ISTANBUL

France's Islamophobic behavior as it grapples with the economic fallout caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic is similar to the widespread antisemitism that targeted Jewish people at the onset of World War II, according to analysts in Turkey.

The identification of Islam and the Muslim image with terrorism, along with the attacks on the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001, in the US, increased Islamophobia in France as it did all over the world.

Another key event that helped trigger the rise of Islamophobia in France was the 2005 riots, when the accidental death of North African youths who fled police carrying out ID checks ignited a chain of protests in the country that went on for three weeks.

The January 2015 attack on the Charlie Hedbo magazine in Paris also stoked Islamophobia in the country.

It precipitated an increase in Islamophobic hate crimes in several European countries, especially France, where the attack had killed 132 people and was later claimed by the ISIS/Daesh terror group in November 2015.

Recently, two Muslim women were stabbed near the Eiffel Tower in France, while a violent woman complained to police about her husband -- who is Catholic -- for being a "radical Islamist." These events are considered by many as a manifestation of the negative perception of Islam and Muslims in the country.

Serhat Ulagli of Marmara University in Istanbul, as well as Ihsan Karli and Zeynep Benan Dondurucu of Kocaeli University in northwestern Turkey, discussed a recent bill on combating "separatist" ideas prepared by the administration of French President Emanuel Macron and an attempt to close Muslim associations and non-governmental organizations, amid the swelling wave of Islamophobic incidents across the country.

'Black mark'

In an interview with Anadolu Agency, Ulagli said Islamophobia, which has flared up again in France with the burning of a mosque in Lyon, the expulsion of 150 imams and rising hatred across the country, was disturbing.

"The view that radical, outdated small minorities that do not comply with any norms of Islam represent the entire Islamic geography is a great injustice and illusion. It is an unfair judgement to try to establish such images in the minds of societies. This negative representation produced by today's politicians is no different from Hitler's denigration of the Jewish community, making it look like they were responsible for every bad event that happened in the country," he said.

Ulagli argued that the view that "Islam is the intellectual source of disorder in developed countries" in the mainstream media and the political arena is a modern manifestation of the Crusader and Second World War ideologies of the past, mixed with globalism.

"With a population exceeding 7 million, the largest group after Christianity in France are undoubtedly Muslims," he said, underlining that Muslims were being marginalized from public life.

This hostility manifests in France both towards its domestic Muslim community, as well as adherents of the religion across the world, Ulagli added.

"It is imperative that Muslim societies develop social policies that protect personal rights. Otherwise, the West will be deprived of the rich heritage and bright future of rising Eastern culture. In the long run, France will take its place on the stage of history as a black mark on world policy," he said.

Hate crimes

Ihsan Karli identified economic, social and cultural reasons for Islamophobia in France.

"The ban on the use of headscarves by women in government in 2003 and the ban on wearing clothes that completely cover the face in public by the French parliament in 2010 increased the conflict between Muslim communities and French national identity. The aggressive news style of French right-wing media and the images they use played a decisive role in shaping Islamophobic perceptions. Both in the political arena and in the media, the targeting of Muslim citizens as elements that damage the security and integrity of the country has led to an increase in hate crimes committed against mosques and places of worship."

Karli warned that government attempts to close legal Muslim associations and groups only because they defend the rights of Muslim communities would further increase Islamophobia in the country, instead of reducing conflicts, and would fail to hinder the activities of radical groups.

Islamophobia replaces antisemitism

Zeynep Benan Dondurucu stressed that the actions taken against Muslims since the 2000s were, in essence, very similar to the anti-Semitism of World War II.

Dondurucu said: "Instead of Jews, this time Muslims are seen as responsible for the economic problems in the country and as elements that damage French national identity. This ideology is intended to restrict the freedom of worship and assembly of Islamic communities.

"This shows that when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Rights of the Citizen was signed in 1789, the basic rights of life, freedom, security and resistance to oppression defended by the country only applied to its citizens with French identity."

She likened recent Islamophobic incidents in France to those before World War II, saying: "In 2020, as France tries to deal with economic problems just like the entire world due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, the turmoil is causing the marginalization of citizens who do not coincide with the ideological French identity on the basis of race or religion, as before the World War II."/aa

ISTANBUL

Several Arab countries have condemned the French incitement against the Islamic religion and the Holy Prophet Muhammad, warning that these repeated insults fuel hatred among the peoples.

