![]() ![]() Last September, Sheik Peter bin Costello issued a fatwa to a national conference of the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL). In Australia, Turkey has been held up as a model of the separation of Church and State. So exactly how did a Party become so popular as to hold a clear majority of seats in the Turkish Parliament? And why should we, in Australia, give a damn? Recently, two million people marched in major Turkish cities to protest against this government. It’s also described as a government wishing to introduce sharia (Islamic sacred law) by stealth. ![]() Well, in some parts of Turkey, this kind of government is described as a threat to democracy, secularism and freedom. How would you describe a government which represents a combination of socially conservative politics, free market economics, genuine improvements in the human rights of ethnic minorities, a strongly pro-Western foreign policy, strong relations with Israel (including active encouragement of Muslim countries to recognise and establish diplomatic relations with Israel), sponsorship of constitutional amendments to keep the military out of politics, greater freedom to express religion in public spaces, and enabling soccer to remain the real religion of civil society? ![]()
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