PressEthic

Last summer, President Bush held up Turkey as a prime example of democracy for the Middle East. But in an article yesterday in Khaleej Times, a Dubai based newspaper, five Turkish journalists were charged by the Turkish state for criticizing government efforts to ban a conference to discuss the controversial history of the Armenian genocide

Granted, while Turkey does have similar democratic principles, it is not a democratic state. While there is a free choice of life style in Turkey compared to others regimes in the Middle East, their laws limit choice in the realms of religion and ethnicity. This is most evident in the civic and educational system. In fact, most types of Islamic dress are prohibited in government jobs and veiled women are not allowed seats in the Turkish parliament. Military "soft-coups" have occurred several times when threats of political Islam and Kurdish separatism made gains in Turkish legislature.

Freedom of the press is essential for any democracy. So when this element of Turkey's governance is curtailed as evidenced by the censorship of these journalists, how can President Bush really uphold Turkey to the same standards of democracy that all citizens can take advantage of? Of course I have my own theories, but I'll let you make your own conclusions….