Åsa Westlund: A case for Turkey and Islam in Europe

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Publié vendredi 9 mai 2008 à 19h05
par asa.westlund Devenir militant(e) du PSE dans Démocratie et diversité européenne (vu 233 fois et 3 commentaires)

A couple of months ago I visited Verdun in Northern France. It is an important site for all Europeans. For its historical importance and for what it means for our future. Just outside the town, the battle of Verdun took place during the First World War. It was one of the most important, but also deadliest, battles of the war raging from 21 February until 15 December 1916. The losses in the war in the trenches were enormous. In Verdun, the dead were counted in hundreds of thousands.

To understand Europe today, it is important to visit places like Verdun in order to understand why a closer union among the peoples of our continent are so important. Building and enlarging Europe is essentially about peace and security. One of the most important memorials at Verdun is Douaumont Ossuary were the remains of 13.000 soldiers rest. Around the building there is a vast cemetery with line after line of white crosses. But if you take a closer look you will notice that there are not only crosses. Some are stones turned towards Mecca. Here lays the remains of soldiers of a Muslim faith who gave their lives for France. And yet there is some who says that Islam is not a part of European History. Or of European culture. There is some kind of backlash against Islam going on in the West at the moment. In Europe it seams to have focused on trying to block Turkish membership in the European Union.

The membership of Turkey will not happen tomorrow. Like any other country Turkey must fulfill the criteria for membership. It must respect democratic values and human rights, women’s rights and minority rights. It must have a working economy and be able to implement European legislation. Among other things. But like any other country, if Turkey fulfills the criteria: it should be given full membership in EU.

Tags: blogueur de la semaine, démocratie, diversité, multiculturalisme, UE

Commentaires

1. A case for Turkey and Islam in Europe par lena lin Devenir militant(e) du PSE le mardi 13 mai 2008 à 16h15

Good, Asa! Right choice of subject and good argument. We must all remember that EU was initially, and still is, mainly a peace project. We must keep reminding EU sceptics about this. So many of EU citizens have a very vague understanding of the origin of the Union and the purpose of an expanding Union. The EU should not be seen as an economic club for the privileged, but as a peace champion and peace promoter in the world.

2. Me too. .. par tolerance le mercredi 14 mai 2008 à 10h52

I am also optimistic about Turkey and the EU. As Åsa says: if Turkey can fullfill the criteria for access, I think having Turkey in the EU would be a great assett. Not tomorrow, but in the future. I also think, and this statement might be more controversial, that having Turkey in the EU would positively influence our relations to the Middle East.

3. optimism par bverdeyen Devenir militant(e) du PSE le vendredi 16 mai 2008 à 09h40

I too am optimistic about Turkey joining the EU somewhere in the future.

The admission of Turkey would be a perfect example of the multicultural cooperation platform the EU is. It would indeed positively influence our relations with the Middle East and would enrich the dialogues within the EU.

Membership allows the EU their role as watchdog in issues such as democracy and human rights.

As for Islam, it should not be an issue at all. Not only is Turkey a secular state, but the number of muslims in countries like France and Germany are growing larger and larger. 

Today, being an EU citizen is already about far more than which religion one follows.

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