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Tablet Magazine
December 11, 2013 Wednesday 4:15 PM EST
Entire World Sneers at Turkish Prime Minister's Absence at Mandela Memorial
Recep ErdoÄ?an is condemned for missing tribute to South African leader
By Adam Chandler|December 11, 2013 10:29 AM
Upon learning of the death of the iconic South African leader Nelson
Mandela, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an offered these
condolences, which were reportedly sent via telegram(!) to South
Africa: `I am very sad for Mandela's death. Things that Mandela did
laid a great mark not only to the people living in South Africa but on
the whole world. The honorable struggle for his people will always be
remembered in respect for centuries.'
But when time came for the Turkish leader to pack his bags for Soweto,
ErdoÄ?an decided not to go. Despite the attendance of over 90 heads of
state and tens of thousands of selfie-taking world leaders and
mourners, ErdoÄ?an sent Deputy Prime Minister BeÅ?ir Atalay in his
stead. And that is when the world erupted!
ErdoÄ?an `is determined not to be a part' of the world one liberal
Turkish columnist scribbled angrily. The columnist added that ErdoÄ?an,
the premier of a G20 nation, `is not the smug, petty, vindictive,
waffling, in-your-face insulting man he seems. He's something worse.'
Turkish authorities, careful to safeguard their rank of #138 in the
Press Freedom Index, quietly carted the journalist off to jail for 25
years.
The backlash against ErdoÄ?an wasn't limited to a domestic furor.
Bloggers from an obscure anti-Turkish site, after committing to
exegesis ErdoÄ?an's lackluster tribute to Mandela, decided to use his
absence at Mandela's funeral as a fundraising ploy to line their
coffers.
Around the region, others suggested that ErdoÄ?an's absence was
retributive for old tensions between the Mandela government and Turkey
from the early 1990s. Elsewhere yet, some suggested that ErdoÄ?an
hadn't gone to Soweto because he wished to avoid embarrassment for the
historic Turkish denial of genocide against the Armenians and
persecution of Christians. Others chalked it up to the obvious
parallels between Mandela's struggle against apartheid and the Kurdish
struggle for independence against the Turks.
Upon hearing these reports all the way in South Africa, Robert Mugabe,
Paul Biya, Hassan Rouhani, and Raul Castro (as well as delegations
from the thirteen countries where you can be put to death by the state
for being an atheist) reportedly all laughed. `Poor ErdoÄ?an,' one was
caught saying on a hot mic. `Guy can't catch a break.'
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/155777/entire-world-sneers-at-turkish-prime-ministers-absence-at-mandela-memorial
December 11, 2013 Wednesday 4:15 PM EST
Entire World Sneers at Turkish Prime Minister's Absence at Mandela Memorial
Recep ErdoÄ?an is condemned for missing tribute to South African leader
By Adam Chandler|December 11, 2013 10:29 AM
Upon learning of the death of the iconic South African leader Nelson
Mandela, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an offered these
condolences, which were reportedly sent via telegram(!) to South
Africa: `I am very sad for Mandela's death. Things that Mandela did
laid a great mark not only to the people living in South Africa but on
the whole world. The honorable struggle for his people will always be
remembered in respect for centuries.'
But when time came for the Turkish leader to pack his bags for Soweto,
ErdoÄ?an decided not to go. Despite the attendance of over 90 heads of
state and tens of thousands of selfie-taking world leaders and
mourners, ErdoÄ?an sent Deputy Prime Minister BeÅ?ir Atalay in his
stead. And that is when the world erupted!
ErdoÄ?an `is determined not to be a part' of the world one liberal
Turkish columnist scribbled angrily. The columnist added that ErdoÄ?an,
the premier of a G20 nation, `is not the smug, petty, vindictive,
waffling, in-your-face insulting man he seems. He's something worse.'
Turkish authorities, careful to safeguard their rank of #138 in the
Press Freedom Index, quietly carted the journalist off to jail for 25
years.
The backlash against ErdoÄ?an wasn't limited to a domestic furor.
Bloggers from an obscure anti-Turkish site, after committing to
exegesis ErdoÄ?an's lackluster tribute to Mandela, decided to use his
absence at Mandela's funeral as a fundraising ploy to line their
coffers.
Around the region, others suggested that ErdoÄ?an's absence was
retributive for old tensions between the Mandela government and Turkey
from the early 1990s. Elsewhere yet, some suggested that ErdoÄ?an
hadn't gone to Soweto because he wished to avoid embarrassment for the
historic Turkish denial of genocide against the Armenians and
persecution of Christians. Others chalked it up to the obvious
parallels between Mandela's struggle against apartheid and the Kurdish
struggle for independence against the Turks.
Upon hearing these reports all the way in South Africa, Robert Mugabe,
Paul Biya, Hassan Rouhani, and Raul Castro (as well as delegations
from the thirteen countries where you can be put to death by the state
for being an atheist) reportedly all laughed. `Poor ErdoÄ?an,' one was
caught saying on a hot mic. `Guy can't catch a break.'
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/155777/entire-world-sneers-at-turkish-prime-ministers-absence-at-mandela-memorial