By Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday accused his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron of pursuing Islamophobic policies, saying the French president was targeting Islam and Muslims.
Anti-Islam policies have “become a useful device’’ for some Western countries “to mask their own failures,” AA news agency cited Erdogan as saying in a speech delivered during an Organization of Islamic Cooperation meeting via video link.
“The latest examples of this would be the terms ‘French Islam,’ ‘European Islam,’ and ‘Austrian Islam’ being brought into the spotlight,” Erdogan said. Such moves, especially those by French President Macron, are actually meant to target Islam and Muslims, he added.
Earlier this month, Macron announced a plan to defend France’s secular values against what he termed as “Islamist radicalism,” saying the religion was “in crisis” all over the world. The French president’s remarks have prompted a backlash in the Muslim world, with Erdogan labeling them “a dangerous provocation.’’
Then, Erdogan called on Muslims worldwide to protect their communities from dangers such as terrorism and racism, which threaten to damage Islamic communities from within. There is a desire to “establish an anti-Islamic system wherein religion is only practiced at home, without permission for religious principles and symbols in the streets, workplaces, downtown, or social life,” Erdogan said.
Macron’s plan includes presenting a bill in December to strengthen a 1905 law that officially separated church and state in France.
Erdogan clarified his extremist and radical views and position claiming, “a system under which state controls religion can’t be democratic, and can only be considered totalitarian. Those who are disturbed by the rise of Islam attacking our religion.”
The threat is real and more active week after week; Erdogan is spreading for months now a “Wind of Terror and Deterrence”. His goal is crystal clear, but he probably needs to realize the “Old Turan” and “The Great Ottoman Empire“ wont be his own playground and/or restored again, ever !
Sources: AA Agency – Web26 TV – DiplNet
Comments