12,000 Turks March Against Radical Islam

Just say thank you to Georgie, for the increase in Radical Islam, after all Iraq was a secular nation, until Georgie decided to lie to world, and to invade and occupy Iraq, now they have an Islamic Nation and lots of Radicals. THANK YOU GEORGIE

Nov 4, 8:48 AM (ET)
By SELCAN HACAOGLU

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Thousands of nationalist Turks marched in the capital Saturday, vowing to defend the secular regime against radical Islamic influences and urging the government not to make too many concessions in order to gain European Union membership.

Some 12,000 people from more than 100 pro-secular associations waved Turkish flags as they marched to the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey. "Turkey is secular and it will remain secular," they chanted during a march broadcast live on some TV channels.

Ret. Gen. Sener Eruygur, president of the Ataturk Thought Association and former commander of Turkey's paramilitary forces, warned against alleged plans by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the Islamic-rooted government to run for president - a symbol of secularism in Turkey.

President Ahmet Necdet Sezer will retire in May, and the parliament - dominated by Erdogan's legislators - will choose the new president.

Eruygur also urged protesters to rally against EU demands to grant greater cultural rights to Kurds and other religious and ethnic minorities.

Turkey is fighting a separatist Kurdish guerrilla group, the Kurdistan Workers Party, in a war that has killed more than 37,000 people since 1984, and many Turks regard granting more rights to Kurds a concession to the rebels.

The U.S. and EU consider the organization a terrorist group.

The European Commission is expected to issue a highly critical report next week accusing Turkey of dragging its heels on political reforms and demanding significant improvements in 2007 if Ankara wants to stay on track to join the bloc.

The draft report, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, says Turkey is failing to meet minimum human rights standards, and cites problems in freedom of expression, women's and trade union rights, and civilian control over the military.

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