ISIS 'religious ruling' sanctioned organ harvesting from 'infidels'.

ISIS 'religious ruling' sanctioned organ harvesting from 'infidels'. (Jpost).

Islamic State has sanctioned the harvesting of human organs in a previously undisclosed ruling by the group's Islamic scholars, raising concerns that the violent extremist group may be trafficking in body parts.

The ruling, contained in a January 31, 2015 document reviewed by Reuters, says taking organs from a living captive to save a Muslim's life, even if it is fatal for the captive, is permissible.

Reuters couldn't independently confirm the authenticity of the document. US officials say it was among a trove of data and other information obtained by US special forces in a raid in eastern Syria in May.

"The apostate's life and organs don't have to be respected and may be taken with impunity," says the document, which is in the form of a fatwa, or religious ruling, from the Islamic State's Research and Fatwa Committee.

"Organs that end the captive's life if removed: The removal of that type is also not prohibited," Fatwa Number 68 says, according to a US government translation.

The fatwa sanctioning organ harvesting justifies the practice in part by drawing an analogy to cannibalism in extreme circumstances, a practice it says earlier Islamic scholars had allowed. "A group of Islamic scholars have permitted, if necessary, one to kill the apostate in order to eat his flesh, which is part of benefiting from his body," it says.

McGurk said Islamic State's Research and Fatwa Committee reports directly to the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations, Mohamed Ali Alhakim, told Reuters the documents should be examined by the UN Security Council as evidence that Islamic State could be trafficking in organs to raise cash. Read the full story here.

Related: Iran: 'Syrian Terrorists Involved in Illegal Human Organ Trade.'

Turkey - 3 former ministers to be named members of criminal organization in graft indictment, Al Jazeera claims.

Turkey - 3 former ministers to be named members of criminal organization in graft indictment, Al Jazeera claims.(TZ).

Three of the four former Cabinet ministers who are involved in an ongoing graft probe are being referred to in the indictment about to be completed by prosecutors as high-level officials of a criminal organization, the Turkish version of the Al Jazeera news portal claimed on Wednesday.

“It will say in detail [in the indictment] that [three of] the former ministers are part of the hierarchic structure of the organization and that they occupy high positions within it,” the Al Jazeera Turk news portal, which has recently started to be published in Turkish, said.

According the report, out of the 94 people who were taken into custody as part of the corruption probe, 24 have so far been arrested. 

The sons of Güler and Çağlayan are also among those arrested as part of the probe, while the son of the fourth former minister involved in the graft, Environment and Urban Planning Minister Erdoğan Bayraktar, was released pending trial. 

Responding to the news portal's questions on Wednesday Güler dismissed allegations about corruption saying, “There is nothing I cannot account for.” 

Noting that he has refrained so far from speaking on the issue, as there is an ongoing judicial process, the former interior minister said: “I will make a statement in the days to come. I do not want to speak at the moment.”

According to the report prosecutor Celal Kara is working to complete the indictment for the corruption probe in which Reza Zarrab, an Iranian business person of Azeri origin who lives in Turkey, and Süleyman Arslan, the manager of Halkbank, a public bank, are also among arrested suspects.

“But it is not clear whether the name of Erdoğan Bayraktar will appear in the indictment being prepared by Mehmet Yüzgeç,” the report said. 

A criminal organization allegedly headed by Iranian business person Zarrab is claimed to have distributed to the ministers and their sons a total of TL 137 million ($66 million) in bribes to cloak fictitious exports and money laundering in which the organization was allegedly engaged. 

Since the launch of the graft probe, the government has replaced more than 2,000 police officers and some chiefs of police in various provinces, mainly in İstanbul and Ankara, some of them directly involved in the carrying out of the probe. 

Around 20 prosecutors, some of them being those who were conducting the graft probe, were removed from their posts and were appointed to other posts.Read the full story here.

Turkey's main opposition leader: "There is no coup, there is corruption."

Turkey's main opposition leader: "There is no coup, there is corruption."(HD).

'There is no coup, nobody plans a coup,' CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said at a parliamentary group meeting. 

The government is trying to cover up corruption by describing the recent graft probe as a coup attempt, Turkey’s main opposition leader has said.
“There is no coup, nobody plans a coup,” Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu told CHP lawmakers on Jan. 14 at a parliamentary group meeting.

“We asked questions and still expect answers; did coup plotters put $4.5 million in the show box of a bank’s general manager? Were four of your ministers coup plotters? They rob the country and [the prime minister] says he is the victim of a coup attempt. Enough with the victim tactics,” said Kılıçdaroğlu, referring to the recent graft probe that included high-level bureaucrats and the sons of three ministers.

Four ministers allegedly involved in corruption were removed from the Cabinet in a reshuffle that took place shortly after the probe launched on Dec. 17.

