Erdoğan's Davos Performance

[Prof. Dr. Mukerrem Hic]

Much was said and written about Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erodoğan's theatrical performance at Davos World Economic Forum and
its effects in Turkish domestic and foreign policy. It is certain that
this incident proved to be an excellent campaign gimmick for the
coming local elections in Turkey. In the face of increasing vote
potential of main rival CHP, and losing votes to another religious
party (Saadet Partisi), Erdoğan's move was indeed calculated to win
back votes in Turkey, at the expense of losing influence in Middle
East peace negotiations as well as the West in general.

It is interesting to note that when accusing Mr. Perez, Erdoğan
mentioned they (Israel) disregarded the Torah (Old Testament). This
statement implies that states and heads of state should take whatever
religious book they believe in into account while making decisions, as
such, it implies that Erdoğan takes into account the Koran when he
administers Turkey. This behavior makes him an anti-laicist, against
the Constitution he swore upon.

This incident clearly shows that mild political Islam will, sooner or
later, gear its ugly head and turn to fanatical Islam and an anti-West
(including anti-Israel) stance. That's because mild political Islam is
simply incompatible with democracy as well as ties with the West.