THE DAILY BLADE: Turks Tried For Converting To Christianity; Prime Minister Disses The Pope
In a case reminiscent of the consequences of Afghanistani
Hakan Tastan, 37, and Turan Topal, 46, are also accused of inciting religious hatred against Islam for allegedly trying to convert other Turks to Christianity. The men were charged under
The trial, which began on the eve of Pope
Notwithstanding
† In Turkey, workers at Turkey's Directorate General for Religious Affairs (known as "Diyanet") demanded that the Justice Ministry arrest the pope during his late November visit, and prosecute him for insulting Islam in the lecture he gave in Germany in September. Nationalists and pro-Islamists have been holding protest rallies denouncing the pontiff for the past several days.
† The Ministry of Education is "converting" 100 classic novels and fairytales into Islam for use in Turkish schools. In one of the fractured fairytales, Pinocchio asks Geppetto to "Give me some bread, for Allah's sake."
† A growing number of Turks see the alms distributed by Catholic missionaries as "paying for converts." A French Roman Catholic priest was stabbed in the Black Sea port of Samsun in July, the third such attack against a Catholic cleric in Turkey. In February, an Italian priest was killed while kneeling in prayer in his church in the nearby city of Trabzon, and before that, a Slovenian priest, was grabbed by the throat, thrown into a garden and threatened with death in the Aegean port city of Izmir. Also, a man upset by the newspaper caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad admitted to throwing a fire bomb on the roof of another church in Izmir.
The Associated Press reports that, "Turkish officials hope to use the visit to promote their ambitions of becoming the first Muslim nation in the European Union and to showcase their secular political system. But pro-Islamic groups - which have been gaining strength for years - perceive Benedict as a symbol of Western intolerance and injustices against Muslims."
So here’s how Turkey’s PR campaign is unfolding so far:
† This latest Article 301 trial of the two Christian converts is proving that the so-called "secular democracy" is as intolerant and unjust as any other fundamentalist Muslim nation.
† Nationalists and pro-Islamists are rolling out the red carpet for the pontiff with massive protest rallies (video) denouncing him.
† As a "sign of respect" to Islam, the pope plans to visit Istanbul’s renowned Blue Mosque. In return, as a sign of profound disrespect to Catholicism, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to absent himself during the pope’s visit – attending a NATO summit in Latvia – but indicates that the two "may meet briefly at the airport if their arrival and departure times coincide," according to The Associated Press (emphasis, The Stiletto’s).
Pope Benedict is known to oppose Turkey’s admittance to the EU and this increasingly pointless trip is not likely to persuade him - or other European leaders - that Turkey is democratic enough, secular enough, Westernized enough or civilized enough to co-exist harmoniously with the other member nations. Considering that a Turk tried to assassinate his predecessor - and without the provocation of having given a lecture that "insulted Islam" - Pope Benedict XVI might well be risking his life for nothing.
Update:
Turkey PM Deigns To Meet Pope; Not Safe To Use "Popemobile"
Reconsidering the wisdom of snubbing the pope, Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan has decided that the NATO summit in Latvia can get along without him for a few minutes (The Stiletto wonders whether someone reminded him that France, Italy, Spain and other EU nations have huge Catholic populations). He will grant the pope 20 minutes of his time at the airport on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, The Vatican is concerned enough for Pope's safety that he will be driven around in an armor-plated car, rather than riding in the "Popemobile." As an extra precaution, the papal entourage will include several look-alike vehicles as decoys. Fears over the pontiff’s safety are hardly misplaced: Earlier this month an anti-Pope protestor fired shots outside the Italian consulate in Istanbul. And the blog HotAir.com recently reported: "A potboiler novel currently on bestseller lists in Turkey titled Papa’ya suikast ('Attack on the Pope') predicts that Benedict will be assassinated."
Hear That? It’s The Sound Of Dem Campaign Promises Being Broken
Here’s a round-up of recent headlines that makes it clear that The Party With No Plan has no plans to keep its campaign promises:
† Dems Won't Find Enacting 9/11 Ideas Easy: Remember how Pelosi & Co. was going to implement every single one of the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations? Well, forget it. For one thing, many of the recommendations fall outside the purview of Congress.
† Democrats Split On How Far To Go With Ethics Law: After months of yammering about the "culture of corruption" on the other side of the aisle, Dems are dancing as fast as they can away from their promise of a "complete overhaul" of Congressional ethics rules. For one thing, there are no plans to curtail earmarks.
† Get Out of Iraq Now? Not So Fast, Experts Say: One of those "experts" being Carl Levin (D-MI), who is not supporting a pullout proposal that has ‘no meat on the bones," as President Bush put it. So Dems lack a consensus on how to fulfill their campaign promise to bring our troops home.
But here’s a campaign promise that the Dems – Henry Waxman (D-CA), in particular - will keep: Democrats Pledge Array Of Investigations.
Nice to know the Dems have their priorities straight.
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