“Dec. 17 is very important,” said Kılıçdaroğlu. “I said ‘$247 billion liras have been stolen from the state,’ and the government said this number was exaggerated. Tell us the real number than.”
The CHP leader said “the people’s money” had been stolen. “The money taken is made up of the taxes of 76 million people,” he said.

Kılıçdaroğlu also criticized Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over the recent massive purges in the police department. He asked why police officers were now targeted, while on the contrary they were protected after they allegedly killed Gezi protesters Ali İsmail Korkmaz and Ethem Sarısülük.
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli also slammed the government over the corruption allegations.

“The government has awarded to tycoons the money that it withheld from the poor,” Bahçeli said at his party’s parliamentary group meeting. “The Turkish nation will settle accounts with this cruel government at the polls. The national will is going to end the rule of the bandits.”

He also slammed the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government’s broader economic policies, saying recent developments would force foreign capital to flow out of the country and noting Turkey’s major current account deficit.

“The country has to finance a debt of $220.5 billion in 2014. How can we find the resources in such a problematic situation? When will Prime Minister Erdoğan understand that he is throwing our beloved nation into the fire?” Bahçeli said.

Venice Commission head warns 'Erdogan's Turkey' about ‘hasty’ judicial bill.

Venice Commission head warns 'Erdogan's Turkey' about ‘hasty’ judicial bill.(HD).

The head of the Venice Commission has expressed a staunch warning to Turkey Jan. 14 on refraining from hasty judicial reforms that would endanger the independence of the judiciary.

The commission is the main advisory body of the Council of Europe on constitutional matters.

“I would like to underline the Venice Commission has not seen and even less, examined this text. However, we are aware serious concerns have been raised as to the compatibility of the amendments with international standards and the Turkish Constitution,” president of the Venice Commission, Gianni Buquicchio said in a statement when he was asked about the position of the Venice Commission on the proposed amendments. “By contrast, the current legislation, introduced only a few years ago, was positively assessed by the Venice Commission and is generally compatible with international standards.”

“Under these circumstances I can only strongly warn against making hasty decisions. The independence of the judiciary is of the utmost importance and in no case should the judiciary be subject to the control of the Ministry of Justice. Therefore, no law in this area should be adopted, and even less implemented, before its compatibility with international standards and the Turkish Constitution has been thoroughly examined and confirmed,” Buquicchio said.

“If the law were adopted and submitted to the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Turkey, implementation of the law should not begin before its constitutionality is confirmed by the Court.”

Buquicchio added the Venice Commission was ready, if asked, to examine the draft law, if appropriate, in co-operation with other Council of Europe bodies.Hmmmm......Erdogan: "Democracy is like a train. We shall get out when we arrive at the station we want."

Qatar, Saudi Arabia go separate ways on Syria war: report.

Obama 'admin' Officials To Meet With Syrian Jihadist Rebels In Turkey. 

Qatar, Saudi Arabia go separate ways on Syria war: report. (Alalam).

Qatar and Turkey, the first two biggest supporters of the war in Syria to topple the government, have left Saudi Arabia, another funder of the war, alone in a major shift of policy, a new report suggests.

When the s-called Free Syrian Army(FSA) first came to light more than two years ago, the main financial backers and supporters were Qatar and Turkey, were leading efforts to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government, a report in the Al-Monitor said.

“Today the FSA seems to be having its worst days,” the report said referring to latest troubles the armed group has been facing, mainly due to taking in al-Qaeda-linked and extremist groups that have recently turned gun on them.

The Al-Monitor’s report cited an Arab official from a country that used to be involved in the military support of the Syria conflict, saying that the main reason of recent changes was “a unified Turkish-Qatari decision to retreat from the Syrian mud after reaching a conclusion that the political solution might be the best choice not only for the Syrians but also for the region”.

The source, speaking on condition of anonymity was quoted as saying that Qatar’s former king had good relations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and their wives were friends. Even Qatari news channel Al-Jazeera didn’t start its anti-Assad coverage right at the beginning of the insurgency.

But Qatar soon turned to the opposite side because of a speech by Assad in the parliament at early stages of the insurgency which the source said wasn’t welcomed by Doha.

Almost three years of bloodshed in Syria, more than 120,000 people dead, and the rise of al-Qaeda in Syria are giving the Qataris and the Turks a clear indication that what’s to come is worse: “Since the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, many things changed in the region; it was as if there’s a decision to make the group’s main allies in the region pay the price, and in Syria this was clear,” the official source elaborated.

“Groups backed by Saudi Arabia were battling the FSA more than they fought the government, not to mention al-Qaeda affiliates in Syria who have a completely different agenda.”

When the former emir of Qatar stepped down, there was an internal decision to review policies. “Qatar is a small country with a lot of potential,” the source said. “There was a need to set priorities, development and business or politics, and the overwhelming answer was the first.” The source explained that this needed time, “with the help of main regional players in the region, and after arriving at a certain conclusion that there’s no real horizon in Syria, the decision was taken. Qatar stands by the Syrian people and will continue to help them, but it will help more in facilitating a peaceful end to the conflict.”

