An Islamist President, Commander In Chief for Anti-Islamist Turkish Military

Source: Vatan, Turkey, August 14, 2007

When it is established that a military officer – at any rank – has ties with an Islamist sect or order, if his family members wear Islamist symbols such as turban (Islamist headscarf), if he displays any radical and anti-republic attitude or behavior, that officer is expelled from the military.

When these are the principles, rules and tradition of the Turkish military, what will happen when Abdullah Gul is elected president? The military will have an Islamist commander in chief, that comes from Nakshibendi Islamist sect; whose spouse and daughter wear turban, has been a leader in Milli Gorus Islamist political movement. A president and commander in chief who has often criticized the republic’s core principles and institutions. How will the military keep its ranks clean of radical, fundamentalist elements, without being accused of double-standards?

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