In recent weeks, French President Emmanuel Macron attacked Islam and the Muslim community, accusing Muslims of "separatism". He described Islam as a “a religion in crisis all over the world".

This coincided with a provocative move by Charlie Hebdo, a left-wing French magazine infamous for publishing anti-Islamic caricatures, which have drawn widespread anger and outrage across the Muslim world.

The caricatures were first published in 2006 by a Danish newspaper Jylllands Posten, sparking a wave of protests.

In a statement, the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Nayef al-Hajraf described Macron's statements against Islam as "irresponsible" and "cause to spread the culture of hatred among the peoples”.

"Such [French statements] come out at a time when efforts are underway to enhance tolerance and dialogue between cultures and religions,” al-Hajraf said in a statement.

Dhaifallah Fayez, a spokesman for Jordan’s Foreign Ministry, also voiced his country’s condemnation of republishing the offensive cartoons of the prophet by Charlie Hebdo on claims of freedom of expression.

“Such practices hurt the sentiments of around 2 billion Muslims and amount to an assault on religious symbols, beliefs and sanctities,” he said, going on to warn that such practices cause to fuel the culture of extremism and violence.

Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry also expressed resentment at the French republication of the anti-prophet cartoons.

A ministry statement warned that these insults will "ignite the spirit of hatred, violence and enmity, and jeopardize the international community's efforts to spread the culture of tolerance and peace among peoples of the world”./aa

KAYSERI, Turkey

The president of Turkey warned on Saturday that Europe was preparing its own end amid rising Islamophobia across the continent.

"Europe is preparing its own end with its front against Muslims," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, addressing a meeting of his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party at a stadium in the central province of Kayseri.

"If they aren't rid of this disease as soon as possible, it will collapse all of Europe from within," Erdogan added.

Erdogan's remarks came after French President Emmanuel Macron accused Muslims of "separatism" and described Islam as "a religion in crisis all over the world."

"What can we say of a head of state who behaves like this to millions of members of a different faith in his country," said Erdogan.

"First of all, [Macron needs] mental checks."

Erdogan: Macron needs mental checks

He asserted that European fascism had entered a new phase with attacks on the rights of Muslims, referring to a recent police raid on a mosque in Germany's capital Berlin that he had denounced on Friday.

The Turkish president also accused France for being complicit in Armenia's decades-long occupation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan taking back occupied land

During his speech, Erdogan underlined that Azerbaijan was retaking its land from Armenian occupation as fighting continued between the neighboring countries.

"I spoke with [Azerbaijan's president Ilham] Aliyev this morning," he said. "Now, our Azerbaijani brothers are marching towards the occupied territories. They have started to take them back."

Describing Turkey and Azerbaijan as "two states, one nation," Erdogan said: "We'll continue to give all kinds of support to the struggle to liberate the occupied territories of Azerbaijan."

Since clashes erupted on Sept. 27, Armenia has repeatedly attacked Azerbaijani civilians and forces, even violating two humanitarian cease-fires in the past two weeks.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh.

Four UN Security Council resolutions and two from the UN General Assembly, as well as international organizations, demand the withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied territory.

DHAKA, Bangladesh

Gambia has filed its case against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the alleged genocide of the Rohingya in a move widely hailed by the Muslim minority group, as well as refugee host country Bangladesh.

Over 500 pages, the memorial submitted Friday also includes more than 5,000 pages of supporting materials, while Rohingya rights groups have urged Myanmar to immediately comply with earlier ICJ orders to prevent ongoing acts of genocide and preserve evidence of genocide against Rohingya Muslims.

On Jan. 23, 2020, the ICJ unanimously passed legally binding provisional measures requiring the Southeast Asian nation to take all steps within its power to prevent acts of genocide, including killings, affliction of serious mental or bodily harm and other acts listed in the Genocide Convention.

"Today [the memorial] is another step towards justice for Rohingya," said Matthew Smith, chief executive officer at civil rights group Fortify Rights, in a reaction, adding: "International accountability mechanisms, like the ICJ, are crucial, especially given that mass atrocity crimes continue against Rohingya and others in Myanmar."

