Turkey’s leader tells Westerners to stop talking about “moderate” Islam—and VFR explains why they won’t listen

This is at Memri, and also at Galliawatch:

Speaking at Kanal D TV’s Arena program, PM Erdogan commented on the term “moderate Islam,” often used in the West to describe AKP [Turkey’s ruling party of which Erdogan is the head] and said, “These descriptions are very ugly, it is offensive and an insult to our religion. There is no moderate or immoderate Islam. Islam is Islam and that’s it.”

Mr. Erdogan, with all due respect, you don’t get it. The millions of Westerners such as Daniel Pipes who talk about “moderate Islam” are not saying it because they think it’s true. They’re saying it in order to maintain their morality and identity as liberals, indeed their very world. Therefore they don’t care if this phony-baloney concept offends real-life Muslims such as yourself. This is not about YOU. It’s about THEM.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at August 22, 2007 09:40 PM | Send