Turkey solving its Kurdish and Islam problem

Graham Fuller is an expert that has his "specialties". For eight years he served at the head of the CIA's political assessment section. For 12 years he served the U.S. renowned Rand Corp as an expert on issues related to political Islam and ethnic clashes in the Middle East - Central Asia, especially on the Kurdish problem. He has written books on political Islam and the Kurdish problem.

You may or may not share his views. The point is, his impressions are quite interesting indeed. He took part in a conference staged in Ankara by the Eurasian Studies Center (ASAM) and he tried to speak (!) at Ankara's Middle East Technical University. I am saying he tried to because he was prevented from speaking. I think the students who acted in thatmanner did wrong. It must not be forgotten that by not letting him speak they missed the change to hear his views -- which they would probably find very interesting.

Fuller had the chance to disclose his views at MANSET (CNN TURK, 5 p.m.). For those who missed that program I want to give here part of his remarks.

Kurds may not be able to get what they expect According to Fuller the U.S. has embarked in Iraq on an adventure fraught with risks. He thinks that Iraq may see an explosion of Arab nationalism. However, he does think it likely that an Iranian type religious state will be founded there.

Even more interesting was his words on the Iraqi Kurds. He believes that Barzani and Talabani have been able to act almost as if they are at the head of an independent state but that after a government gets formed in Iraq they will not have that kind of freedom of movement anymore.

He says, "The state to be founded will attach great importance to the country's territorial integrity and will want the powers to be gathered in the hands of the Baghdad government once again, and this this will be contrary to the Kurds' expectations in general."

Would the system to be created by the northern Iraqi Kurds could whet the appetites of certain Kurdish groups living in Turkey?

Turkey has understood the Kurdish problem On the contrary, he stressed that Turkey has come to understand the Kurdish problem, seen how it can solve the problem and, in fact, taken significant steps to bring about a solution.

Fuller's view is important because he is an expert who has studied closely the Kurdish problem in Turkey.

"A happy Diyarbakir would bring affluence to Turkey while causing problems for the other countries in the region. An unhappy Diyarbakir, on the other and, would constitute a danger for Turkey."

According to Fuller, Turkish citizens of Kurdish origin would not envy northern Iraq because they know that they would not be able to get anywhere else the democracy they enjoy in Turkey.

Turkey has solved its political Islam problem Fuller stated also that Turkey has solved its political Islam problem.

"Turkey has solved the problem thanks to democracy. No other country in the region has accomplished that. Via elections it has carried into Parliament a party that focuses on Islam. Tomorrow, in a new election. it may take the power from their hands and give it to another party. I mean, the democratic system is functioning. In such a climate political Islam cannot survive. In this respect Turkey has set an example to the other Islamic countries in the region."

He stressed that rejection of the U.S. troop deployment in Turkey motion has made an incredible impact on the fellow Islamic countries, that their way of looking at Turkey -- a country that can say No to America -- has changed greatly.

In the EU Parliament I talked with numerous parliamentarians and I always heard the same words: "We used to think that Turkey's democracy was lame, that Parliament had to comply with whatever the military or the U.S. said. The motion incident has shown that our conviction was wrong."

Fuller does not expect a military operation to be directed against Iran. On the other hand he thinks that Washington will keep Tehran under political pressure and that maybe it will destroy Iran's nuclear installations.

The region, Turkey included, is rapidly changing. If we can keep up with the change, if we can cast aside the old, stereotyped views, we will all be relieved. However, there are some of us who resist change and they are not just a few people.

Do we need these imams?
Is this a storm in a teacup or a sinister move by the AK Party that shows the Islamic reflexes of Erdogan and his colleagues?
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has made a surprise move in a parliamentary commission to allow the recruitment of 15,000 more Muslim preachers (imams) sparking a new controversy.

If any government had made this move it would have created an uproar but when the issue involves a party which has its roots in political Islam the anger and suspicions double.

AK Party has been frequently accused as a party with an Islamic agenda. The party vehemently denies it has any connections with political Islam that has been the target of the strong military backed secularist establishment in Turkey for several decades.

So what is the issue?

The AK Party government originally wanted to recruit Muslim preachers simply because there is a serious deficit of these people in our mosques. About 13 years ago there were 83,000 Muslim preachers in Turkey catering for about 55 million people. Today our population is well beyond the 67 million mark and we only have 70,000 preachers which shows a serious deficit.

AK Party argues that Turkey needs at least 15,000 preachers to fill the deficit. Others say this is unacceptable as it will only boost the power of the party by providing favors to its pro-Muslim supporters. They sway the IMF has put serious limits in the civil servants to be employed by the government. They say AK Party is allowed only 38,000 new recruits and reserving 15,000 for preachers at the cost of teachers and medical personnel is a scandal. AK Party, however, points out that if the state does not fill the deficit of preachers others with ulterior motives will do the job and thus real zealots may be installed by these groups to preach to the people and thus promote political Islam.

AK Party may be justified in these arguments. Yes, our people should be preached by well trained people and should not be fed the wrong teachings which have nothing to do with Islam. However, we feel the AK Party government has once again made a mistake of taking a step without calculating its consequences.

They should have realized that this is an extremely touchy issue that creates deep sensitivities in the military as well as certain quarters of our society. Why bring up the issue now when we are going through a sensitive period where people are playing the tight rope acts as we legislate sweeping reforms including reducing the role of the military in domestic issues?

As these are explosive issues the government should have prepared a solid case for recruiting these preachers, should have made good public relations to convince the masses that such a move is needed and then should have made its move. Such actions in a parliamentary commission only raises question marks about the real intentions of the government.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his colleagues should appreciate these and act accordingly.

http://www.turkishdailynews.com/FrTDN/latest/comment.htm

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