"Erdogan's party is not radical Islamist, they are moderate islamists" Sorry pal, but around here, "moderate Islam" is either extinct or a suspicious misnomer, and the term "moderate islamists" sounds as funny as "non-drinking alcoholists": you can be either a moderate, or an Islamist, not both. Out of Turkyie, and apparently a few nice Indian neighborhoods and Subsaharian oases as well, there is only ONE Islam, and it is an instrument of World domination which ultimate goal is to remain the only religion on Earth. Even the blood-drenched Sunni-Shi'ia divide, which is purely "administrative" and eschatological in nature anyway, disappears when confronted with the greater duties of Jihad against Infidelity. Your country is certainly special in this regard, since apparently your clever brethren have found many ways to circumvent the most rock-hard dogmatic, change-adverse religion on Earth, and make it blossom into a puzzling quilt of diversity. Here in the Rest of the World, I'm afraid that apart from a few groups that have in fact gone off the far end and into what most Moslems would describe as heresy, such as the Druse, the Ahmadyia (these guys are from India anyway, right?), the Bahai, and, G_d forbid, the Yazidis, no method to be both a Moslem and a nice guy has been found. Salafist Sunni and Khomeinist Shi'ite ideologies are now the mainstream, and there's no way that these two would admit there's a place under the sun of Allah for anything non-jihading or "moderate", let alone non-Islamic. It thus appears, from where I'm standing, or, rather, sitting at my computer in my pajamas, that Erdogan is not following any of these charmingly Turkish complicated and metaphysical Soufi doctrines, but rather the mainstream, standard Sunni RoP that is professed by the likes of Qardawi. His apparent, and very superficial moderation, is mandated by self-preservation since the secular constitution of Turkyie is itself superciliously guarded by the powerful military. After the AKP has been in power for a few years, it now seems that, rather than going on a collision course with the generals like his left-wing predecessors, Erdogan has managed to muster sufficient popular support to in fact erode the secular character of the Turkish society to a point that even the arak-drinking generals would don a turban to go along with Erdogan's neo-Othman Islamic brand of nationalism. Please feel free to open fire if I'm talking out of my arse. I think Turkyie is too big, too complex and too diverse to be readily understandable, and even an extensive hike through the whole ferking Google has convinced me that, to be able to understand WTF is going on, I'd need either to learn Turkish, or to get some help from you guys.

AKP is modarate.ASo there are still modarate muslims.He accepted that he is a religious guy but the country is not ruled by religion so i have to obey this. His wife is wearing turban which makes our prestige lower and makes me very angry. examples for modarate islam: the countries on the west of ISrael(except egypt maybe) There are still cults in Turkey.Many were shut after new repuclic.but here are still some even the religious people in Turkey is not exterimist.Exterimists are very low in numbers.(many of my friends are muslim but they do not have strong beliefs The diffrence of Turkey is :WE are NOT RELIGIOUS but EXTREME NATIONALISTS-and i'm proud of it this is the reason we never become puppet of a country.But unless we find a good leader we are like puppets.Turkey is weak if you're not in war with them.You can make Turkey your puppet if you're not in war-ex:NOW Turks are generally proud with Ottomans because of their fighting and leading skills.Not because they were islamic.Even Ottomans weren't that islamic(yes they weren't) the main problem in here is:education,PKK and job problems not religion :D

Kane Turks arent nationalist or something else. u re usinig the wrong terms.Every Turk love his or her country.and ths is just it.no more no less You are using nationalism like something that must be proud. Someone who has nothing valuable, sees nationalism as a trait and you are one of them. You are not representing your country and you dont have to proof somethings to someone. look other boards, everyone teases and have fun with you. Nationalism the word u use is a blank word without having civizilation traits and requreiments. If you dont use your mind -if you dont work as hard as like other nations love ur country or not. it doesnt matter. Nationalism is valuable with a clear mind and the idea of equality of people. If we were extreme nationalist there should be a party like Hitlers one.but there is not. if we were extreme, there must be only pure Turks but not. Turks,Kurds,Lazgyes or Bosnains we all live in dignity with integrity.If we were extreme nationalist there must be no ethnics structures in our country but there are. Like Mustafa Kemal says ; Everbody who live in this country have a genral identification of Turk and Turkish citizenship. there must be other identies as ethnics but that doesnt matter unless these groups're in the company of inner or outer enemies.

man we're nationalist but not racist should i say extreme patriotic if you step on a turkis flag in the street they would beat you badly but you're not words i chose were too much sorry we're not like hitler we've been living with tens of ethnics from the time we settled in Anatolia(you know these) OK this is better :D

no need to be ashamed of me pllls they're not having fun with me but they're telling me that i'm sooo young for this adult forum i'm trying to hold in here and i'm happy that a new Turks has joined the forum BTW would you like to give your age?(mine is 15)

"if you step on a turkis flag in the street they would beat you badly". That's because our people are dumb. Only Muslims react like that. People in civil societies would never do such athing. Only Muslims burn other people's flags. Wake up Kane!

man i love my nation and it's history i can not say dumb to them because of their religion

Dogruyu soyleyeni degil dokuz.. 999 koyden kovarlar. :D

If someone's watching his country's flag to be stepped on he better not called himself from that country. I have met several very nice Americans, and I gurantee you that they will not let anyone to step to their flag. A flag is the symbol of a nation. It is more sacred than anything else. It is what people had died for. ýf you do not understand that you do not belong any nationality.

i think many europeans wouldn't do that