Qatar has been the biggest funder of war in Syria which started as pro-reform protests in 2011, but turned to into a massive insurgency following the intervention of Western and regional countries.

A report by the British Financial Times in May revealed that Doha government had spent more than 3 billion dollars to support anti-Syria war while Saudi Arabia was the second biggest supporter.

Saudi prince Prince Turki bin Faisal: US, UK didn’t help enough to topple Syria gov’t.

Saudi prince Prince Turki bin Faisal: US, UK didn’t help enough to topple Syria gov’t.(AlAlaam).

 Former Saudi spy chief says the United States and Britain have not provided enough help to Syrian opposition for toppling the government in the Arab country.

“What's more damaging is that since the beginning of this conflict, since the [so-called Free Syrian Army] FSA arose as a response to Assad's impunity, Britain and the US did not come forward and provide the necessary aid to allow it to defend itself,” former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki bin Faisal told Reuters in the French city of Monaco on Saturday.

“You have a situation where one side is lopsided with weapons like the Assad regime is, with tanks and missiles - you name it, he is getting it - and the other side is screaming out to get defensive weapons against these lethal weapons that Assad has,” Turki said.

He went on to say, “That to me is why the FSA is in not as prominent position as it should be today, because of the lack of international support for it. The fighting is going to continue and the killing is going to continue.”

“For me ... [to bring a] successful end to this conflict would be to bring an end to the Assad regime. It is because of the Assad regime that everything is happening,” he noted.

On Thursday, the US and Britain suspended the delivery of aid to insurgents after a group of insurgents linked to al-Qaeda seized the warehouses of American-supplied arms.

However, American officials said the suspension was temporary and that the aid, which is supplied by the US State Department, could start flowing again.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside the country.

According to the United Nations, more than 120,000 people have been killed and millions displaced due to the turmoil.

The UN also says more than four million other Syrians will be forced out of their homes in 2014 by the escalating conflict in the country.

Two million Syrians are expected to take refuge outside the country while another 2.25 million are predicted to be internally displaced next year.

Related: 

It’s Putin vs Bandar Bush on the Syrian chessboard

Is Turkey helping international jihadis head to Syria?

Is Turkey helping international jihadis head to Syria?(csmonitor).By Alexander Christie-Miller.

The US and European governments worry that Turkey is turning a blind eye to jihadis from their soil seeking to fight in Syria, and fear the consequences when these blooded fighters return home.

Western governments are expressing growing alarm at the rise of hard-line jihad groups in Syria and their recruitment of volunteers from Europe and the US, who could present a future security threat if and when the survivors return home.

This has put a spotlight on Turkey, a NATO 'ally' that has sided against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey, which shares a land border with Syria, has become a key transit route and staging area for antigovernment forces, including Al Qaeda-linked militants. Despite intensifying Western pressure, questions linger over Turkey’s willingness to crack down on these groups.

Belgium’s Interior Minister told reporters at a recent security summit in Brussels that up to 2,000 European citizens have fought in Syria. US intelligence reports have suggested that between 10 and 60 American citizens have fought there. And officials in Europe and Washington have voiced fears over the blowback effect from returning jihadis.

Last weekend, the BBC reported that foreign fighters are using safe houses in the border town of Reyhanli as a base from which to enter Syria, citing interviews with a French jihadist and a man running a safe house.

One Western diplomat expressed doubt that the Turkish government was fully cooperating with Western efforts to staunch the flow of fighters. "We are still experiencing operational difficulties, although we have seen signs that it is improving. As to whether a ‘shift’ ever occurred, that is still an open question,” the diplomat says.

Analysts and journalists familiar with the situation say Turkey has long been facilitating the arming and support of these groups by third parties as part of a policy of indiscriminately assisting rebels groups fighting in the Syrian civil war regardless of ideology.

“It is out of the question that organizations like Al-Qaeda or Al-Nusra [an Al Qaeda-linked group] could take shelter in our country,” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Sweden last month. “On the contrary, we have taken the necessary steps against them and will continue to do so.”

One reason why Turkish officials are so insistent is that they also fear blowback themselves. Local newspapers have suggested that these groups are setting their sights on Turkey, a Muslim-majority democracy that has been grappling with its own social and cultural fissures.

Late last month a report by the country’s Interior Ministry, leaked to the media, said that 3,000 foreign nationals suspected of seeking to fight jihad in Syria had been banned from entering Turkey. On Nov. 6, Turkish anti-terror police detained 16 Al Qaeda suspects in raids in four provinces.

Reports from Turkish intelligence agencies last month suggested that Al Qaeda linked groups are planning car bomb attacks in Turkey. One leaked report by the intelligence wing of the gendarmerie, a branch of the military responsible for security in rural areas, claimed that 300 cars stolen from Turkey and smuggled across the border to Syria could be used for this purpose.