An estimated 600,000 Rohingya remain in Rakhine State, Myanmar, where they face ongoing genocide, Fortify Rights said in a statement on Friday.

It accused Myanmar authorities of continuing to commit human rights violations against the Rohingya even after the provisional measures, confining more than 125,000 Rohingya in over 20 internment camps.

In November 2019, Gambia opened the case at the ICJ against Myanmar for failing to prevent or punish acts of genocide against Rohingya Muslims.

Myanmar will now file a counter-memorial at the ICJ on July 23, 2021, in response to Gambia's allegations.

Ro Nay San Lwin, rights activist and co-founder of the Free Rohingya Coalition, welcomed the move and urged the global community to extend support for Gambia.

"Despite the orders of the International Court of Justice, the Myanmar government and military continue its horrific persecution against Rohingya in Rakhine state. There is the continuation of armed conflict in Rakhine state. Rakhine and Rohingya villagers have been badly impacted," he told Anadolu Agency.

"Local authorities use COVID-19 as a pretext to persecute more. Many Rohingya have been killed amid fighting between the Myanmar military and Arakan Army. The Myanmar military is using Rohingya as human shields during the fight with Arakan Army," he said, asserting that Myanmar was not complying with the ICJ orders.

Mohammad Shamsu Douza, a Bangladeshi commissioner for refugee relief and repatriation, also welcomed Gambia's memorial, reassuring that Bangladesh would "provide all possible support to the case against the persecution of Rohingya people in the ICJ."

He also urged the international community to stand with Gambia to secure justice for the Rohingya to increase "pressure" on Myanmar to halt atrocities against the group and repatriate its roughly 1.2 million displaced members currently taking shelter in Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh.

However, he added that "Bangladesh's ultimate target was the safe and dignified repatriation of Rohingya to their home country, Myanmar."/aa

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slams French President Emmanuel Macron after the latter defended secular values in France

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday, October 24, slammed his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, over his policies toward Muslims, saying that he needed "mental checks."

"What can one say about a head of state who treats millions of members from different faith groups this way: first of all, have mental checks," Erdogan said in a televised address.

Macron's proposal to defend his country's secular values against radical Islam has angered the Turkish government, adding to a growing list of disputes between the French leader and Erdogan.

Contaminated water from Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant contains a radioactive substance that has the potential to damage human DNA, a report by Greenpeace says.

The claim from the environmental campaign group follows media reports suggesting the government plans to release the water into the ocean.

Many scientists say the risk is low but some environmentalists oppose the idea.

The government has not yet responded to the Greenpeace report.

For years Japan has debated over what to do with the more than a million tonnes of water used to cool the power station, which went into meltdown in 2011 after being hit by a massive tsunami.

Space to store the liquid - which includes groundwater and rain that seeps daily into the plant - will fill up by 2022.

The government says most of the radioactive isotopes have been removed using a complex filtration process but one isotope, tritium, cannot be removed.

Last week Japanese media reported that the government had decided to start releasing the water into the sea from 2022. Under the reported plans, the water would be diluted inside the plant first in a process that would take several decades.

In its report Stemming the tide 2020: The reality of the Fukushima radioactive water crisis released on Friday, Greenpeace claimed the contaminated water contained "dangerous levels of carbon-14", a radioactive substance that it says has the "potential to damage human DNA".

The group accused the government of suggesting the water was "treated" giving the impression it "only contains tritium".

The government said no decision had been made, but observers think one could be announced by the end of the month.

Environmental groups have long expressed their opposition to releasing the water into the ocean. And fishing groups have argued against it, saying consumers will refuse to buy produce from the region.

However some scientists say the water would quickly be diluted in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, and that tritium poses a low risk to human and animal health.

What happened in 2011?

On 11 March 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the north-eastern coast of Japan, triggering a 15-metre tsunami.

While the back-up systems to prevent a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant survived the initial quake, further damage was inflicted by the tsunami.

As the facility's cooling systems failed in the days that followed, tonnes of radioactive material were released. The meltdown was the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986.

Around 18,500 people died or disappeared in the quake and tsunami, and more than 160,000 were forced from their homes.

Billions of dollars in compensation have already been paid to individuals and businesses affected by the disaster. Last month, a Japanese high court upheld a ruling ordering the government and the plant's operating company to pay a further $9.5m (£7.3m).