The Council of Europe Tries to Rein in Erdogan

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Recep Tayyip Erdogan, not content with turning Turkey’s secular democracy into an islamized and islamizing despotism, has been expanding his influence and power among the large Turkish communities in Western Europe. There are at least five million Turks in Western Europe, with three million of them in Germany alone, and substantial numbers in the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, France, and Sweden. Before Erdogan, Turkish governments left those Turks largely alone to work and send money home, but Erdogan sees the Turks in Europe as both an extension of his political realm, and as participants in a demographic Jihad, outbreeding the Infidels and thus helping to gradually turn Europe into an Islamic domain.

Before the Turkish Referendum in April 2017, by which Turkey’s government was transformed from a parliamentary democracy to a presidential system, with greatly increased powers for Erdogan, Turkish politicians attempted to campaign among Turks in Europe, but were prevented from doing so by the nations involved — mainly Germany and the Netherlands — a move which led Erdogan to call those blocking his political rallies in Europe as guilty of “Nazi methods.” Erdogan himself did manage to speak to a rally in Bosnia. He believes that his men should have the right to campaign and hold political rallies wherever there are Turks.

The Europeans do not agree. Nor do they agree with his massive support for mosques and imams in Europe. The Council of Europe in late October asked the Islamist government of Turkey to stop funding Islam overseas for political purposes.

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The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, an intergovernmental organisation which predates the European Union, has called on its members to “put an end to any foreign funding of Islam which is used for the purpose of national political expansion into other States under the guise of Islam,” according to the Stockholm Center for Freedom.

Through the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs, or Diyanet, Erdogan funds 1,000 Turkish mosques in Germany alone, and many hundreds more elsewhere in Europe, and pays, too, for their imams. This allows him to maintain his influence among these European Turks, with the imams naturally delivering sermons that support Erdogan. The clerics also keep tabs, and report, on those worshippers who give signs of disaffection with the Turkish government.

Erdogan has made statements, too, about Turks in Europe that naturally alarm Europeans. In 2017, he called Turks “the future of Europe.” He implored his compatriots living on the Continent to have large numbers of  children as an act of revenge against the West’s “injustices.”

“Go live in better neighborhoods. Drive the best cars. Live in the best houses,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in the city of Eskisehir, while campaigning for a referendum that would solidify his power. “Make not three, but five children. Because you are the future of Europe. That will be the best response to the injustices against you.”

When Austria closed seven Diyanet-support mosques and expelled some “foreign-funded” (Turkish) imams, Erdogan responded with his characteristic fury, claiming that “these measures taken by the Austrian prime minister are, I fear, leading the world towards a war between the cross and the crescent.”

One can well imagine how Erdogan would react if the Austrian government decided to build churches in Turkey, and to pay their priests and pastors.

Erdogan sees the Turks in Europe, including those with dual citizenship, as extensions of Turkey under his wise rule. His payments to, and therefore power over, the Turkish mosques in Western Europe help protect and project his power. The imams he supports naturally endorse his views.

Now the Europeans have decided to rein him in. Alarmed by Erdogan’s meddling in Europe through his religio-poliitical network of Diyanet-financed mosques and imams, the Council of Europe has called for an end to foreign-funded mosques. Clearly this is aimed at Turkey, which has used its Diyanet-funded network of mosques and imams to promote, among millions of Turks in Europe, Erdogan’s authoritarian rule, including  re-islamizatoin, at home.

Erdogan may huff and puff about this demand, but in the end he must recognize that these European countries have the power to follow Austria’s example, and shut down mosques and expel imams deemed too connected to promoting Erdogan’s political power, whether at home or  among Turks abroad.

Turkey is not now in a strong enough position, politically or economically, to defy the Council of Europe. Turkey’s handling of the Khashoggi affair, while perfectly justified, has made Erdogan permanent enemies in Riyadh. Furthermore, Turkey has declared itself on the side of Qatar, now being blockaded by its neighbors, and in turn Qatar has given Turkey 15 billion dollars in financial support. This infuriates not only Saudi Arabia, but also the other Gulf states — the Emirates, Bahrain, as well as Egypt — that are attempting to punish Qatar for its close relations both with Iran and with the Muslim Brotherhood. In Syria, Turkey has long supported the opposition to Bashar al-Assad, but it was the wrong horse to bet on, for Assad is still standing, that opposition eviscerated, and in retaining  power, Assad will not forget how the Turks supported his mortal enemies.

