Turkey Military Warns Of Islamic Uprising Nation Straddles East And West; Radical Surge Threatens Balance

Turkey’s powerful military delivered its harshest warning yet to the Islamic-led government, telling the country Wednesday that a violent uprising may be near and vowing to stop it with force if necessary.

“Radical Islamic activities have gained momentum toward civil uprising,” Gen. Fevzi Turkeri declared at a briefing for journalists, part of an intensified military-led campaign against the Islamic government.

“The basic principles of the Turkish republic cannot be changed, will not be changed,” he said during a 70-minute statement blasting the government. Images of rallies attended by lawmakers waving green Islamic flags and Islamic leaders dining with the prime minister were shown on a wide screen behind him.

Turkey, a NATO member that straddles Europe and Asia, occupies a pivotal position between the Western and Islamic worlds. The position gives Turkey strategic importance but has led to its being torn throughout history between the European secular and Muslim religious traditions.

The army, which sees itself as the protector of modern Turkey’s secular traditions, has been uneasy since Islamic Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan’s coalition government took power 11 months ago.

The military repeatedly has ordered Erbakan to curb his pro-Islam policies. But, until now, it had never used such harsh rhetoric or made such a concerted effort to publicize the reasons for its concern.

Turkeri said “political Islam” - meaning Erbakan’s governing Welfare Party - was engaged in a systematic campaign to replace the secular state with an Islamic regime.

“Political Islam works closely with Iran and some other Islamic countries to pull Turkey into an endless darkness … away from Western civilization,” he said, also naming Libya, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.