Turkey furious as Austria plans to expel up to 60 imams and close 7 mosques

[Son of Jamin]

Austria could expel up to 60 Turkish-funded imams and their families as part of a crackdown on "political Islam", Interior Minister Herbert Kickl said on Friday, sparking an angry reaction from Ankara.
"The circle of people possibly affected by these measures - the pool that we're talking about - comprises around 60 imams," Kickl said, adding that a total of 150 people risked losing their right to residence.

Seven mosques will also be shut after an investigation by the religious affairs authority into images which emerged in April of children in a Turkish-backed mosque playing dead and reenacting the World War I battle of Gallipoli.

Parallel societies, political Islam and radicalisation have no place in our country," Chancellor Sebastian Kurz of the ruling centre-right People's Party said.

In several cases the process of expelling imams connected to the Turkish-Islamic Cultural Associations (ATIB) organisation was underway, Kickl said.

The interior minister added that the government suspects them of contravening a ban on foreign funding of religious office holders. ATIB is a branch of Turkey's religious affairs agency Diyanet.

The photos of children, published by the Falter weekly, showed the young boys in camouflage uniforms marching, saluting, waving Turkish flags and then playing dead.

Their "corpses" were then lined up and draped in the flags.

The mosque in question was run by ATIB and is one of those that will be closed.

Turkey's presidential spokesman on Friday lambasted Austria's decision to expel imams and shut mosques as an "anti-Islam" and "racist" move.


"Austria's decision to close down seven mosques and deport imams with a lame excuse is a reflection of the anti-Islam, racist and discriminatory populist wave in this country," Ibrahim Kalin said on Twitter.

https://www.thelocal.at/20180608/au...-imams-and-shut-seven-mosques-chancellor-says

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me to close mosques and expel teachers that are a breeding ground for intolerance and hatred. Many countries could learn a thing or two about this development in Austria.

It is also funny to hear about Turkey's regime are upset with and call this anti-Islam given how they are highly antisemitic and intolerant of minorities.

 

[Billy no mates]

Good , shutting down all state sponsored religious organisations would be a good start in eradicating the baleful influence of the various desert death cults on our societies .

 

[deltapapha]

good!

 

[Prutfis]

Fuck Turkey.

 

[Billy no mates]

Fuck Turkey.

Yep if it upsets Turdogan so much the better .

 

[Seaside]

Erdogan wants an army of Islam and has threatened to open flood gates of muslims to Europe. He has also told muslims ti have tons of kids and to vote for Islam essentially to win demographic battle. And then that hole stunt against the Germans.

He also sang a slogan calling Armenians bastards. Made positive thought about 5 year old girl being martyred. And laughed and bragged that muslims would never arrest their own when he laughed off anyone suggest they would arrest and convict Omar Al Bashir of Sudan for war crimes against christians.

Hope Turkey falls apart one day

 

[Son of Jamin]

Austria-Turkey tensions
Mr Kurz's election campaign last year drew heavily on anxiety about immigration and the integration of Muslims. His conservative People's Party (ÖVP) formed a coalition government with the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ).

Mr Kurz wants the EU to break off Turkey's EU membership negotiations - a stance that has angered Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In May 2017 that anger led Turkey to veto Nato's co-operation with Austria. The move disrupted Nato's partnership activities with 41 countries. Turkey is a key player in Nato operations.

The Austrian authorities have been working with a Muslim community body called IGGÖ to identify mosques and imams suspected of radical Islamist or nationalist connections.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44410597

First of all, Turkey has no place in the EU with its authoritarian and antisemitic ways.

It's also good that the authorities in Germany co-operates with a Muslim community body to identify radical mosques and elements and I don't think that Muslim community body is anti-Islam...

 

[Seaside]

First of all, Turkey has no place in the EU with its authoritarian and antisemitic ways.

It's also good that the authorities in Germany co-operates with a Muslim community body to identify radical mosques and elements and I don't think that Muslim community body is anti-Islam...

In France some politicians suggest changing the violent supremacist part of koran. This made Erdogan really angry. I wonder why? Zero evidence to suggest it is because he disagrees with violent approach.

 

[Teppodama]

 

[Soul Crusher]

Turkey's presidential spokesman on Friday lambasted Austria's decision to expel imams and shut mosques as an "anti-Islam" and "racist" move.

Me:

Austria:

Turkey:

 

[Hard To Tell]

This hideous religion has no place in Western Europe full stop.

 

[V Belfort]

Can't wait for our politcians (Germany) to side with the Turks and send an apology and an offer to take these Imans in.

 

[Headkicktoleg]

The only reason Turkey would care is if they planned on using those Imam's for something, which proves this was absolutely the right move.

Hey Turkey,

 

[cincymma79]

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me to close mosques and expel teachers that are a breeding ground for intolerance and hatred. Many countries could learn a thing or two about this development in Austria.

It is also funny to hear about Turkey's regime are upset with and call this anti-Islam given how they are highly antisemitic and intolerant of minorities.

Rule of thumb
If turkey doesn’t like it it’s probably good

 

[Bald1]

I find it strange how the more familiar a European country is with Islam in a historic context the more they want to curb its influence within their borders. Must be a coincidence.

 

[ShinkanPo]

Erdogan wants an army of Islam and has threatened to open flood gates of muslims to Europe. He has also told muslims ti have tons of kids and to vote for Islam essentially to win demographic battle. And then that hole stunt against the Germans.

He also sang a slogan calling Armenians bastards. Made positive thought about 5 year old girl being martyred. And laughed and bragged that muslims would never arrest their own when he laughed off anyone suggest they would Armenians the convict Omar Al Bashir of Sudan for war crimes against christians.

Hope Turkey falls apart one day

The Political Islam that Erdogan is promoting is very vile and anti women as a feminist he must be stop and eliminated

 

[MicroBrew]

Good move by Austria.

 

[MadSquabbles500]

Ze Austrians did something along these lines right after the Anschluss, but just not that far down the line.

 

[Rygu]

Austria isn't a shithole like Turkey.

Apparently, they would like to keep it that way.

 

[dontsnitch]

The only reason Turkey would care is if they planned on using those Imam's for something, which proves this was absolutely the right move.

Hey Turkey,

Even Austria's opposition parties were broadly supportive of Friday's announcement, with the centre-left Social Democrats calling it "the first sensible thing this government's done".

However the Green Party pointed out it could serve as a propaganda victory for the Turkish government.

Maybe you're right, or maybe it's about optics.