Will the EU ever permit Turkey to join its ranks?

This article is a fascinating look at Europe's relationship with Turkey. It is written by a Muslim who I believe is correct on a lot of issues. This battle is a clash of civilizations which will not be so easily defeated by changing a few policies in order to gain entrance into the EU. There remains a radical worldview difference between the West and Islam. This worldview clash is not going to change anytime soon.

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By Abid Mustafa

Al-Jazeerah, January 16, 2005

On Sunday 19th of December 2004, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said,” The European Union's decision to extend membership talks with Turkey contributes to the Muslim country's stability and gives it a new position in Europe and the Islamic world.” The move was also welcomed by Tony Blair who said, “We are stating a fundamental principle that the fact Turkey is a Muslim country does not mean it should be barred from Europe. On the contrary, if it fulfils the same principles of human rights, then Muslim and Christian can work together.” The US holds a similar view and regards Turkey as an ideal model of Muslim democracy. However, earlier Valery Giscard d'Estaing, the former French president said bluntly that the entry of Turkey, as an Islamic and mostly Asian power, would spell "the end of Europe". The majority of EU members share Giscard concerns and are weary of 70 million Muslims joining Europe.

The disagreements between EU states over Turkey’s membership talks have overshadowed the entrance criteria stipulated by the EU for Turkey’s eventual admission into the Europe’s premier club. European Union’s insistence on Turkey undergoing extensive political and economic reforms, plus Turkey’s recognition of the Republic of Cyprus will not determine the course of Turkey’s relationship with the EU. Instead, future relations between the two will be chiefly decided by two factors.

The first is the ‘clash of civilisations’ and is pretty obvious to politicians as well as the peoples of both Europe and Turkey that this clash is inevitable and ongoing. Giscard’s remarks are not only echoed by fellow politicians, but are widely shared amongst the populations of Britain, France, Germany and several other countries. There is a deep sense of Islamaphobia which has swept the region and rekindled past memories of the Ottoman Caliphate dominating the affairs of Europe. Equally, the Muslims of Turkey are opposed to joining the EU. They fear that they will be stripped of their Islamic identity and forced to adopt western values. For example EU’s chastisement over Turkey’s plan to outlaw adultery was quickly reversed by Ankara. This angered many Turks and only heightened their anxiety that Europe was intentionally targeting Islamic values.

This in part is born out of the climate of fear produced by America’s war on Islam and in part is due to the centuries old conflict between Christendom and Islam. This polarisation in attitudes is impossible to overcome, unless the ideological differences between the two cultures are debated and settled. To proceed in the absence of such a dialogue will only result in failure, no matter what progress is made towards achieving the political and economic goals set out by the EU.

The second is that Europe has failed miserably to accommodate its own Muslim populations, so what are the odds that it can successfully manage the inclusion of 70 million Turks. Take the example of Britain. Muslims are the most socially deprived ethnic group. In October 2004 the Guardian newspaper reported: ’Muslims had the highest rate of unemployment, the poorest health, the most disability and fewest educational qualifications. In most respects Muslim women fared worse than Muslim men.’ Muslims in France and Germany fair much worse. The banning of the hijab, the random interrogation of young Muslims and the withholding of citizenship spearhead the discriminatory acts perpetrated by these states against Muslims. Add to this, the reluctance of the European powers to intervene and protect Muslims of Bosinia and Kosovo speaks volumes about Europe’s attitude towards Muslims living on its shores. In European minds, the above examples only reinforce the idea that Muslims and Islam are incompatible with secularism.

It is hard to believe that the current clash between the West and Islam, and the injustices committed by Europeans towards their own Muslim populace has escaped the attention of Gul. If Gul is serious about Turkey occupying a new position in the Muslim world then the very least he can do is to stand firm against Europe’s oppression of its Muslim populace. This can be achieved by Turkey demanding a significant improvement in their circumstances as a precursor to any talks between Turkey and the EU. Such a bold gesture would dramatically increase Turkey’s standing in the Muslim world. Thereafter, Gul should dwell profoundly on Turkey’s past in order to discover how the present Turkey can occupy a new position in Europe. He would quickly conclude that only in Islam and under the shade of the Khilafah state did Turkey occupy a pre-eminent position amongst the nations of the world. Back then, the oppressed Europeans used to yearn for the justice of the Khilafah State and longed to become a part of it. Did not the people of Constantinople implore sultan Mohammed to liberate them from the tyranny of Constantine?

Abid Mustafa lives and works in the UK. He graduated from King’s College London University.