Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan today called on France and Germany to take action against recent incidents against the Muslim identity in their countries, during his address to his party’s congress in Ankara.
“I call on Germany. We do not accept the attitude against women who wear head coverings,” said Erdoğan. Recent posters publicized by the German Interior Ministry advertising a hotline for those worried that a friend or family member may be turning to radical Islam did not coincide with the freedom of religion, Erdoğan said.
He also called on France to take steps in “the cartoon crisis,” referring to cartoons mocking Prophet Muhammad that were recently published by a French magazine.
Erdoğan also vowed to continue his efforts to make Islamophobia a recognized hate crime in Turkey and the international arena.
“Islamophobia is a hate crime. Insults to [Islam’s] Prophet Muhammad cannot be tolerated under the name of freedom of speech. This is not freedom of speech, this is a disrespect to freedoms,” said Erdoğan.
“We are now taking steps in domestic and international grounds. Our foreign minister is holding discussions [on the issue] with world leaders,” said Erdoğan, recalling his previous call for a ban on attacks on religious and sacred values. Erdoğan also said it is unacceptable that the West hasn’t recognized Islamophobia as a crime against humanity, although it has recognized anti-semitism as a crime against humanity.
(Hürriyet Daily News)
