Turkey a worthy addition

October 13, 2005
The Daily Texan
Opinion
The Firing Line
By Cem Akguner (Doctoral candidateDepartment of Civil Engineering)

As a Turk, I am miffed by the Turko-phobic views of Matthew Nickson in his Oct. 10 article, "Turkey not fit for membership." {See Turkey not fit for membership}

During the five centuries of its existence, the Ottoman Empire demonstrated not only tolerance, but respect for different religions. In fact, it entrusted commerce and artisanship almost exclusively to its Greek, Jewish and Armenian citizens, and many flourished. Why then, in the second decade of the twentieth century, when the Empire was beset on all sides, should it suddenly concern itself with the faith of its minorities?

National security - scoffed at by Nickson as a motive - is much less preposterous than a demand for conversion to explain, if not justify, the events that ensued in 1915. The whole question of an Armenian "genocide" is not nearly as one-sided as Nickson would portray it.

Belligerent? Aggressive? Turkey, in its republican history, has never engaged in a war for territorial gain. True, relations with Greece and Armenia have often been contentious. It is also true that it was Greece that ignited both the Cyprus and Imnia situations, however heavy-handed Turkey's reaction might have been.[...].
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I don't mean to whitewash Turkey's problems: disparity of income, terrorism, economic concerns, its volatile neighbors and a fanatical fringe that would choose an Islamic state. From Europe's viewpoint, Turkey's drawbacks to full European membership are its relative poverty, Islamic roots and large size and population - therefore, its potential clout in the organization. Say that Europe cannot afford Turkey, but do not say that Turkey is "undeserving."

Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.