Fehim Tastekin, a Turkish journalist who has written extensively on Turkey's foreign policy, says that while there are signs Ankara is hardening its stance there is still a lack of political will. “These guys are continuing to use…houses in border areas and they receive especially nonlethal help from charities in Turkey,” he says.Read the full story here.


Related:

Syrian rebels ask Qatari Foreign Minister for independent army in İstanbul.

Turkish soldiers allegedly have 'contacts' with Al-Nusra extremists near Syrian border.

'I'm not a Dictator' Erdoğan warns of ‘provocations against the national will’ ahead of elections.

'I'm not a Dictator' Erdoğan warns of ‘provocations against the national will’ ahead of elections. (HD).

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan slammed “attempts against the national will and peace” on Dec. 10 while making a staunch defense of the government’s economic and political balance sheet at the beginning of 10 days of debate on the 2014 Central Governance Budget Law in Parliament’s General Assembly.

“I’m saying it clearly: The provocations that some are aiming to stage are attempts against the national will, peace and the electoral process. These provocations will fail if the Parliament and the people are one. I also invite our citizens in the east and the southeast to be vigilant against those provocations,” Erdoğan said, implicitly referring to demonstrations in the southeastern province of Hakkari, where two protesters were reportedly shot dead by police on Dec. 6.

“Nobody has the right to threaten the atmosphere of a spring in Turkey. Those who will be silent against this will be unable to render an account in front of the people,” Erdoğan said as concerns regarding the Kurdish peace process were increased following the incident in Hakkari.

“As long as even one drop of blood is not spilled, mothers don’t shed tears and Turkey wins, [the government] will be content at losing [elections],” he said, warning of the appearance of terrorism ahead of the 2014 presidential and the 2015 general elections.

Erdoğan’s speech was repeatedly cut short by opposition deputies during a very tense session, a few hours after main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu voiced strong criticism at the Court of Accounts’ failure to send audit reports of state institutions’ expenditures to Parliament.

The prime minister also denounced some media and financial groups, as well as mass protests, such as the countrywide Gezi demonstrations.

“In Turkey, it is not terrorism, violent demonstrations, the media, gangs or groups of capital, but the people who determine the [country’s] direction,” Erdoğan said.

He also claimed that the country had made a big leap under the 11-year rule of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) with respect to “the old Turkey.”

“Some were children 11 years before; perhaps they can’t judge where Turkey has come in 11 years. But we also see that some who are older than a certain age have forgotten how the old Turkey was. Admittedly, we are not at an ideal point, but it is incomparable with yesterday. Those who criticize us freely here today, only a few years ago would have been unable to say even a word to certain circles,” Erdoğan said.

He also defended the government’s foreign policy, one of the main areas of opposition criticism in recent years. 

“In our era, the foreign policy was not dictated by [feelings such as] hate or taking offense, but strategic intelligence,” Erdoğan said. 

The 2014 budget debate started with a heated row as the CHP accused the government of covering up its corruption by preventing the Court of Accounts from auditing its spending.

The accusations were initially brushed aside by Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek, who said Kılıçdaroğlu’s claims that audit reports were not sent to Parliament were wrong.

Tension had also run high a day after the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) used the phrase “Turkish Kurdistan” to refer to the Kurdish-populated regions in eastern and southeastern Anatolia. Other parties subsequently decided to omit the word from official documents.

The discussions on the budget are expected to last 10 days.

Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood To Establish TV Station In 'Islamist' Turkey.

Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood To Establish TV Station In 'Islamist' Turkey.HT: TheGlobalMuslimBrotherhoodReport.

US media is reporting that the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood has said it is setting up to TV station in Turkey in order to broadcast its views. According to a UPI report based on a Turkish newspaper article:

ISTANBUL, Turkey, Dec. 7 (UPI) — Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood said it is establishing a television station in Turkey to broadcast its political views. The station, known as Rabia, will have an Islamist slant and use the motto ‘the pulse of freedom,’ Today’s Zaman reported Saturday.

Rabia is named after a prominent public square in Egypt that became a symbol of the Brotherhood’s resistance to the military ouster of President Mohamed Morsi.

The announcement was made on Facebook by the Egyptian anti-government National Alliance.
Details of Rabia’s programming were not revealed but Today’s Zaman said its launch would likely further strain relations between Egypt and Turkey.Egypt has already speculated Rabia has the backing of Turkish intelligence agencies.

A 2011 report authored by the GBBDW editor on the Turkish Muslim Brotherhood networks concluded:

The Gaza flotilla incident brought into sharp focus an even more significant long- term development: the growing relationship between the Erdogan government and the Global Muslim Brotherhood, which has given rise to some of the most notorious Islamist terrorist groups – from al-Qaeda to Hamas. Since 2006, Turkey has become a new center for the Global Muslim Brotherhood, while the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip acted as the main axis for this activity.

For example, the GMBDW reported earlier this month that a “Workshop on the situation of Palestinian refugees of Syria” was held at an Istanbul hotel. Hmmmm....At what time can we speak of 'State Sponsorship of terrorism'?

