Erdogan: Instead of Focusing on Turkey, Address Europe's Islamophobia

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, sharply criticized Europe, rejecting the discontent expressed by European officials regarding his policies and statements. He told Europeans, instead of focusing on Turkey, 'it would be good to go and address the increasing Islamophobia in Europe.' The European Union had recently criticized Erdogan's government for approaching autocracy, but Erdogan responded fiercely, stating, 'We are not Europe's short wall, and if you are truthful, solve the racism against Muslims.' According to Erdogan, 'The time when Europe felt entitled to humiliate Turkey is over, and modern Turkey will no longer allow such treatment from Europe.' The EU had criticized the arrest and prosecution of Turkish journalists close to Fethullah Gülen, Erdogan's opponent, during a police raid two weeks ago on several newspaper offices in Turkey. While Turkey has been trying to join the EU for years, the union emphasized in a statement that the raid on Turkish newspapers, accused of receiving 'orders' from Gülen to 'weaken' Erdogan's government, is 'unacceptable.' According to Reuters, Erdogan said on Friday, December 26, during a speech at a citizenship symposium in Istanbul, 'Certainly, Turkey is not a country that the EU can point fingers at and try to teach a so-called democracy while it should look in the mirror and understand where and why this racism and Islamophobia in Europe originates.' Erdogan specifically referred to an incident that occurred last week in the German city of 'Dörmagen,' where Nazi symbols were painted on the walls of a mosque. In his Friday speech, the Turkish president also spoke of his 'determination' to ratify Turkey's constitution, adding that the general elections scheduled for next year would expedite this process. According to Erdogan, 'Together with the country and civil institutions, the results of the June 7 elections (2015) will pave the way for signing a new constitution for Turkey.' Erdogan, who has recently transitioned from 12 consecutive years as Prime Minister to the presidency, does not hide that one of the main objectives of drafting a new constitution is to strengthen the presidency, a step that has assured his rivals and opponents that Erdogan aims to establish a more autocratic government. In his latest remarks, Erdogan again attacked Fethullah Gülen, expressing deep regret for the years he spent in friendship and cooperation with him, accusing Gülen of 'stabbing him in the back,' stating that Gülen wants to revive the old Turkey (which fears Europe and the West). Gülen, having separated his path from Erdogan, has been living in self-imposed exile in the United States for years. Erdogan believes Gülen is behind the political attacks against him over the past two years. Fethullah Gülen, a preacher, writer, and theology teacher residing in Pennsylvania, has been accused by Erdogan of forming a 'parallel government' to overthrow the Turkish government since last year when widespread financial corruption allegations and cases amounting to $86 billion of embezzlement and theft against Erdogan's associates and close allies were raised by Turkish media. A court in Istanbul issued an 'arrest warrant' for Gülen three weeks ago, who has good relations with Western countries. Three months prior, Erdogan had requested the extradition of 73-year-old Gülen from Obama.