The Turkish economy is suffering, too. The Turkish lira has been plunging in value. There is both a currency and debt crisis. American tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum are still in place, even after Pastor Brunson was released. And even the Turks predict that while sanctions on Turkish ministers may end, the tariffs on aluminum and steel are likely to continue. Turkey has taken in four million Syrian refugees, on which it has spent 32 billion dollars. It needs to husband its resources. Supporting all those mosques in Europe is a colossal drain.

Turkey is not in a good position to defy the Council of Europe. The populist parties in Europe, justifiably anxious about Islam, are increasing their numbers everywhere. Austria, having shut down seven Turkish-funded mosques, and expelled sixty foreign-paid imams, most with ties to Turkey, suffered no consequences despite the dire warnings from Erdogan. Erdogan needs economic support — investments — more than ever from European countries, and if he still hopes that Turkey might become a member of the E.U., he will need their political support as well.

Erdogan has now had his successful referendum. Turkish voters, including those resident in Europe, have given him what he wanted: an end to parliamentary democracy in favor of a powerful executive. As an authoritarian president he can now serve, under the new rules (by which he can “reset the button” on when his term begins), two five-year terms, beginning in 2019 and ending in 2029. For now, he hasn’t any further need of those Turkish voters in Europe.

While American sanctions remain in place, while the Turkish economy is in deplorable shape, with high inflation, a trillion-lira budget, and $32 billion already spent on Syrian refugees, the Turks need both European investments  and aid, neither of which are likely to be forthcoming if he refuses to cooperate with the Council of Europe.

He is not being asked for much by the Council. All he has to do is stop funding the Turkish mosques and imams in Europe. Those mosques won’t close down. The millions of Turks in Europe, who first started to arrive in the 1960s, are now both numerous and rich enough to support those mosques themselves. They may not have the money to build mega-mosques, like the one Turkey just built in Cologne for 1,200 worshippers, but they can certainly provide regular maintenance for the Turkish mosques that have already been built. Similarly, those imams who used to be paid by Diyanet, will not have changed their views, or their political support for Erdogan, just because their salaries would now be paid by the members of the mosque.

By agreeing to the Council of Europe’s demand that Diyanet stop paying for those Turkish mosques and imams in Europe, Erdogan will be relieved of supporting nearly 1,000 Turkish mosques in Germany alone, and hundreds elsewhere in Europe. More than a billion dollars will be saved at a time when Turkey is economically on the ropes. He will not just save the state a pretty penny, but make it more likely that the faucet of European investments in Turkey will again be turned on.

Ending this financing makes perfect sense for the Turks. Unfortunately, their maximum leader has shown himself so often to be a creature of mad passion, warning a war between “the Cross and Crescent,” and promising to lead a pan-islamic war against Israel. But perhaps, this time, he will follow not his neo-Ottoman dreams and schemes, but his hard-headed economists, who will point him in quite a different, more sensible direction.

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Phil McDonald
Phil McDonald
5 years ago

Don’t underestimate the little rich Erdogan. He absolutely dismantled the lies told by the Saudi regime’s involvement, in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

felix1999
felix1999
5 years ago
Reply to  Phil McDonald

Honestly I could care less about his murder. As soon as he stepped in the Saudi embassy he was on Saudi soil. They can do whatever they like. He was a fool to go in there for proof of his divorce. He was only a permanent resident in the U.S., not a full U.S. citizen. He was in the U.S. hiding from Saudi Arabia. He did not approve of Saudi opening up more. Jamal was part of the Muslim Brotherhood and Turkey also favors the Muslim Brotherhood. Turkey was trying to create a rift between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. Turkey is no friend of Saudi Arabia.

Trump is also right, if we don’t get the defense contract, China or Russia will get it. It might as well be the U.S.. The idea is to use Saudi Arabia as the stabilizer in the middle east. Who knows if that will work. I only know that I am tired of seeing Americans over there as mercenaries. Let the Muslims fight it out without us. There will never be peace with Muslims.

santashandler
santashandler
5 years ago
Reply to  felix1999

Yes, why did he set foot in that embassy if he knew he had already pissed them off and they were looking to get even with him. He could have had them FedEx all his papers to him.

David Grisez
David Grisez
5 years ago

The nation of Turkey with its funding of mosques in European countries shows one of the many things that Islam does to increase its influence in the world. In a very similar fashion in the United States there are mosques that receive funding from wealthy Arab Muslim countries. The United States government should stop all foreign funding of mosques and Islamic activity in this country.

felix1999
felix1999
5 years ago
Reply to  David Grisez

Agree and keep foreign money OUT of our education.

