In February 2008 a CFSOT delegation visited Turkey, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The first stop was the Turkish capital Ankara where the CFSOT delegation met with the leaders and representatives of the Saadet (Felicity) Party and the Economic and Social Research Centre (ESAM). A series of unique interviews were conducted, some of which appear in this Edition of Islamism Digest.
IN DEFENSE OF AN ISLAMIC FOREIGN POLICY: INTERVIEW WITH TEMEL KARAMOLLAOGLU
Temel Karamollaoglu is a veteran of Turkish Islamic politics. He is a former mayor of Sivas and a member of parliament from the (former) Refah and Fazilet parties. Karamollaoglu is currently the Vice President of the Saadet Party and is in charge of its foreign policy section. In this long and frank interview Karamollaoglu strongly criticises the foreign policy of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) on the basis that it is far too pro-American and beholden to Western corporate interests. Instead – Karamollaoglu argues – the ruling party should return to its religious and ideological origins and pursue relations with the Islamic world and other developing nations. Moreover, Karamollaoglu rejects Turkish membership in NATO and possible membership in the European Union, arguing instead that Turkey has the heritage and capacity to lead the Islamic world in creating large and powerful supra-national organisations which would have the potential to challenge global Western hegemony.
THE RIGHT DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR TURKEY: PROFESSOR ARIF ERSOY EXPLAINS
In this wide-ranging interview, the Secretary-General of the Economic and Social Research Centre (ESAM) provides detailed background information on the prestigious think-tank that he runs in the context of socio-economic policy-making in Turkey. According to Professor Ersoy, Turkey can only realise its full potential if it pursues policies that are rooted in the Islamic faith and the local customs and traditions of the Turkish people. Ersoy strongly critiques the role of Western capital in Turkey and urges the ruling government to protect key national industries and assets. Furthermore, Professor Ersoy directly accuses the United States of supporting and harbouring the terrorist PKK organisation, as well as having had a hand in the terrorist outrages that rocked Istanbul in late 2003.
DE-COUPLING TURKEY AND ISRAEL: INTERVIEW WITH MOHAMMED MUGISUDDIN
Dr. Mohmmed Mugisuddin is a former American-Pakistani academic who settled in Turkey in 1985. He is currently an advisor to the Saadet party on international affairs. In this candid interview with Islamism Digest, Mugisuddin provides unique insights and information on the history of Turkish-Israeli relations. He blames the ruling AKP for deepening the relationship as part of the process of appeasing the United States. More broadly, Mugisuddin explains in detail why the Islamisation process in Turkey (which has been well underway since the early 1970s) has failed to distance Turkey from Israel.
PAKISTAN ON THE BRINK: TAHIR AMIN EXPLAINS
The first of the five interviews that were conducted in Pakistan appears in this Edition. Professor Tahir Amin is a lecturer in Internal Relations at the famed Quaid-e-Azzam University in Islamabad. In this brief but candid interview he discusses the potential post-elections scenarios in Pakistan. Amin blames President Musharraf and his American sponsors for the country’s political crisis and rejects speculation that the army is distancing itself from Musharraf and the major centres of power in the country. Moreover, he blames the Pakistan military for the strife in the North West Frontier Province and argues that a solution to that crisis lies in rejecting America’s so-called War on Terror in its entirety.
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