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POPSHijab is a personal choice not state law in Turkey In the early eighties, Iran imposed the hijab on its female citizens, while Syria banned it from schools during the same period. Syria gradually came to terms with the hijab, as the number of Syrian women who chose to wear it increased drastically during the nineties. The hijab is enforced today in Iran and Saudi Arabia, and banned in Tunisia . France banned the hijab in 2004, and far right politicians and pundits are calling for similar bans in other European countries . The Turkish parliament passed a constitutional amendment that practically repealed early constitutional provisions that allowed the Turkish government to ban the hijab from government buildings, universities, and schools. Although the lifting of the ban is not in force yet, the confrontation over this issue with secularists who control the military and the courts has already started. Secularist Turks are up in arms, protesting the new amendment .
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POPSLetter From Kurdistan --<< " It deals with Baghdad but to its misfortune, Baghdad's chief diplomat, foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari just happens to be the uncle of Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan region. It is the progress here that the families of the fallen American soldiers can forever claim that their loved ones did indeed liberate a people from the chains of oppression.
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POPS Iraqi Government Shuts Down PKK Rebels Offices
As pictures emerged apparently showing eight Turkish soldiers captured in recent clashes at the Iraqi border, Gordon Brown urged Baghdad to help to “root out” terrorist attacks. The Prime Minister made his comments after talks with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his Turkish counterpart. Mr Brown offered support to the Turkish Government while urging restraint in its dealings in Iraq with the PKK, and condemned “absolutely and unequivocally” the violence of the organisation Mr Brown also said that the Government would proscribe the PKK and organisations associated with it in Britain. “We will step up our counter-terrorism co-operation with the Turkish Government to deal with this issue.”He emphasised that his country had no territorial designs on Iraq but added: “The Iraqi Government must know we can exercise this mandate we have received from the Turkish Parliament at any time.” adding: “We cannot wait for ever, so we have to make decisions, our own decisions.”
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POPSTurkey is Not Having A Gay Ol' Time Turkey is not having a great time lately. The Armenian genocide declaration is pissing them off, their Parliament has given the okay for an invasion of Iraq, and now their EU membership application is being threatened because of their closing of a major gay organization's office. Who knows? If they keep this up, America might have to ban them from the Thanksgiving Day table.
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POPSTurkey votes to open new front in Iraq war In Washington, President Bush spelled out US opposition to a Turkish invasion of northern Iraq. "We are making it very clear to Turkey that we don't think it is in their interest to send troops into Iraq," he said. Nato, of which Turkey is a member with the organisation's second biggest army, and the EU also urged restraint.
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POPSThe Iraqi Military???? You've gotta be kiddin', right??? What Iraqi military OR government??? It's The United States of America and Iraq. I think I'm gonna be sick.
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POPSTurkish Parliament approves Iraq offensive The vote was 507-19 They stressed the offensive against the PKK or Kurdish resistance, would not start immediately, and would proceed over a one year time period. President Bush said ":We don't think it's in their interests to send more troops in" Turkey already has troops stationed in Iraq. Oh yeah, their country is just a few miles north of the Real terrorism. So now he runs Turkey, but beside that, with all of the statistics and calls for help the U.S. Admin has issued with regard to help with the war in Iraq, the Turkish Govt's aim seems the same as the Iraqi's, to "Halt the terrorist activities of the PKK in Iraq," I don't know why the Turkish action won't achieve the same as that of the US. Perhaps the type help requested by the US is too specific. Bush wants WASPs (White Anglo Saxon Protestants), with a few notable Minority figures in charge.
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POPSTurkish incursion threatens only part of Iraq still at peace
From the article: The impact on the region of a Turkish attack, if it takes place, will depend on the extent of the intervention. If it is confined to the mountains on the frontier, where there are only a few villages, then the KRG would be unlikely to respond. Turkish incursions by 35,000 to 50,000 troops in 1995 and 1997 failed to achieve anything. But if Turkish forces advance into important towns and cities then Kurdish troops would be bound to respond. The KRG will also want to prevent a precedent being established whereby the Turkish army can cross the Turkish-Iraq frontier at will. Turkey has been alarmed to see the development of an effectively independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq and an Iraqi government in Baghdad in which the Kurds play a leading role. It is particularly anxious about the referendum which might lead to the oil province of Kirkuk joining the KRG under a poll which was promised under the constitution for the end of 2007 but may now be delayed."
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POPSGul is the 11th President of Turkey In April, the army expressed its concern after Mr Gul only narrowly failed to gain enough support from MPs to become president in a first round. The following stand-off between the AKP and secularist parties in parliament triggered a political crisis that led to snap elections in July. The AKP won those polls convincingly with 47% and again nominated Mr Gul for the post of president.
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POPSIslam, Turkey, and Why We Should Be Worried...
By "Centers of Evil" General Buyukanit is referring to the likely future president of his country, as well as the majority of their parliament. Now I know that calling a President evil has become kinda banal lately for most Americans, but I think this guy sounds like he means business. (Although what 'evil' means to a secularist is up for grabs, I guess!) What will the US do? On the one hand we might fall into the old pattern of supporting a military coup over an inconvenient democratic election. (We've done it before... a lot!) This would just re-confirm for the rest of the world their belief that America is anti-democratic and imperialistic. It would send a disastrous message to the Afghans and Iraqis, forever damaging our ability to convince them that we are not invaders. What is more, it would confirm for many that the US is anti-Islamic. But on the other hand, does anyone have the political stones to embrace and protect an Islamic Democracy?
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POPSTurkey's Gul vows secular agenda Mr Gul's previous presidential bid triggered protests in May because of his Islamist roots. Opponents dislike the fact that his wife wears the Muslim headscarf, which is banned in state institutions. The failure of the bid led to an early general election, in which Mr Gul's party won a convincing victory.
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