Related:

Turkish website R4BIA.com - "R4BIA is the end of Zionists."

Obama's BFF Erdogan's Turkey Risks “Grave Consequences” Under U.S. Law for Sheltering Top Hamas Terrorist.

Turks Increasingly Disapprove of Obama's BFF Erdogan's Mideast Policy.

Turks Increasingly Disapprove of Obama's BFF Erdogan's Mideast Policy.HT: Aina.

Following the annual survey on "Perceptions of Turkey in the Middle East," conducted by the Economic and Social Studies Foundation of Turkey (TESEV), the Kadir Has University of Istanbul has published its research on foreign policy perceptions of the Turkish public.

The two complementary reports provide useful data for everyone concerned, especially governmental authorities.

TESEV found in its survey, which was conducted in 16 Middle Eastern and North African countries, that Turkey's influence and popularity had suffered losses in the last two to three years.
Kadir Has University's research in 26 Turkish provinces indicates a trend of declining support for the government's foreign policy. Only 25% of those surveyed found Turkey's foreign policy successful, while in 2011 and 2012, respectively, this was 35% and 34%. Those who said Turkey's foreign policy was unsuccessful now comprise 36%.

The most important factor of this regression in public support for foreign policy is undoubtedly the government's Middle East policy and its recent handling of the Egyptian and Syrian issues.

This trend is clearly visible in Syria. While 49% of respondents find Turkey's Syrian policy a failure, supporters have dwindled to 24%. Those who want Turkey to remain neutral and not intervene in any manner are 43%. Those who support military intervention are at 9%.

These figures affirm another reality already pointed to by other sources: the public doesn't support the government's Syria policy and doesn't want Turkey get involved.

Similarly there is a trend of opposition to the government's Egypt policy. Those who find this policy unsuccessful are 48%, while those who support it are 29%. Furthermore, 46% say that the government must recognize the current Egyptian administration. 

Only 8% of respondents want Turkey to help oust military rule in Egypt. This reflects a rejection of the Turkish government's post-coup policy among a wide segment of the Turkish public.

The comprehensive research by Kadir Has University reveals some striking findings. For example, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently brought the Shangai Cooperation Organization to the agenda, but the percentage of those who it see as an alternative for Turkey is a very low 9%. 

NATO and the EU lead the organizations that people want Turkey to associate with. Support for NATO is 72%, while 47% favor EU membership and 38% do not.

Another interesting result was Azerbaijan replacing Pakistan as the "best friend of Turkey," yet 38% declare Turkey has no friends at all.
By Sami Kohen
AL Monitor
Translated by Timur Goksel.

Protests erupt in Turkey over killing of demonstrator by police.

Protests erupt in Turkey over killing of demonstrator by police.(JPost).

ANKARA - Turkish police fired water cannon and tear gas on Monday to break up a protest of 2,000 people outside a court house over the handling of the trial of a policeman accused of killing a protestor in June.

Officer Ahmet Sahbaz was accused of killing Ethem Sarisulukduring a two-week wave of anti-government demonstrations which were launched by a peaceful protest against the redevelopment of Gezi Park in Istanbul.

Six people, including a police officer, were killed during the unrest, which presented one of the biggest challenges to Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's decade-old rule. A Reuters witness said police clashed with the crowd at the court entrance following the ruling.

Local media said several people were wounded but there was no immediate confirmation. According to media reports, the hearing was adjourned to December 2.More here.

Ethnicity, sexual orientation excluded in hate crime draft presented to Turkish Cabinet.

Ethnicity, sexual orientation excluded in hate crime draft presented to Turkish Cabinet.(HD).

A draft presented to the Cabinet concerning hate crimes does not include provisions for those targeted because of their sexual orientation or ethnic identity.

The draft, which designates “hate and prejudice” as an aggravation cause for crimes, was presented as one of the reforms that government vowed to implement as part of its “democracy package.”

However, hate and prejudice crimes are defined in the draft as “crimes committed based on someone’s or some group’s language, race, nationality, skin color, gender, disability, political views, philosophical beliefs or religion,” excluding those based on ethnicity and sexual orientation, different to many European countries.

With the exclusion of ethnicity as a characteristic that could be basis of a hate crime, assaults against ethnic minorities in Turkey that don’t have a nation recognized by the United Nations would be charged with a regular punishment. For example, if an Armenian person in Turkey is targeted for being an Armenian, the crime committed against them will be regarded as a hate crime and whatever the crime is, its penalty would be aggravated.

On the hand, the largest ethnic minority in Turkey, Kurds, is not included in the regulation, as it does not have a U.N.-recognized country.

Although gender is included, the same is true for gays and lesbians, as attacking a person based on their sexual orientation is not regarded as a hate or prejudice crime, according to the draft.

