Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Warns of "War between the Cross and the Crescent" following Austria’s Plan to Deport Imams

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned that Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's move to shut down mosques and expel foreign-funded clerics would bring the world "toward a war between the cross and the crescent." "Do you think that we will not do something? We too will do something!" he said. Footage of his address, made on June 9, was posted on the Turkish Haberler.com media outlet.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: "They [Austria] have all but declared war on worship, the azan, and the mosques. What is the difference between Austria's chancellor today and the mentality of old times? Now they are planning and calculating how to shut down our mosques in Austria. Where is this going? I fear that the measures taken by the chancellor of Austria are bringing the world toward a war between the cross and the crescent.

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"So they are going to throw our clerics out of Austria. Do you think that we will not do anything? We too will do something."