It’s interesting that the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is a Sunni  Muslim.   Most of Turkey, is Sunni.   ISIS was created by Sunni Muslims who were kicked out of their jobs and lost their power base when the Bush/Cheney regime invaded Iraq.

Fethullah Gullen, the cleric living in exile in Pennsylvania, who Erdogan blames for causing this most recent coup attempt by the Turkish military, is said to be a secular Muslim who promotes “a philosophy that blends a mystical form of Islam (with) staunch advocacy of democracy, education, science and interfaith dialogue. He left Turkey in 1999 and had a massive falling out with his former ally Erdogan about three years ago.”

In much of the world, religion and politics are one and the same, something too many in our governement and media continue to ignore.  The question of whether the West would be better off without Erdogan in power, is both valid and reasonable.

#####

Update:    On Sunday, 7-17 the Associated Press reported that the government had put  down a second coup attempt.  According to the AP, the government said that  “6,000 people had been detained in the investigation, including three of the country’s top generals and hundreds of soldiers. In addition to those mentioned by Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag, dozens of arrest warrants have been issued for judges and prosecutors deemed to be government opponents. ”  Earlier reports indicated that 3000 judges had already been removed by the government.

Getting good information on what’s happening in Turkey won’t be easy.  The Erdogan regime is infamous for throwing reporters in jail.   In 2013 Al Jazeera called it “The world’s biggest prison for media.”

In 2016, Nina Ognianova of The Committee to Protect Journalists testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee that, “Turkey has intensified its repressive actions against the media in recent months, Ognianova said. In an attempt to stifle criticism, authorities have used broadly worded anti-terror laws; brought charges against journalists under an archaic law that carries jail terms for insulting the president; replaced the editorial management of opposition media outlets and fired their staff; routinely imposed bans on the reporting of sensitive stories; and has prosecuted and imprisoned journalists on anti-state charges in retaliation for their work.”

Accordin to the Committee to Protect, 25 journalists have been killed in Turkey since 1992.   22, have been murdered.