PM Erdogan: “We Got The Immorality From The West”

In his speech to Turkish graduate students going to study abroad, Erdogan made some controversial remarks that met with strong reactions in Turkey’s mainstream media. Erdogan said, “The poet who penned Turkish national anthem [the Islamist Mehmet Akif Ersoy] said that we should compete with art and science of the West; but unfortunately we adopted the West’s immoralities that are contrary to our values”.

He added that Turkey would continue sending students abroad for graduate studies for them to [learn and] compete in order to reach beyond the art and science of the West and asked the students to come back after their studies and work in Turkey.

The PM’s remarks were questioned by the media that asked what he meant by “the West’s immoralities”, whether or not he was talking about Western women not being covered, and how Turkey could become a EU member when the PM thought the West was “immoral”.

Source: Sabah, Cumhuriyet, Turkey, January 25, 2008

Posted at: 2008-01-28

Latest MEMRI Turkish Media Project Reports: 

Iraqi Kurdistan Province President Mas'oud Al-Barazani Warns Turkey Not to Interfere Over Kirkuk, Declares: I Support The Rights Of The Palestinian People, But... I Am Against Driving Israel Into The Sea

Tensions in Turkey in Advance of Presidential Elections (II)

Turkish Radio and TV Council Issues Warning to Turkish Radio Stations for Broadcasting Islamist Messages and Calling for Jihad

Tensions Rise in Turkey in Advance of Presidential Elections 

Secular Turks Criticize U.S. Ambassador for Dismissing Warnings Against Rising Islamism in Turkey 

** VIEW ALL MEMRI REPORTS ON TURKEY

MEMRITV COVERAGE OF TURKISH PROTESTS
View Turkish Protest Footage from Al-Jazeera on YouTube 

If you would like to donate by mail, please send check or money order to:
	MEMRI P.O. Box 27837 Washington DC 20038
Telephone: 202.955.9070 Email: donate@memri.org

As a reader of MEMRI, you are familiar with our continuing efforts to expand our work to monitor more media outlets in more countries, research more subjects, and translate into more languages.

At this crucial time, as the war on terror continues, with the escalation of conflicts in the Middle East, and with reformists in the region needing help to make their voices heard, we are introducing The MEMRI Blog.

The MEMRI Blog is a new service, provided by The Middle East Media Research Institute, which will operate in conjunction with MEMRI.org, MEMRITV.org, and MEMRIFilms.org.

While MEMRI regularly provides translations from editorials and sermons, as well as expert analysis, The MEMRI Blog will specifically highlight brief NEWS ITEMS from Arabic, Persian, and Turkish language media sources.