Turkey: Shooting Fish In A Barrel

[Annie]

Links at site:

http://michellemalkin.com/archives/004464.htm

FANNING THE FLAMES
By Michelle Malkin · February 05, 2006 12:46 PM

Reuters:

Ramadi, Iraq, February 5: Militant groups on Sunday called for attacks on Danish troops in Iraq and people from all countries where cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad have been published.

In an Internet statement, the Islamic Army of Iraq, which has claimed responsibility for killing foreign hostages, urged militants to kidnap Danes and "cut them into as many pieces as the number of newspapers that printed the cartoons".

"The Islamic Army in Iraq also declares that all countries whose newspapers printed the insulting and disgraceful pictures are legitimate targets and our response will be ... tremendous."

***

Meanwhile, an Italian Roman Catholic priest was shot dead in his church in the Turkish Black Sea city of Trabzon on Sunday, police said. Motive not known.

Jim Geraghty's take on Turkish reaction to the Cartoon Jihad is here.

***

Reader Brent A. writes with background info about the church where the Italian Catholic priest was shot:

I was at that church back in 2001 with my girlfriend at that time. She was Turkish and Muslim from Trabzon (I was stationed at Incirlik Air Base), and thought that she would show me something that would interest me. She took me to the Catholic Church because in her mind, and many Turks' minds, Catholics and Protestants have as much distinction as Sufi's, Sunni's, Shi'ites, and Wahabi's do in our ours. Her goal was to prove to me that Turkey does have other religions besides Islam. It was the only Catholic Church in Trabzon, and I don't believe there is usually more than one per city anywhere in Turkey.

Most of your readers probably think the church is situated like they are here in America, you drive up, park, and then walk in. In Turkey, the Catholic Churches are located behind fortress like walls with no indication of what is behind the wall. They have two gates: one for pedestrian and one for deliveries. Usually only those scheduled deliveries are allowed in the delivery gate. Unscheduled deliveries were turned away. At the pedestrian gate, you knock on the gate and someone comes answer to see what you want. If you clear their cursory check, they let you in. In Izmir, they had a gate guard that screened visitors. In Trabzon, one of the helpers or the priest himself would answer the gate. In both churches, in Izmir's and Trabzon's, if you were European/American, you were usually cleared in with little fuss. They were a little more thorough with the Turks, not due to terrorist reasons, but Turkey has a law against prosletyzing.

It is supposed to be applied to all religions, including Islam, but in practice is more geared toward the other religions. They screen them so they don't run afoul of this law. When I was there, the priest was from Germany and spoke German, Turkish, and English. He told me that they were usually rotated through this particular church every few years as the congregation was pretty small, mainly foreigners living in Trabzon for various reasons, and there wasn't much other work outside the church they could do because of the prosletyzing law. They had to be careful of what they did down town so it wouldn't be construed as the Catholic Church trying to move in and take over. Since the priest was the only fatality, my guess is that he was alone in the Church when the bell rang (you have to pull a rope that rings a bell to let someone know you're out there) and he came to answer the gate. When he opened it, that is probably when they shot him. You can park right outside the gate. Anyway, my main thrust was to let you know how the churches are built in Turkey.

Mosques there are a lot like churches here, you can pretty much walk up to the door anytime of day, but they have people there to make sure you're properly dressed to enter, such as women have their headscarfs on. The only Mosque in Turkey that I saw that waived the headscarf rule was the Blue Mosque in Istanbul because of all the Tourists. All the other Mosques would allow tourists in as long as they complied with the dress requirements.

***

Mark Levin has a question: What about these cartoons?

 

[ekrem]

police is searching for a 14-17 years old shooter.
Police is investigateing.
Phantom-ppicture has been made.

It is not clear that this shooting is associated with carricatures.
We will see the results of turkish police investigation.


Police is investigateing former death-announcings against him. As he helped prostitutes from the mafia and made missionary activities in this city.

 

[ekrem]

some deeper information:


Italian priest killed in Trebisonda
by Mavi Zambak
Country in shock. Televisions speak of shame for the murder of priest from diocese of Rome.