After the long-running public debates on what would be the criteria to define hate crimes, which are entering into the Turkish legal system for the first time, Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin had said the criteria of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) would be taken as a model. However, the OSCE’s definitions include crimes motivated by both ethnicity and sexual orientation.

“A hate crime is a crime that is intolerance towards a certain group within society. A protected characteristic is a fundamental or core characteristic that is shared by a group, such as ‘race,’ religion, ethnicity, language or sexual orientation,” the institution states on its website.

The tightening of hate crime penalties was announced by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as part of the “democracy package,” which was presented as an initiative to extend rights given to Turkey’s disadvantaged minorities.

Although most of the unveiled reforms have been hailed, some find the promises insufficient and accuse the government of lacking willingness to target the real issues facing Turkey.

Hmmm.....Reminds me of his former 'contact' Ahmadinejad "“In Iran, we dont have homosexuals like in your country. We don’t have that in our country. In Iran, we do not have this phenomenon. I don’t know who’s told you we have it.”

Turkey - CHP deputy takes scarf freedom in public service to Council of State.

Turkey - CHP deputy takes scarf freedom in public service to Council of State.(TZ).

A deputy from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) on Friday took a new regulation that eliminates a ban on the wearing of Islamic headscarves for public employees to the Council of State, demanding its cancellation on the grounds that the new practice will lead to “irrevocable” damage and “runs contrary to the law.”

Public employees in Turkey other than those in the military, judiciary and police force, began to enjoy the freedom of wearing headscarves to work early this week after a government-sponsored reform package, announced by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sept. 30, made this possible.

Turkey's ban on headscarves in public service dates back to the 1980s. After the 1980 coup d'état, a regulation that defined the permissible dress code and appearance of public sector employees included the stipulation that the hair of civil servants must not be covered. Women who wear headscarves were effectively denied the right to employment by the state.

CHP İstanbul deputy Mahmut Tanal, who is also a member of Parliament's Human Rights Commission, demanded in his petition to the Council of State that the new regulation runs contrary to law and its implementation will lead to “irrevocable” damage.

His petition seeks an immediate stop to the new practice and then its cancellation on these grounds.According to Tanal, the regulation violates the second article of the Turkish Constitution, which addresses equality before the law.

He feels that public officials, as representatives of the state, should not wear or carry any religious symbols because this would undermine their impartiality.

CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who has deemed the government's reform package insufficient, has so far remained silent about headscarf freedom in public service, yet he has not stopped the neo-nationalist deputies in his party who label the reform “a counter-revolution.”

In a similar move in 2008, the CHP petitioned the Constitutional Court to annul approved constitutional amendments that would allow students to attend universities classes while covered. The court later annulled the amendments, leading to great public disappointment.Until 2010, students wearing headscarves were not allowed to enter universities in Turkey.

Greek FM Slams Turkish PM Over Orthodox Seminary 'conditions'.

Greek FM Slams Turkish PM Over Orthodox Seminary 'conditions'.(Aina).

Greek Foreign Minister and Deputy Premier Evangelos Venizelos on Tuesday issued a firm response to statements by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeating Ankara's "conditions" for the reopening of the Orthodox Seminary in Halki, off Istanbul, as daily Kathimerini reported.

"Greece's position on the issue is crystal clear and in accordance with international law, and it has been expressed repeatedly," Venizelos said. "Any further public discussion of the issue would be counterproductive," said the Greek Deputy Premier, who is on an official visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Athens has repeatedly underlined that the reopening of the Halki seminary and the protection of the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate are not issues for bilateral negotiation but issues that relate to the rights and religious freedoms of Turkish citizens.

Speaking to the parliamentary group of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) Tuesday, Erdogan repeated assertions made over the weekend according to which Greece should offer two concessions to Ankara in exchange for the reopening of the Halki seminary near Istanbul: allowing the Muslim community in Thrace to appoint its own religious leader, or mufti, rather than the government in Athens doing so; and allowing two Ottoman mosques in Athens to be rebuilt.

Chinese company, winner of Turkish tender for long-range missile and air defense systems included on U.S’ ‘black list’.

Chinese company, winner of Turkish tender for long-range missile and air defense systems included on U.S’ ‘black list’.(Taz)

Chinese company CPMIEC, which won a tender in Turkey for the creation of long range missiles, was included on a U.S' 'black list', CNN Turk reported on Monday.

According to CNN Turk, the CPMIEC Company was included on the list due to its activity in Iran, North Korea and Syria.

It was announced at September 2013, at a meeting of the Executive Committee of Turkey's Defence Industry, that the Chinese company CPMIEC won the tender for creation of long range missiles in the country.

It was reported that the missiles will be created by the Chinese company in cooperation with Turkish producers.

It was also said that the project of the Chinese "CPMIEC", which envisages the creation of FD-2000 missiles technically leaves the Russian, American, and French and Italian companies' projects behind.

A meeting of the Executive Committee of the Turkish Defense Industry was chaired by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan with the participation of head of the Turkish General Staff Necdet Ozel, Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz and Deputy Minister of Defense Industry Murad Bayar.

