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June 10, 2011 Friday 1:09 PM CET
MIDEAST:TURKEY CANCELS '3 RELIGIONS'CONCERT', ISRAEL DISMAYED
(ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, JUNE 10 - Israel has reacted with disappointment
to the last-minute cancellation of a concert dedicated to
inter-religious tolerance to be held in Istanbul following threats
received from extremist Islamic groups. These groups included -
according to local mass media reports - the Turkish NGO IHH which has
organised the Freedom Flotilla for Gaza due to set sail at the end of
this month.
Organised by such bodies as Istanbul's city council and the Israeli
consulate, the concert planned to include performances by an Israeli
cantor, a Turkish imam and a soloist from the Armenian Church in
Istanbul. But just as rehearsals were coming to an end yesterday, the
Israeli cantor, Lior Almaliach, learned that the concert had been
cancelled and that he would be well advised to leave Turkey on that
same day. A hard condemnation ensued from Israel's foreign ministry,
which accused the IHH itself of being behind the pressure to have the
event cancelled. ''It comes as no surprise that this organisation
should attack a cultural event trying to spread tolerance between
religions,'' - the ministry's spokesperson, Igal Palmor, is reported
by military radio to have said, ''Those with a terrorist mentality
reach for their pistols every time they hear the word 'culture'''.
Last week the Israeli press gave great prominence to the fact that
Israeli cyclists who had been invited to take part in an international
race in Turkey had been forced by the organisers to return home ahead
of schedule due to the unwillingness of Arab competitors to race
against them.
June 10, 2011 Friday 1:09 PM CET
MIDEAST:TURKEY CANCELS '3 RELIGIONS'CONCERT', ISRAEL DISMAYED
(ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, JUNE 10 - Israel has reacted with disappointment
to the last-minute cancellation of a concert dedicated to
inter-religious tolerance to be held in Istanbul following threats
received from extremist Islamic groups. These groups included -
according to local mass media reports - the Turkish NGO IHH which has
organised the Freedom Flotilla for Gaza due to set sail at the end of
this month.
Organised by such bodies as Istanbul's city council and the Israeli
consulate, the concert planned to include performances by an Israeli
cantor, a Turkish imam and a soloist from the Armenian Church in
Istanbul. But just as rehearsals were coming to an end yesterday, the
Israeli cantor, Lior Almaliach, learned that the concert had been
cancelled and that he would be well advised to leave Turkey on that
same day. A hard condemnation ensued from Israel's foreign ministry,
which accused the IHH itself of being behind the pressure to have the
event cancelled. ''It comes as no surprise that this organisation
should attack a cultural event trying to spread tolerance between
religions,'' - the ministry's spokesperson, Igal Palmor, is reported
by military radio to have said, ''Those with a terrorist mentality
reach for their pistols every time they hear the word 'culture'''.
Last week the Israeli press gave great prominence to the fact that
Israeli cyclists who had been invited to take part in an international
race in Turkey had been forced by the organisers to return home ahead
of schedule due to the unwillingness of Arab competitors to race
against them.