Ankara (AsiaNews) - All Christian churches are now being guarded, television news reports speak of shame for Turkey, also considering the fact that this criminal act took place in a sacred place. All of Turkey is under shock. Fr Andrea Santoro, a "fidei donum" priest from the diocese of Rome, was killed as the result of two gun shots. He had been working in Turkey for some 10 years.

After having spent several years in Urfa, in southern Turkey near the border with Syria, Fr Santoro had been located in Trabson (the renowned Trebisonda on the Black Sea) for the past few years. A difficult area due to the trafficking of prostitutes from the east as well as the lack of a stable Christian community. It was for this very reason that Fr Andrea wanted to be there: to be a glimmer of hope, a witness of Christ's unconditional love. And this is just how he is currently being remembered on television by his neighbours. Shocked by how anyone could have wanted the murder of a friendly and kind person, a good neighbour to all. A man of faith who spent many hours in church praying for the salvation of all.

And yet, just this afternoon, at 3:30 p.m., as he was busy, just like every other day, opening his parish's Saint Mary Church, a young16-year old man did not hesitate to shoot him, to then disappear without a trace. Fr Andrea's helper, Loredana, also from Rome, was with him at the time of the shooting, but was able to only get a glimpse of the killer's arm as he aimed to fire.

Trabson is now being heavily guarded and the entire population is joining the local Church as it mourns and awaits the arrival of the Apostolic Vicar of Anatolia, Monsignor Luigi Padovese, who immediately set out, travelling north by airplane, from diocese headquarters in Iskenderun, more than a thousand kilometres from the scene of the crime. It will be up to this prelate to release a statement on the incident.

In the meantime, security authorities having been saying on television that they will do everything possible to find the assassin. Some say they already have suspects and are awaiting the results of the ballistic examinations on the two bullets left at the scene.
http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=5302

 

[Annie]

Thanks for the more local coverage.

 

[ekrem]

From Turkish newspaper:

Trabzon after Istanbul has become Turkey's second Texas. Professors are being shot, Turkish soccer players wives are being shot due to Mafia-Connections of their husbands, Leftist students are as last year openly lynch-mobbed on the streets. And the city has the highest rate of human trafficking and relatively highest rate of Mafia-prostitutes in Turkey.

Unfortunately, bullets in the sky of trabzon sum up. In the city there is a serious underrepresentation of Turkish state authority. And the city's police director was building joint-ventures with local mafia-boss' relatives.
Not only our newspaper was pointing to this situation. All Trabzon parlamentarians went to Interior Minister Aksu and emphasized their concerns as: "In the city is no state. There is a lack of security. 17 to 18 years old teenagers are dominateing the streets."
The outcome of this meeting is not clear. Since then everytime we interviewed Minister Aksu on conditions in Trabzon he fell in serious silence.
And on Sunday the scenery exploded. To the last informations of police a 16 year old, 1,55 m, 44-50 KG boy shot "Andrea Santoro".

The murder in Trabzon is from the first view linked with the protests against carricatures especially when an Azeri-Immigrant women said she heard calls of "Allahu akbar" immediately after the shooting. But as investigation proceeds there are some other links which come up. For example the shooter's gun: What does a 16 year old boy do when he decides to shoot a Christian Church-man? he goes and gets a gun. To the latest police-information the ballistic investigation, not precisely giving information due to investigation, was a professional gun and not a fabricated gun from local Gun-fabrics.

The government stands firm on the view that this shooting has nothing to do with Denmark. In talks with Italian officials it was agreed not to link this murder with Denmark. Anyhow besides Italian press, world press tried not to overvalue this murder in their journalism with speculation in respect to Turkey.
Yesterdays 8 hour lasting cabinet meeting was clear to stand on this issue.


Now lets come to the rumours on Trabzon's street. There are 2 dominant ones.
1. Santoro made missionary activities in this city.
2. Santoro contacted with prostitutes trafficked and jobbed by local mafia.

Till now we have not found any evidence Santoro tried to missionary in Trabzon. There are Christian missionaries in Trabzon, but those are American and not located or connected to the "Santa Maria Cathilc Church".
Santoro helping prostitutes in Trabzon is a clear fact.

