Islamist Turkey arms, funds and trains Syrian rebels

NATO member Turkey backs Islamists

The main opposition party has accused Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of being the main financier of the radical Islamist groups in Syria, claiming the state’s assets have been mobilized for these groups.

“If you bring foreign radical elements into Turkey, train, arm and finance them, then it has a cost,” Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said yesterday at a meeting with economy reporters. Turkey’s 900-km border with Syria is only “a border on paper, but in reality those borders have turned into a parking area,” said Kılıçdaroğlu.

Asked the reason for the increase in discretionary funds of the state, Kılıçdaroğlu cited Supreme Court of public accounts reports of the budget being approved without being submitting to the parliament reports the Hurriyet Daily News.

Stressing that this implementation was unacceptable, the CHP leader said nobody could talk about democracy unless the budget was controlled.
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The CHP asked the government what it had used the discretionary fund of the state for. He argued that Prime Minister Erdoğan tried to manipulate people’s perception as if the CHP was connected to some terrorist organizations.

“You are the one who is connected, sitting at the table with terror organizations. You are the one who brought al-Qaeda into Turkey and armed them,” said Kılıçdaroğlu.


Turkey brought war to doorstep by supporting Syrian rebels

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Turkish Pianist Sentenced To Ten Months In Prison For “Insulting Islam”

An İstanbul court on Friday sentenced Turkish pianist Fazıl Say to 10 months in prison on charges of insulting Islamic religious values in comments he made on Twitter, after a retrial ordered by a higher court.  

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The İstanbul 29th Court of First Instance in April ordered the retrial for Say after the defendant appealed a ruling by the İstanbul 19th Peace Court that sentenced him to 10 months in prison. The court delayed the announcement of the verdict and said Say would be sent to jail if he commits a similar crime in the next five years reports Today's Zaman.

The İstanbul 19th Peace Court on Friday announced its decision after the retrial, upholding the 10-month prison sentence, but this time did not delay the announcement of the verdict -- paving the way for the pianist to appeal the verdict at the Supreme Court of Appeals.

In early April, Say posted controversial tweets questioning whether heaven in Islamic belief is like a brothel or pub, because the Quran says there are rivers of wine and houris (very beautiful women) in heaven for those who commit good deeds while they are on Earth.

Among Say's most controversial tweets were “I am not sure if you have noticed, but where there is a louse, a non-entity, a lowlife, thief or fool, they are all pro-Allah.”

Say also tweeted about a muezzin who recited the evening call to prayer in 22 seconds, questioning whether he was in a rush to reunite with his lover or go to a rakı table.

Say explained his controversial tweets as verses from a poem by Omar Khayyam, a Persian poet.

The prosecutor's office has found that Say's statements run contrary to the first and third points of Article 216 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK). These points concern the offenses of “fomenting hatred and enmity among the public” and “insulting religious values.”