The Turkish defense industry has recently focused on developing and manufacturing its own products. Turkey managed to achieve a self-sufficiency level at 54 percent in the defense industry.

Hmmm........Erdogan's Turkey.....NATO 'Ally' , BFF of Obama.......who needs enemies with 'allies' like these?

Related: 

Islamist 'NATO Ally' Turkey dismisses NATO allies’ bids, selects Chinese firm for air defense system tender.

PM Erdoğan loves green, especially when it comes to dollars: Main opposition leader.

PM Erdoğan loves green, especially when it comes to dollars: Main opposition leader.(HD).

Main opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has once again slammed the government’s policies, mocking Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s repeated statements about his love for the green.

In a speech at an agricultural forum in the Thracian town of Lüleburgaz today, Kılıçdaroğlu argued that Erdoğan had “betrayed” slain Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, saying the Turkish leader turned on his erstwhile Libyan ally just a few months after receiving a human rights award from the North African government. 

“[Erdoğan] received a $120,000 prize. He said he would distribute the money to relatives of slain soldiers. We asked him, to whom did you give the money? [There was no response],” the Republican People’s Party (CHP) head told the crowd.

“Especially when it comes to dollars, he loves green,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.

Stressing that Gadhafi helped Turkey during the Turkish military’s 1974 operation in Cyprus, Kılıçdaroğlu said Erdoğan would not be able export democracy if there was none at home. 

“Don’t trust those who have a culture of betrayal in their past. [Erdoğan] has sold the worker, the villager, the shopkeeper. He declared himself the master. He is the master of the culture of betrayal, without a doubt,” he said.

Kılıçdaroğlu also slammed Erdoğan for crying over the daughter of a Muslim Brotherhood politician shot during a crackdown in Cairo, but not doing the same for a Dutch citizen of Turkish origin who died during al-Shaabab’s attack on a mall in Kenya. 

“You should learn their acting. Are you solving the problems of the farmer? No, [you are telling stories about] religion. Turkey should get off that track,” he said, adding that the CHP would not use death for politics.

“I want every citizen who cares about the future of my country to do something: Convince someone who hasn’t voted CHP during the last elections to vote CHP. Turkey needs to be repaired, to have a new face, a new government. A government that would lift it up to [the level of] modern civilization,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.

Turkey slams Eurocourt ruling over visas

Turkey slams Eurocourt ruling over visas.(HD).

A decision of the Court of Justice of European Union (ECOJ) refusing to grant Turkish citizens the right to visa-free travel has been fiercely criticized by the Turkish government that described the rule as “unjust,” “political” and conflicting with the ongoing process between Ankara and Brussels for visa liberalization.

In a written statement, Turkey’s EU Minister Egemen Bağış underlined that some EU countries who were pushing Turkey to sign the Readmission Agreement to move forward in visa-free travel talks had put the Court under pressure and had issued negative assessments with regard to the case.

“This situation created suspicions about the sincerity of these countries over the visa liberalization process. It should be noted that Turkey will not ignore the positions of these countries during its talks with the European Commission,” Bağış said in his statement.

Turkey and the European Commission were planning to accelerate a process that would grant visa-free travel rights to Turkish citizens in return for Ankara’s signing of the Readmission Agreement. The court’s decision is likely to create further difficulties for the parties to advance, due to the growing lack of confidence.

Bağış said the court’s ruling was mainly political and was aiming at creating new borders within the European continent although the EU claimed to be removing such boundaries. “This decision of the ECOJ is unfortunate as regards the principle of rule of law, one of the most fundamental values of the EU,” he said.Hmmm.....I can hear erdogan already it's a Zionist islamophobic plot.

Related: European Court of Justice rules out visa-free travel for Turks.

European Court of Justice rules out visa-free travel for Turks.

European Court of Justice rules out visa-free travel for Turks.(HD).

The Court of Justice of the European Union (ECOJ) has refused to grant Turkish citizens the right to visa-free travel in European Union countries.

“Turkish nationals do not have the right to enter the territory of an EU Member State without a visa in order to obtain services,” the court said in a landmark decision today in the case of Turkish citizen Leyla Ecem Demirkan vs. Germany.

The case began in 2007 when the German state denied a visa to 14-year-old Demirkan, who wanted to go to Germany to live with her mother, Eylem Huber, and stepfather, Jörg Huber.

The family took the case to court first in Germany and then to the ECOJ, which had agreed with Turkey’s arguments in six previous visa cases.

 “Unlike the EU Treaties, the EEC-Turkey Association has a purely economic purpose, the Association Agreement and its Additional Protocol being intended essentially to promote the economic development of Turkey. The development of economic freedoms for the purpose of bringing about freedom of movement for persons of a general nature which may be compared to that afforded to EU citizens under the EU Treaties is not the object of the Association Agreement.