Also to the Denmark-Carricature link, there were smaller demonstrations in Istanbul and Ankara. Nothing worth to talk about as with our other neighbours.
Peacefull demonstrations what their right is.

But, in Trabzon were no demonstrations. And even if there would have been a Denmark-demonstartion in Trabzon, we have to stand on the fact, that the shooter was alone not grouped with any others around him.

With high possibility this murder-incident has nothing to do with far away Denmark or Beirut, Tehran, Damaskus things, but with Turkish Trabzon things.
But now try to explin this to the world. And i am sure European press will listen Police press when this 16 year old shooter is being caught to squeeze him who gave him those gun in his hand.

After Mehmet Ali Agca who went into history as the turk "who treid to shoot the pope" we have now a teenager boy "who shot a Christian-Churchman" with free image-projection through worldwide press. What a shame to all of us.
http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/yazarlar/3898109.asp?yazarid=1&gid=61

 

[dilloduck]

What a mess! Do you have a good law and order man around or has it gotten to the point of total chaos ?

 

[ekrem]

What a mess! Do you have a good law and order man around or has it gotten to the point of total chaos ?

Hello. First: i don't want my above post to be seen as a fact. As neither the shooter has been caught nor the investigation is closed. It can be that this murder is connected to "Islam-Denmark" connection. But, as the newspaper, i don't really believe in that. But can not deny it either.

Trabzon is on the North-coast of Turkey. Near Georgia. As you see in this link, Turkey is the main market for slavic women.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/06/27/news/turkey.php
And Trabzon is the centre of this Turkey-Eurasia Slavic women route.


In 1970s + 80s when Turkey recruited para-miliatry besides official security forces, against Islamists and Communists they came from ultra-rightists. Mainly from these regions where Trabzon lies. After Turkey did broke and condemned this para-military past, these individuals went into mafia.
And in Turkey there is something called "deep state", a dinosaur from these past days. Army is not the deep state, but maybe some always-changeing individuals of army are in "Deep state". It hesitates to went against these structures left and settled in Trabzon areas.
Also they have good connections to USA, most of them educated in Para-Military by Turkey and USA ahainst Islamists and Communists that day behind.

Turkey is able to make law and stability in its own boarders. But this is a question of "?goodwill?". There are still "deep state" elements in Turkey, which Turkey will eridicate on its way to a open democracy. But this elements feel comfortable with situation as it is rigt now. Many money being made in Tranzon-Underground.

Wheter Andrea Santoro was shot by an Islamist or shot by mafia, whose being in this degree is only possible due to "deep state". Pro-European Turks will stay on this issue and will let it stay on agenda. Also EU will have interest in this....

Speaking to Sabah's Balçiçek Pamir, former Prime Minister Ecevit said everybody's deep state was different.

When asked about what deep state was, Ecevit noted: �Deep state is the part of state that is behind the scenes. Demirel talks about the deep state from when he was in political trouble.� Ecevit said he agreed with Demirel's statement that deep state made itself felt only at times when there was a lack of state authority but added, �I don't know why people are talking about such matters now. We have certain problems, but the performance of the current government does not necessitate such interventions. I experienced the deep state first hand. Deep state is the counter-guerilla. I issued warnings then."

This is from the past. These days, "deep state" is outsourced from capital Ankara and political mechanism. And many low-level individuals of them found new home in Trabzon-underground. With always news from There makeing it to Turkish Texas. Yet. Ankara don't really want to stop what there is going on. But Ankara could if it wanted to. As Ankara has the authority and power to make everything within Turkish boarders from east to west and north to south.

 

[ekrem]

It is like a systematic "i close my eyes" in these areas. But killing of Santoro as a Italian Catholic-Preist either direct by them or by others through conditions came with "I close my eyes"-situation has another quality. I am sorry for Mr.Santoro's family. But cleaning up what really was going on there in "santa Maria Church" will take Turkey to a inner-judgement with its own past in some aspects. Premise mafia shot him.
Goodnight.