…During a visit to Istanbul, the Justice Secretary said he was “frustrated with the difficulties being placed in the way” of Turkey joining the EU….

…In a speech at Bosphorous University, Mr Straw said: “Statesmen and women across Europe need to take care with Turkey’s future.

“One of the most significant threats faced today by civilised nations comes from the barbarism of international terrorism, from a violent and misguided ideology that seeks to drive a wedge between Western and Islamic cultures, and to resurrect a bloody past long since buried.

“A stable, prosperous Turkey anchored in the EU would be a powerful symbol indeed that the true divide lies not between our cultures, but between the vast majority of civilised people across the world and the uncivilised few who use terror to destroy the common values and beliefs which bind the rest of us.”

….Sir Andrew Green, chairman of Migrationwatch UK, said: “We need to be extremely cautious over admitting Turkey to the EU. The population will approach 100million by that time.

“We have already seen the huge impact of Eastern European migration to the West. Where dies Europe end its land border? Do we really want a border with Syria, Iraq and Iran?” ( Source: Daily Mail)

This latest call by Jack Straw brings up some rather interesting points for consideration. Rather than welcoming Turkey with open arms the European Union has for the most part tried its up most to obstruct Turkey’s entry at every stage.

Many European politicians as well as the general public are vocally opposed to the entry of Turkey to the E.U. The French President Nicolas Sarkozy made his opposition to Turkey an electoral pledge and after an E.U. meeting in June 2007 Sarkozy kept his word by disrupting talks on Turkey’s accession:

“Fresh from a diplomatic triumph at a European summit meeting here, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France on Monday blocked a key element of Turkey’s entry negotiations with the European Union, potentially derailing the large Muslim country’s efforts to join the bloc….

…Sarkozy made his opposition to Turkey joining the EU a central element of his presidential campaign, telling voters that Turkey was geographically not part of Europe and arguing that the country had no place in an already overstretched union. But he had previously indicated he would delay a fight with Turkey until autumn to avoid undermining the talks on a new European treaty.

Having secured an agreement on a new treaty over the weekend, however, French officials said Sarkozy was now keen to make good on his election promises. EU diplomats said that he had lobbied hard to prevent the opening of discussions with Turkey on economic and monetary policy because it could clear the way for its eventual membership in the euro and had particular political and symbolic resonance….

…President Sarkozy has spoken openly that because of geography he doesn’t believe Turkey should be a member of the EU,” said a French official, who requested anonymity. “He has made this clear and he will not change his mind.” (Source: International Herald Tribune)

Opposition to Turkey’s accession is not solely restricted to President Sarkozy or France but rather is Europe wide. In the Netherlands Geert Wilders a prominent politician is emphatically unequivocal in his opposition also:

“Turkey is an Islamic country and as such doesn’t belong in the EU. I’d sooner let Australia or Canada join,” says Wilders who was thrown out of the Liberal VVD party (part of the coalition government) last month because of his vociferous refusal to toe the party line on Turkey’s admission to EU…..

…Wilders’ main objection to Turkey’s EU membership is a fear that such a move will increase the number of Turkish immigrants into Europe, and especially to the Netherlands where Turks make up the country’s biggest immigrant group (352,000 in a total population of 16 million).

Wilders: “The flow [of Turks] is already too big. Some 30,000 non-Western people come into the Netherlands every year on the basis of marriage and family unification alone! I want to forbid this for the coming five years….

…His second objection is that Turkey’s membership would cost the Dutch tax-payer” even more money. Netherlands is already one of the EU’s highest contributors and according to Fischer Turkey’s membership would cost 11 billion euros in agricultural subsidies alone!”

Wilders’ third objection is that allowing Turkey to join would set a precedent for other non-Western countries to become members: “Before we know, we will have an Islamic EU. I don’t want that.”

He is also concerned that Turkey will be the EU’s biggest member in terms of national population in 10-20 years time and as such (under the new EU constitution) it will have a major voice in forming new legislation. “I don’t want Turkey to influence legislation in Europe, let alone in the Netherlands”. (Source: Expatica)

Opposition to Turkey’s accession has also come from “Christ” in the form of the Catholic Church. Cardinal Ratzinger before became Pope Benedict XVI twice warned Christian Europe against allowing Turkey to join the EU:

“Recently on two separate occasions, Cd. Ratzinger publicly cautioned Europe against admitting Islamic Turkey to the European Union and wrote to bishops around the world justifying that stand:

“The roots that have formed Europe, that have permitted the formation of this continent, are those of Christianity. Turkey has always represented another continent, in permanent contrast with Europe. There were the [old Ottoman Empire] wars against the Byzantine Empire, the fall of Constantinople, the Balkan wars, and the threat against Vienna and Austria. It would be an error to equate the two continents…Turkey is founded upon Islam…Th
us the entry of Turkey into the EU would be anti-historical.” (Source:Renew America)

Even the European populace is against Turkey joining the European Union. Eurobarometer is a survey conducted since the 1970’s on behalf of the European Commission recording public opinion and political attitudes.

In 2005 Eurobarometer recorded a majority of European citizens did not Turkey to join the EU:

“The latest Eurobarometer shows that 52% of Europeans do not want Turkey to join the EU while 53% do not think that the EU is listening to them.” (Source:Euractiv)

Below is a time line of Turkey’s attempts to join the European Union:

1959 – Turkey applies for associate membership in the European Economic Community.

1963 – Association Agreement signed, acknowledging the final goal of membership.

1964 – Association Agreement comes into effect.

1970 – Protocol signed providing a timetable for the abolition of tariffs and quotas on goods.

1980 – Freeze in relations following the 1980 Turkish coup d’état.

1983 – Relations fully restored following elections.

1987 – Application for formal membership into the European Community.

1989 – European Commission refuses to immediately begin accession negotiations, citing Turkey’s economic and political situation, poor relations with Greece and their conflict with Cyprus, but overall reaffirming eventual membership as the goal.

With all this talk of Europeans not allow the Turks to join the E.U. one would think that the Europeans were implacably opposed to having anything to do with the Muslim monstrosity that is Turkey. But this is not true as the Europeans work very closely as joint allies in NATO. That is right Turkey is a full fledged member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization since 18 Februray 1952. It also commands the largest armed forces in NATO after the United States numbering some 1,043,550.

With Turkey’s membership of Nato herein lies the European hypocrisy.

The Europeans are very happy to use Turkey as a military ally, to place their NATO bases in Turkey, to run around the Turkish countryside on military exercises, to use Turkey as a defence against Communism during the Cold War and now against terrorism but heaven forbid they allow the Turks to join the E.U. Turkey has been a stalwart European ally since 1952 and this is how the nice Europeans pay them back ? The message from Europe seems quite clear, the Turks are good enough to die for the Europeans but not good enough to live next door to them in an union.

NATO image source: Mysid

Technorati Tags: Islam Moslems Muslims War Terrorism Islamofascism Turkey Christianity European Union Jack Straw Islamophobia Bigots

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