Turkish Pres Gül warns of dark Middle Ages in Muslim world.

Turkish Pres Gül warns of dark Middle Ages in Muslim world.(TZ).

President Abdullah Gül warned the Muslim world on Friday of the possibility of facing the darkness of the Middle Ages as Europe once did if interest-based beliefs are combined with sectarian identity politics following the Arab Spring. 

“Will a renaissance that enjoys peace and prosperity or a regional era of recession in which people will be subjected to new troubles as a result of regional rivalries start at the end of this process in the 21st century?” the president asked the audience while delivering the keynote speech at the fourth İstanbul Forum organized by the Center for Strategic Communication (STRATİM).

According to the Gül, no country, society or sect will benefit from such an era, as he called the intra-civilizational clash a “disaster scenario” which would be worse than a clash of civilizations.

Gül said there is no dilemma between Islam and democracy and a pluralist rule, in which all faiths and cultures can find space for themselves, appeals to everyone. However, he said, “In no country was there a transition to a pluralist democracy overnight,” as he added that a process to establish democracy in any given society is necessary.

President Gül also referred to his landmark speech at the ministers of foreign affairs meeting of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in 2003, well before the people's movements in the Arab world were ignited, in which he called on the Arab world to put its house in order. “I had directed attention to the need for change in the region in my 2003 speech,” he noted. 

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Erdoğan said during a TV program on Thursday that Syria is heading towards a sectarian war. Stating that he has received new intelligence on Thursday, Erdoğan said members of a “different sect” are ferried to Syria by planes to fight there. “These are warriors and are involved in the war in Syria. We are facing such a danger,” Erdoğan commented.

As far as Egypt is concerned, Gül said the responsibility of building the future of Egypt lies on the shoulders of all Egyptian people. “We want Egypt to return to democracy as soon as possible and accelerate its economic development before it exhausts its own energy,” the president said. According to him, it is not only the Arab world but also the whole region and the international community who will be hurt by instability in Egypt.Hmmmm.....Damn they could have fooled me, i thought ssome parts never left the dark ages.Read the full story here.