Turkey Islamic leader Erdogan cites power of immigrant groups in US, said 'mosques are our barracks'

11/20/2003, "Recep Erdogan," CBC News, M. O'Malley

In 2003 Turkey viewed itself as staunchly secular, so Prime Minister Erdogan was briefly imprisoned for "writing and publicly reading an Islamic poem that was regarded as “antisecularist.” The poem says, in part:

• The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers….

Erdogan...was freed after four (months) and assumed his prime ministerial duties. "...

2/11/2008, "Turkish Prime Minister says ‘assimilation is a crime against humanity’," The Local, Germany's news in English

"Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Turks living in Europe that they do not need to assimilate into their host societies. Erdogan was addressing an audience of 20,000 Turks gathered in Cologne on Sunday. The audience included Turks living in France, Belgian and the Netherlands, as well as in Germany.

"I understand very well that you are against assimilation. One cannot expect you to assimilate," Erdogan told the crowd. He said,

• "Assimilation is a crime against humanity."

The Prime Minister, however, spoke of the importance of integration. Erdogen told his audience that it is important to learn German, but that the Turkish language should not be disregarded. He highlighted the importance of education and that Turks in Europe should become more engaged in society, as well as aim to become more influential in politics. Taking the US as an example of a society where

• immigrant groups have always had substantial influence, Erdogan said that the five million Turks living in Europe should "be a constitutional element and not just guests."...

Concerning domestic politics, Erdogan talked about measures he took to improve economic and political affairs in Turkey, and praised the abolition of the headscarf ban at universities. "...

• Reference: 8/18/10, "Europe's Mosque Wars," Hudson Institute, Soeren Kern

'Mosques are our barracks' quote via WZ