The court also points out that the Association Council, which, in accordance with the Additional Protocol, is required to determine the timetable and rules for the progressive abolition of restrictions on freedom of establishment, has not, to date, adopted any measure which would suggest that substantive progress has been achieved towards the realization of such freedom. Moreover, there is nothing to indicate that the contracting parties to the Association Agreement and the Additional Protocol envisaged, when signing those documents – that is, 21 and 14 years before the judgment in Luisi and Carbone, respectively – freedom of provision of services as including passive freedom of provision of services,” the court said in its decision.

Turkey is currently conducting negotiations with the EU on easing visa procedures for Turkish citizens, but a readmission agreement which regulates the return of illegal immigrants to Turkey remains problematic.Hmmm.....I can hear erdogan already it's a Zionist islamophobic plot.

Rouhani: Iran, Turkey must consult on Syria crisis.

'MODERATES'

Rouhani: Iran, Turkey must consult on Syria crisis.(Taz).

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says no country will benefit from continued unrest and instability in Syria, stressing the importance of consultations with Turkey over the issue, PressTV reported.

The possibility of Syria's disintegration, the victory of terrorists and even the continuation of civil war and instability in the Arab state would not be beneficial for either side of the conflict, Rouhani said in a meeting with Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek in Tehran on Sunday.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkey are two influential regional countries which can play a more effective role in the region, particularly in resolving regional crises, through close cooperation and interaction," Rouhani pointed out.
He said Tehran and Ankara seek to increase the volume of economic exchanges to 30 billion dollars by 2015, adding that the use of Iranian and Turkish currencies would accelerate bilateral trade.
The Turkish parliament speaker, for his part, said war and conflict in the region would be detrimental to all regional countries, adding that his country's foreign policy seeks an immediate end to war and bloodshed on the basis of dialog, Cicek said.Hmmm.......As i said before Turkey will turn to Iran and away from the West.Erdogan: "Democracy is like a train. We shall get out when we arrive at the station we want."



"The Turkish race was... from the first black day they entered Europe, the one great anti-human specimen of humanity... as far as their dominion reached, civilisation vanished from view."William Gladstone, British Prime Minister, "The Bulgarian Horrors and the Question of the East," 1876

Islamist Turkey - A muezzin, imam and local mufti who gave shelter to Gezi protesters are 'reassigned' to other posts.

Islamist Turkey - A muezzin, imam and local mufti who gave shelter to Gezi protesters are 'reassigned' to other posts.(TZ).

A muezzin, imam and local mufti who came to prominence during June's Gezi protests have been reassigned to new mosques, media outlets said on Saturday.

During the intense first week of the Gezi Park protests in June, protesters fleeing tear gas were given shelter at İstanbul's Bezm-i Alem Mosque.

Now the mosque's muezzin, who denied subsequent allegations that the protesters drank alcohol and behaved inappropriately there, has been transferred -- along with the mosque's imam and the mufti of the Beyoğlu district, media outlets said Saturday.

Fuat Yıldırım, formerly muezzin of the Bezm-i Alem Valide Sultan Mosque in the city's Beyoğlu district, was recently discharged from his post at that mosque and appointed to a mosque in Kayabaşı, a village northwest of İstanbul.Yıldırım made headlines during the Gezi Park protests, which began in late May as a bid to stop a government plan to demolish one of central İstanbul's last green spaces to make way for a replica of an Ottoman-era military barracks, when he denied claims that protesters drank alcohol in the mosque.
During a protest on June 2, some protesters fleeing tear gas canisters and rubber bullets fired at close range by police took shelter in the Bezm-i Alem Valide Sultan Mosque after officials in the mosque opened its doors to injured protesters so they could receive first aid.

Later, the mosque was used as an infirmary by volunteer doctors.In what many saw as an effort to harden Turkey's conservatives against the protest movement, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has repeatedly claimed that the demonstrators entered the mosque without taking off their shoes and drank alcohol there.

Following those allegations, Yıldırım was questioned by the İstanbul Police Department's anti-terrorism unit. He said in his statement that he did not see anyone drinking alcohol or behaving inappropriately in the mosque. In an exchange reported in the media, the mufti of İstanbul told Yıldırım that he “got exhausted, we should appoint you somewhere else.” Yıldırım replied, “No, I did not.”

The imam of the Bezm-i Alem Valide Sultan Mosque, Halil Necipoğlu, was appointed to a mosque in İstanbul's Zeytinburnu district, while Beyoğlu Mufti Recai Albayrak was transferred to the Karadeniz Ereğli district in the northern province of Zonguldak.

In a post on its Twitter account, the Religious Affairs Directorate said the Beyoğlu mufti's new appointment was a routine reshuffle. Yıldırım, the directorate said, was not discharged, but only temporarily moved while an investigation into the alleged alcohol consumption in the mosque is carried out. The directorate added that Necipoğlu's appointment had been decided “three months before,” but didn't clarify whether that meant three months before the protests or three months before the reshuffle.