Following the failed July 15-16, 2016 military coup in Turkey, an editorial in Pakistan's leading Urdu newspaper Roznama Ummat expressed the view that Turkey and Pakistan are important pillars of the Muslim world.
Roznama Ummat, which is published from Karachi, Hyderabad, Peshawar and Rawalpindi, is a strong supporter of the Pakistani military and of the Afghan Taliban groups supported by the military. Ideologically, Roznama Ummat favors all Islamist and jihadi organizations that are not opposed to the idea of Pakistan.
Its editorial, titled "The Failed Coup in Turkey - the [Coup] Leader in America" - insinuating that the U.S. had backed the failed coup - described all countries that in its view had favored the coup as the "Party of Satans."
Following are excerpts from the editorial:
"Turkey And Pakistan Are Two Countries Of The Muslim World That Are A Thorn In The Eye Of All The Oppressor Forces Of The East And The West - And The North And The South"
"Turkey and Pakistan are two countries of the Muslim world that are a thorn in the eye of all the oppressor forces of the East and the West, and the North and the South. The establishment of Pakistan itself came about based on the Islamic ideology; when it became an atomic power despite all domestic and external obstacles, it became totally intolerable to the Satanic powers [i.e. the West].
SUPPORT OUR WORK
"India conducted its first atomic explosion in 1974, but the great powers took no action against it [Editor's note: The U.S. imposed sanctions against India]. But when it once again tried to hold Pakistan in awe by conducting five atomic explosions in 1998, then Pakistan immediately equalized the record with India by conducting six atomic explosions simultaneously; the world accepted that Pakistan's atomic capability was far superior to that of India. On the eve of the Pakistani atomic explosions, the great powers, especially America, said, while trying to stop it, that if it did not desist they would cause such an Armageddon that it would go back to the Stone Age.
"All praise be to Allah that even today Pakistan is intact; instead of the Stone Age, it is about to enter the rank of the developed nations. All pressures, threats, and conspiracies [aimed at undermining Pakistan and Turkey] are still going on. A non-religious system remained in place for a long time in Turkey, ever since Kamal Ataturk - so much so that even the azaan [call to prayer] in Arabic and purdah [veiling] for women was banned. Drinking of wine, naked dancing, and every type of obscenity born of the West was promoted in [Turkish] society, and the military and the judiciary played an important role in it.
"No Islamist party was permitted in the so-called elections [in Turkey]. Therefore, organizations and people who wanted an Islamic system in the country changed the names of the parties and sought to participate in the elections, which was foiled. But the people's spirit and clamour ultimately bore fruit, and in 2003 the Justice and Development Party reached the parliament of power with a winning majority, and its leader, [Recep] Tayyip Erdogan took power. Through economic and social reforms, his government put the country on the path of development, and people witnessed an era of prosperity, leading to the establishment of the Justice and Development Party government in the subsequent two elections as well.
"Under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey is riding new stages of development. [But] apparently, this situation is unacceptable to the oppressor forces [i.e. the great powers]. Therefore, there have been three coup attempts so far against his government. Besides that, conspiracies are underway to cause instability in the country by orchestrating suicide attacks. The strong government of the Justice and Development Party has made all these efforts and conspiracies fail so far."
"The News Of Coup Was Celebrated In The Syrian Capital, Damascus... Remember That The Government Of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad Has Killed Hundreds Of Thousands Of Its Own Citizens"
"On Friday [July 15], a group of Turkish military [generals] once again attempted to seize power. It tried to gain control of all vital installations, including the government-run TV channel in Istanbul and Ankara, with the help of tanks. But hundreds of thousands of people turned out in streets across the entire country following an appeal by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ali bin Yaldram. The police too strongly resisted the rebels, and, ultimately the military group's coup failed.
"The accomplishment of the restoration of the Islam-loving government and democracy achieved by the Turkish people by bravely and valiantly sacrificing some lives is extremely inspiring for the Islamic movements worldwide, and for the common people fighting for the Islamic system [in other countries]. The role played by other soldiers, police, and people in crushing the military coup [in Turkey] is worthy of emulation by other democracies, especially in Muslim countries.
"At the time of the coup, President Tayyip Erdogan was holidaying at a coastal spot. But hearing of it, he arrived in Istanbul early Saturday morning, and appeared on television among the crowd of people outside the airport. As per one estimate, 170 people were killed during the [coup] conspiracy against the government, among them 104 rebel soldiers; there are reports of 1,500 wounded. Some 3,000 rebel soldiers and their supporters have been arrested.
"Thanking their people for crushing the coup, the Turkish president and the prime minister have clarified that this is the time for the military and other institutions of Turkey to be purged of all dirty elements and negative forces. An interesting aspect and lesson of this coup is that the majority of the rebel soldiers immediately surrendered their arms before the people, and also immediately abandoned the tanks they had ridden to launch the coup. Several countries, including America and Pakistan, rejoiced over the coup's failure. However, the arrival of the news of coup was celebrated in the Syrian capital, Damascus. Remember that the government of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has killed hundreds of thousands of its own citizens.
"Prior to this, the oppressor forces [i.e. the great powers] succeeded in establishing a military government in Egypt by overturning the elected government of President Muhammad Morsi. In Iraq too, uncertainty and instability prevails since the U.S. attacks [in 2003]. Recently, Saudi Arabia too was targeted by terrorism. Among this news, it cannot be overlooked that the coup in Turkey was attempted by followers of the so-called religious leader Fethullah Gulen, who himself resides in America.
"In the time to come, Pakistan and Turkey have the capability to become the fortresses of Islam. Therefore, the Party of Satans' [great powers'] attack on them is understandable. Muslims need to be always ready to confront them and to remain united."
Source: Roznama Ummat (Pakistan), July 17, 2016.
