Monday, May 16, 2005

Turkish PM on xenophobia, racism, anti-Semitism

"Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan has indicated today (Monday) that xenophobia, racism, anti-Semitism, pre-conceived notions against certain religions and IDs, as well as followers of radical religious ideas always exist. "These illnesses now include enmity towards Islam," stressed Erdogan."

"According to Erdogan, terrorism today kills innocent individuals and is taking place every where. "Terror hits without making discrimination among regions, religions and ethnicity. The fight against terrorism requires strong international cooperation. Drug and human trafficking, corruption and environment have become global problems," commented Erdogan.

Prime Minister Erdogan expressed that, after September 11, certain circles began to define terrorism within the boundaries of a certain religion and culture. "I want to emphasize the point that terrorism has no religion, culture, ethnicity or nationality. There is no religion on earth that tolerates killing individuals. September 11 resulted in wrong evaluations. I am pleased to see that logic has won the battle against terrorism and further gap between civilizations avoided," remarked Erdogan."

"Erdogan stated that, in the past two years, comprehensive reforms have been made in Turkey in the areas of personal freedoms and transparency. "We are aware of the fact that there is still a lot that Turkey must do. Our experiences show that, a country with a pre-dominantly Muslim population, can reach global standards of democracy by staying loyal to its traditions and moral values. The concepts of justice, equality, accountability, consultations, respect for individual and moral values are all concepts present in hundreds of years of Turkish culture," added Erdogan."
Turks.US - Turkish PM on xenophobia, racism, anti-Semitism

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