KT edit: Turkey is whipping up hatred

Turkey is waging a war of ideas and competing narratives that can only stoke differences

It wasn’t long ago when Turkey was at the gates of Europe looking forward to integrating with it and be a part of the European Union. Yet, today it stands at a crossroads, and its relationship with some of Europe’s strong members, which are arguably the face of the continent, is at new lows. The estrangement with Europe is of Turkey’s own making. The political ambition of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president, has brought about a sea change in Turkey and its relations with the West and in the region over the last few years. Increased interference in Syria, Libya, its military manoeuvring in Mediterranean have been bringing European nations together against Turkey.

Erdogan’s latest remarks ridiculing French President Emmanuel Macron and his comments on cracking down on radicals in France further prove the extreme views of a leadership that doesn’t believe in religious harmony and the sanctity of life. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, and other Muslim nations have condemned the killing of Samuel Paty, a high school teacher in France. In a world where countries like the UAE are professing peace and harmony, Turkey is waging a war of ideas and competing narratives that can only stoke differences and whip up hatred. The secular image of Turkey has been tarnished by personal ambition of its ruler, and it neither bodes well for the country nor the region at large.