Facing its Own Reverse Thermopylae
Monday, June 04, 2007 - FreeMarketNews.com
Two millennia ago, the Persian Empire's attempt to subjugate the Greek city states was blunted by the famous last stand of King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans at the pass of Thermopylae. The invaders' death blow came at the decisive battle of Salamis. It would appear that another pivotal contest is shaping up in reverse, in a portion of that once all-powerful empire – modern day Turkey, where the secular government is locked in a struggle against the forces of reaction seeking to turn the country into an Islamic state. The stakes are enormous.Swissinfo.org reports:"Up to a million people rallied in a sea of red Turkish flags on Sunday, accusing the government of planning an Islamist state and demanding it with draw its presidential candidate.But despite the Istanbul protests and a threat from the powerful army to intervene in the election, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, architect of Turkey's EU membership drive, said he would remain the ruling AK Party's candidate for head of state."Robert Spencer, writing on frontpagemag.com concludes:"It's a principle with a much wider application than Turkey alone: for peaceful Muslims to prevail over the proponents of jihad and Sharia, they must be prepared not just to ignore, but to reject explicitly, the elements of Sharia that are at variance with accepted norms of human rights and with government that does not establish a state religion. Only then will they have a chance of defending those rights and standing up against the theological and societal challenge of jihadism. That is not just the Turks, but all free people, have a stake in the survival of Turkish secularism."
Two millennia ago, the Persian Empire's attempt to subjugate the Greek city states was blunted by the famous last stand of King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans at the pass of Thermopylae. The invaders' death blow came at the decisive battle of Salamis. It would appear that another pivotal contest is shaping up in reverse, in a portion of that once all-powerful empire – modern day Turkey, where the secular government is locked in a struggle against the forces of reaction seeking to turn the country into an Islamic state. The stakes are enormous.Swissinfo.org reports:"Up to a million people rallied in a sea of red Turkish flags on Sunday, accusing the government of planning an Islamist state and demanding it with draw its presidential candidate.But despite the Istanbul protests and a threat from the powerful army to intervene in the election, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, architect of Turkey's EU membership drive, said he would remain the ruling AK Party's candidate for head of state."Robert Spencer, writing on frontpagemag.com concludes:"It's a principle with a much wider application than Turkey alone: for peaceful Muslims to prevail over the proponents of jihad and Sharia, they must be prepared not just to ignore, but to reject explicitly, the elements of Sharia that are at variance with accepted norms of human rights and with government that does not establish a state religion. Only then will they have a chance of defending those rights and standing up against the theological and societal challenge of jihadism. That is not just the Turks, but all free people, have a stake in the survival of Turkish secularism."
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