PM, MINISTER CRITICIZE STATE OF ISLAMIC WORLD

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 005281

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/09/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM TU OSCE
SUBJECT: PM, MINISTER CRITICIZE STATE OF ISLAMIC WORLD

Classified by A/DCM James R. Moore; reasons 1.4 b and d.


1. (U) Summary: PM Erdogan and State Minister Aydin recently
made public statements criticizing the state of the Islamic
world and calling on Muslims to uphold the values of their
faith. Using strikingly similar language, the GOT leaders
said the Islamic world lags behind the West in terms of
social justice; asserted that Muslims need to look at
themselves to find the cause of their problems; and urged
Muslims to do more to uphold the values promoted by their
religion, such as justice, peace, morality, and knowledge.
They also said Muslims need to examine why the world
associates Islam with terrorism. End Summary.

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PM Addresses Eurasian Meeting
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2. (U) PM Erdogan on September 5 delivered a speech at the
6th Eurasian Islamic Council meeting in Istanbul in which he
called on Muslims to take responsibility for their problems
and strive to uphold the values of their faith. "If
oppression is rampant in the Islamic world, if the word
'Muslim' is used in the same sentence with the word
'terrorist' anywhere in the world, if any one of us leaves an
orphan hungry and without shelter, and if a person dies of
hunger, then we must first look at ourselves and make an
accounting," Erdogan said.


3. (U) Erdogan told audience members they belonged to a
religion promoting "justice against oppression, human rights
against the use of force, peace against conflict, moral
values against materialism, science and knowledge against
ignorance, morals against ambition, and generosity against
selfishness." The problems of the world today stem from a
failure to uphold these values. The Islamic nations of
Eurasia, he averred, can find the solutions to these problems
in their cultural/historical roots.


4. (U) Erdogan further indicated that the Islamic world has a
history of tolerance toward other religions. He acknowledged
that in recent times some Muslims may have taken actions that
undermined this tradition. Muslims must address this by
"strengthening goodness, beauty, and brotherhood." If the
Islamic world today is failing to uphold the values of Islam,
he said, it is largely the fault of its politicians. "The
burden we are shouldering is heavy," he stated.

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Aydin Gives Press Interview
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5. (U) State Minister Aydin, as if speaking from shared
talking points, made strikingly similar comments in an
interview with the newspaper Milliyet, published September 8.
Aydin, who oversees the GOT's Religious Affairs Directorate,
called the state of social justice in the Islamic world
"pathetic" and said Muslims must "courageously admit" that
the West has done a better job of implementing certain
values. At the same time, he opined that the West should
adopt a less condescending approach to the Islamic world.
"Nobody should lecture another about justice and respect for
human dignity," he said, "That would be shameful."


6. (U) Like the PM, Aydin also urged Muslims to think about
why Islam today is associated with terrorism. "It means that
we have not been successful," he said. He also asserted that
Islam promotes tolerance among religions. "The Holy Koran
centuries ago stated that each person's religion is sacred
for that person. There is no need for us to fight because we
have different religions," he said.


7. (U) Aydin also directly addressed the issue of gender
discrimination in the Islamic world. He noted that when he
was a child, many believed that girls did not need to attend
school. The situation has improved since then -- today there
are campaigns (note: in Turkey) aimed at encouraging girls to
go to school. Still, he said, Muslims have not done enough
to encourage a re-interpretation of their religion. Many
"archaic" beliefs remain widespread.

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Comment
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8. (C) This is a different rhetoric than we have heard
before. So far they are words, not deeds - but they are
words uttered in country - not abroad, for consumption by a
Western audience. It is not clear to what extent Erdogan and
Aydin meant to include Turkey in their critical analysis of
the Islamic world, but it is worth noting that high-level GOT
leaders are now taking this approach. Erdogan in the past
has not been willing to examine the relationship between
Islam and terrorism -- he has said repeatedly that the term
"Islamic terrorism" made his "blood boil." As a result, his
latest speech marks more than a subtle shift in emphasis.



MCELDOWNEY