The more supported by the neocons a Middle Eastern regime is, the worse off are the ancient indigenous Christians, who are not supposed to exist in the neocon view of the world, and who embody precisely the civilisation that neoconservatism defines itself by rejecting. Therefore, compare the reserved Assyrian and Armenian seats in the Iranian Parliament, the Christian-majority provinces and the Christian festivals as public holidays in Syria, the Christian quota for the Palestinian Authority, the composition of the new governing coalition in Lebanon, and Iraq before 2003, with the plight of the Christians in NATO Turkey (a state founded on the bloody mass expulsion of Christians), in Israel (likewise), as envisaged by the neocon-backed Saudi proxies in Lebanon, as actualised in Iraq since 2003, and in Mubarak's Egypt.
One quarter of the Egyptian Parliament to be elected on a constituency basis, one quarter to be elected on a proportional basis, forty-five per cent (an equal number of men and women) to be nominated by the General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, and five per cent (an equal number of men and women) to be nominated by the Coptic Patriarch. No legislation could be introduced unless sponsored by at least one MP from each of those four categories, nor could it be enacted without the approval of all four of the General Guide, the Patriarch, and the first and second-placed candidates in a direct Presidential election, termed the President and the Vice-President but enjoying exactly equal powers. Why not?
"a state founded on the bloody mass expulsion of Christians"
ReplyDeleteThe Greeks or the Armenians? In the case of the Greeks it was because the Greeks used their presence in Anatolia as an excuse to invade in the pursuit of the "Great Idea" of uniting all territories that contained significant amount of Greeks. In turn the Greeks expelled much of their Muslim population, many of whom were not even ethnically Turkish.
The Armenian slaughter was a heinous disgrace and tragedy, compounded by the fact the continued official denials. Sadly this was a result of wartime paranoia, which we Brits were also culpable of.
Or when Charles becomes king shall we be ruled by the dynasty of Battenberg-Wetten von Saxe Coburg und Gotha!
Gott speichern den Konig!
Both the Greeks and the Armenians. Modern Turkey is founded on the genocide of the civilisation of Homer, of Saint Paul's Epistles, and of Fathers almost too numerous to list.
ReplyDeleteThank God for Durham.
ReplyDelete