Politics 15:57 11/06/2018 Region

Turkey’s Erdogan warns Austria’s mosque move 'will lead to war'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to take action against the Austrian government's decision to shut down seven foreign-funded mosques and potentially expel dozens of Turkish Muslim clerics, a move he dubbed as "anti-Islamic."

"These measures taken by the Austrian chancellor are, I fear, leading the world towards a war between the cross and the crescent," Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul on Saturday, referring to Christianity and Islam, DW reports.

"You do this and we sit idle? It means we will take some steps too," he said, adding that the "western world should get their act together."

The Austrian government said on Friday that it would potentially expel dozens of imams and close several mosques in a move to tackle political Islam and stem the foreign financing of mosques.

Reacting to the announcement, a spokesman for Erdogan said that Vienna's move was "a reflection of the anti-Islam, racist and discriminatory populist wave in the country."

Around 360,000 people of Turkish origin, including 117,000 Turkish nationals live in Austria. Ties between Ankara and Vienna have deteriorated in recent months with Kurz's anti-immigration speeches and opposition to Turkey's EU membership bid.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced Friday his government was shutting down a hardline Turkish nationalist mosque in the capital, Vienna, and dissolving a group called the Arab Religious Community, which runs an additional six mosques.

The chancellor said the initiative followed an investigation into images that emerged in April of young boys wearing Turkish uniforms marching, saluting, playing dead and waving Turkish flags. The pictures were found to have come from the Cologne-based Turkish-Islamic Cultural Associations (ATIB) organization, a branch of Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet).

"There is no space in our country for parallel societies, political Islam and radical tendencies," said Kurz. 



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

17:13
Expert: Iran doesn't oppose closer Armenia-West relations
Last week, the European Parliament passed a resolution proposing the EU executive power to consider the possibility of granting Armenia the...
16:27
Record heat wave hits Brazil
A heat wave stifling Brazil set new records on Sunday, with Rio de Janeiro's heat index hitting 62.3 degrees Celsius, the highest in a...
16:13
Opposition MP: Armenian authorities share Azeri stance on repatriation of Artsakh Armenians
Opposition Pativ Unem faction MP Tigran Abrahamyan has criticized the Armenian leadership for failure to push for the repatriation of the...
15:36
Pashinyan meets with Armenian border residents
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Monday visited the border village of Voskepar in Tavush Province. He met with residents of...
15:06
Armenia makes every effort towards normalization with Azerbaijan, FM says
Armenia and Kazakhstan seek to expand bilateral ties, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said following talks with his Kazakh...
14:30
Aliyev lights Nowruz fire in occupied Stepanakert
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Monday marked the Nowruz holiday by lighting a ceremonial fire in Stepanakert, the capital of...
14:05
Azerbaijani vandals destroy memorial to war heroes in Artsakh village
Azerbaijani vandals continue to destroy memorials and monuments to fallen heroes in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) which was ethnically cleansed of...
13:35
'We'll turn it around', Mkhitaryan says after draw with Napoli
Inter Milan drew 1-1 with visitors Napoli in Serie A on Sunday. The result ended Inter's run of 10 consecutive Serie A victories and...
13:15
Ex-Armenian envoy slams EU's Michel for double standards
Armenia’s former Ambassador-at-Large Edmon Marukyan has strongly criticized European Council President Charles Michel for double standards...
12:45
NATO encourages Armenia and Azerbaijan to 'seize the opportunity' for enduring peace
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan as part of his regional tour on Sunday....
12:33
Powerful cyclone to bring heavy snow to Armenia
A powerful southern cyclone will strike Armenia on Tuesday, the Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center warns. It is bringing heavy snow to...
11:55
Khachanov and Rublev play exhibition match to raise $100,000 for Artsakh refugees
On Saturday March 16, the Los Angeles Tennis Center at UCLA held an exhibition match featuring world-renowned tennis stars Karen Khachanov and...
11:35
Ex-ombudsmen warn against withdrawal of Armenia's lawsuits against Azerbaijan from int'l courts
Former Armenian and Artsakh ombudspersons Arman Tatoyan, Artak Beglaryan and Gegham Stepanyan, as well as lawyers representing the interests of...
11:15
NATO chief: Armenia and Azerbaijan have an opportunity to achieve enduring peace
Armenia and Azerbaijan have an opportunity to achieve a lasting peace after years of conflict, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said...
11:00
Putin wins Russian election in landslide
President Vladimir Putin won a record post-Soviet landslide in Russia's election on Sunday, cementing his already tight grip on...
17:00
Rain, strong winds in the forecast
Rain and fog are expected in some parts of Armenia on the weekend to grip most regions next week. Wet snow is forecast for the...
16:45
Monument Watch exposes false Azeri narrative about Artsakh churches
Azerbaijani media not only called the Armenian church in the Krkzhan district of occupied Stepanakert "Albanian", but also falsely...
16:30
Hundreds in Mexico City stretch out for a 'mass nap' to mark World Sleep Day
In one of Mexico City's busiest neighborhoods on Friday, about 200 people took a collective nap in the middle of the street to celebrate...
16:05
From Earth to Mars or from Vienna to Armash: AMADEE-24 has launched
Mount Ararat, azure blue sky, a rocky plateau reminiscent of Mars, red soil and… analog astronauts in spacesuits: the explorations for...
15:34
Biden reaffirms U.S. commitment to peace between Armenia, Azerbaijan
The United States reaffirms its commitment to a durable and dignified peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, U.S. President Joe Biden...
15:10
Armenia's Artur Aleksanyan tops UWW rankings
Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler Artur Aleksanyan tops the United World Wrestling (UWW) rankings in the 97kg weight class. Aleksanyan, an...
14:36
Netanyahu approves Rafah ground operation plan
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Friday he had approved the military's plan for an operation in Rafah, where...
14:06
Five wounded, including minors, in car crash in Armenia
Five people, including two minors, were injured in a road traffic accident in Armenia on Saturday morning. The crash occurred on the...
13:31
Canada's PM says he thinks daily about leaving 'crazy job'
Canada's prime minister says he frequently thinks about leaving his "crazy job" but plans to stay on through another election....
13:15
Opposition MP lambasts Armenian FM for Artsakh remarks
Opposition MP Tigran Abrahamyan hit out at Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan for his “cheap” comments on Artsakh...
12:34
Armenian Church commemorates St. Gregory the Illuminator's torments
The Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates St. Gregory the Illuminator’s torments and commitment to the pit on Saturday 16 March,...
12:15
Putin votes online in Russian presidential election
The incumbent Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, who is vying for the country’s top office as an independent candidate, has cast his...
12:00
Moscow warns Yerevan about consequences of anti-Russian policy
Moscow has warned Yerevan of the consequences of its involvement in the anti-Russian course by the West, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria...
11:31
Armenian parliament speaker's advisor sacked
Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan has signed an order to dismiss Hovhannes Nalbandyan as his advisor at his own request. The...
11:15
Azeri oil firm which took Russian funds reportedly redeems US bank loans early
Azeri oil firm Socar has redeemed a $1.3 billion syndicated loan led by U.S. banks Citi and JP Morgan two years ahead of schedule, around the...

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}