Laddyboy
Laddyboy
5 years ago
Reply to  felix1999

This, I take it, is directed to ‘cair’ that has tried its best to influence the educational system in America.
By the way, ALL FOREIGN NATIONAL MONEY should be stopped when it is connected to organizations which go against the McCarran / Walter Act or, if you prefer, the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Suresh
Suresh
5 years ago
Reply to  Laddyboy

They are aided by the dumb , ignorant Left/Liberal loons coming out of colleges/schools run by pro-jihadi left/liberal loons

And by the time they realise their stupidity they get assaulted , gang raped or murdered like this couple its too late for them https://tinyurl.com/yahupccy

Problem is they enable evil while not able to see evil thanks to pro-jihadi left/liberal indoctrination in schools/colleges where real history of islam and America is no longer taught.

chris VN
chris VN
5 years ago
Reply to  David Grisez

The United States government should stop all Islamic activity in this country.

spacearcadian
spacearcadian
5 years ago

Islam will dominate anyway

Trevor Fortune
Trevor Fortune
5 years ago
Reply to  spacearcadian

Only the goat herds, and even they are getting sick of your smell now.

aebe
aebe
5 years ago
Reply to  spacearcadian

Inbred and insane, islamites are good only for making trouble.

santashandler
santashandler
5 years ago
Reply to  aebe

Soon, they’ll be good for the dog food making machine

Tilt
Tilt
5 years ago
Reply to  spacearcadian

Islam / Muslim’s have only TWO advantages which are:

a) The sheer insanity / treachery / corruptibility of the degenerate, “progressive”, globalist segment of western society (used to be almost 50% of total, but now quickly diminishing in numbers), which aligned itself in many ways to the Imperialistic, Islamic Evil – This advantage will very soon disappear (within the next 5 years) as more and more non Muslims, are waking up to smell the foul scent of rotting corpses that is Islam / Muslims and their “progressive” enablers

b) Muslims breed allot (far more then non Muslim westerners) while clinging to their primitive, tribal, backward savagery of a “religion” / culture – This advantage will persist up until the furious / combative / uncompromising west that will emerge in the post globalist / “progressive” era (within the next five years at most) will begin mass deportations of Muslims back to their Middle Eastern / north African / central Asian hell holes

Other then these to advantages, Islam / Muslims are nothing but glaring, blood thirsty, degenerate failures

felix1999
felix1999
5 years ago

Hmmmm are the SHEEP waking up?
The EU can not accept Turkey because the EU has banned capital punishment. Muslims LOVE capital punishment!
If annoyed enough, Turkey can open it’s borders to flood the EU with more Muslims.
http://iranpoliticsclub.net/cartoons/steph-bergol1/images/12%20Turkish%20Wolf.jpeg

felix1999
felix1999
5 years ago

Just how will they reign him in? He’ll just flood the EU with more Muslims!
Germany is already paying Turkey money not too. All he has to do is threaten to open his borders more to let the Muslims though to the EU and they will give him more money. As the standard of living declines and retirement ages extended and Muslims not stepping up as the replacements, where will the money come from to keep funding this disaster?

http://www.barenakedislam.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/erdogan-cartoon.png

santashandler
santashandler
5 years ago

Even the Turkish people living in Turkey, have to find it annoying at best, that Erdogan is using their money to fund mosques in other countries.

R. Arandas
R. Arandas
5 years ago
Reply to  santashandler

And their influence is vast indeed. I visited Sub-Saharan Africa once, and this was in a predominantly Christian country, but there was a huge, newly built Turkish-funded mosque in this neighborhood I visited.

aebe
aebe
5 years ago

The EU has fluttered off to Iran, promising to replace the money not being gotten from the US .

felix1999
felix1999
5 years ago
Reply to  aebe

The EU wants Muslim money. In the near future the EU will run out of money. The Muslim replacements aren’t pulling their weight in the EU. They are busy collecting social benefits and raping whatever comes their way. They want to be supported by the infidel – not work FOR the infidel. All the EU is doing is insuring a take over by Muslims. They are literally selling out to Islam! I find it horrendous beyond words.

Ari
Ari
5 years ago

An interesting article. However the Council of Europe is full of dishonest politicians and in reality it is a kind of fascist organization. It has exactly the same agenda as the MS media and MS politicians have. It is silent on everything which is hushed or censored in the MS media.

The Council of Europe never publishes anything which might undermine the European governments. We can never hear the voice of ordinary citizens from the Council. comment image Finnish journalist Auli Valpola (Nelonen TV)

R. Arandas
R. Arandas
5 years ago

Turkey will never become part of the West if it still feebly clings to Islam’s ridiculously outdated teachings.

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