Epress.am News from Armenia
A gathering of Turkish and European parliamentarians in Brussels turned eventful on Tuesday when a far-right Dutch deputy lambasted Islam and Turkey and then attempted to present a caricature deemed criminal by Turkish prosecutors as a “gift” to a Turkish minister, Today’s Zaman reports.
Barry Madlener (pictured below), a Dutch politician from the Party for Freedom (PVV), first caused tensions when he said at a meeting of the European Union-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee that Turkey did not belong to Europe because it has a “backward Islamic ideology” that does not fit with European values. “Islam and freedoms cannot coexist,” Madlener said before accusing Turkey of restricting freedom of the press and Internet and criticizing increasing violence against women and homosexuals. He said even caricaturists were being put on trial and walked towards Turkish State Minister Egemen Bağış, one of the panelists at the meeting, saying he wanted to present him an illustration by a Turkish cartoonist as a “gift.”
The cartoon, published in Turkish humor magazine “Penguen,” reportedly landed cartoonist Bahadır Baruter (pictured below) in court, with a state prosecutor charging him in September with “insulting religious values” and demanding a one-year jail sentence.
The cartoon depicts an imam and a group of believers praying in a mosque, distracted by a man talking to God on his cellphone and asking if he can be excused from the last part of the prayer because he has things to do. The words “there is no Allah” and “religion is a lie” are seen written on the walls of the mosque.
When Madlener attempted to present a framed copy of the cartoon to Bağış, Turkish lawmaker Akif Demirkıran, who was chairing the meeting, received the cartoon as Bağış was heard shouting, “Don’t take it!”
Bağış, who is also Turkey’s chief negotiator for EU talks, then told Madlener: “I have enough cartoons at home. Put it in your appropriate place.”
EU Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Füle attempted to calm down Bağış, who was visibly angry. Members of the European Union-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee protested Madlener by clapping, and Demirkıran accused Madlener of using the parliamentary platform for the purpose of “provocation.” He also said Madlener had told some members of the committee a day ago that he would come back on Tuesday to fight with Bağış. “Let him come, he can’t dare it,” Bağış (pictured below, left) said.
“Discriminating against Islam as it was done today only aims for propaganda for national political purpose. I would like to remind Mr. Madlener of the current situation of the Arab Spring and the brave and pacific demonstrations of the people [in Arab countries] for dignity and human rights,” Helene Flautre, co-chair of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, said after the eventful session.
Commenting on the “gift,” Flautre said: “Giving a gift is normally [done with] a pleasant and respectful attitude. In that sense, Mr. Madlener did not offer anything to Minister Bağış, neither to the debate regarding EU-Turkey relations.”
Şaban Dişli, a Turkish lawmaker who said he was also a Dutch national, said Dutch society did not approve of people like Madlener. Bağış later said during the session that Turkey was ready to offer “[psychological] treatment” for Madlener, asserting that some in that session were “suffering from an illness called racism.”
This is not the first time Madlener has caused tensions during a parliamentary gathering. In a previous session of the European Union-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, held in May 2010, Madlener stormed out after saying Turkey’s real friend was Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, not Europe.