Danger of “religious intolerance”
Turkey issues travel warning for Europe
01/29/2023, 11:00 a.m
Recent burnings of the Koran in Europe have caused outrage in the Islamic world. Western countries even see an increased risk of terrorism in Turkey. Now Ankara is also warning its citizens of the danger of racist attacks in Europe and the USA.
Turkey has warned its citizens of attacks in Europe and the US after Islamophobic actions. Turks living in or traveling to European countries or the United States should behave cautiously in the face of possible racist harassment and attacks, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry recommended on Saturday evening. They should also stay away from areas where there could be more demonstrations.
Islamophobic and racist acts and propaganda demonstrations against Turkey by groups linked to terrorist organizations have increased in some European countries, it said. These actions showed the “dangerous extent of religious intolerance and hatred in Europe”.
Several European countries, including Germany and Sweden, as well as the USA, had previously recommended that their citizens avoid large crowds in Turkey. A statement from the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin said, for example, that the security authorities believe the risk of terrorist attacks in Turkey has increased following the recent burning of the Koran in Sweden.
The background to the tensions are several Islamophobic actions in Europe. In Sweden, a right-wing extremist burned a copy of the Koran – the Holy Scriptures of Islam – in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. Ankara took this as an opportunity to continue blocking Sweden’s accession to NATO. Sweden wants to join the western military alliance together with Finland as a result of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. All 30 current members must agree to this. There is still no yes from Turkey and Hungary.