Turkey: A Force for Positive Change

I recently visited Turkey on a fact finding visit with my colleague, Cllr John Oakes. The visit took in civil society organisations, key AK Party members, Members of Parliament within Turkey, newspapers like Zamaan and religious leaders who are creating and shaping the landscape of Turkey. What I have found is a country of such vibrancy and new thinking that I am shocked at the level of mis-understanding that is promoted against this country.

For example, the charitable work that is being undertaken by organisations has seen support being sent to countries around the globe, with Turkish charities being allowed to work in countries where other charities have not been able to enter into. And this work has been conducted with no 'song and dance,' just with the quiet belief that the right to life of every individuals is sacred.

I have also seen something that I have not seen elsewhere. Turkey is a Muslim country completely at ease with where it is. The AK Party and the leadership of the country promotes democratic values and engagement and with the desire to be part of the EU. Yet this is done with respect for core Islamic values and with an inclusiveness towards the secular groups within the country. Islam always has and can sit side by side with democracy and the empowerment and protection of the rights of individuals.

This visit has therefore shown me that Turkey has to be engaged with and is an essential partner for peace within the Middle East. The longer the EU keeps Turkey out of the 'club,' the more it ceases to capture real opportunities and partnerships that can and must be developed.

Bringing You to the Party

Last week, I had the pleasure of bringing new members to the Liberal Democrats, all three of whom who would add value to their local Liberal Democrat associations and to the Party as a whole. Mike Penrose (an international development consultant), Rabbi Deborah Kahn Harris and Dilek Aygun (a Haringey Turkish community activist - pictured), were headhunted by me with a view to ensure that high value members and potential candidates like these three, found a home in the Liberal Democrats. This was also allied to the fact that all three of them exuded liberal values and two of whom were fed up with the two other political parties and who were looking for a Party to 'speak for them.'

It is essential that we headhunt and bring activists and campaigners to the Liberal Democrats, many of whom are looking for an alternative to the Punch and Judy show of the two other political parties. More than ever, our ideas, our vision and our values as Liberal Democrats are needed within a fast changing world and where the politics of rationality, common sense and inclusion can and will make a difference.

The Horn of Africa and Radicalisation

Running up to the next election, Labour are going to lay a number of charges against us, some of which will attempt to paint our Party as being ‘soft’ on issues of safety and security. They have consistently tried to push this and at the forefront of their strategy will be the charge that our Party has no coherent strategy to tackle radicalisation and extremism.

Having had the opportunity to work on PREVENT programmes with various Government departments, I know the vast amounts of work that are being undertaken on this agenda and with new and innovative thinking playing a role in ensuring safety and security. Yet for me, there is always a fear that communities may be labelled and marginalised, although the Government’s language has become much more sensitive and more importantly, it is not that certain faith communities will be labelled, it is about the potential impacts on the civil liberties of Muslim and other Black and Minority Ethnic communities.

Things have moved on significantly since the initial Pathfinder PREVENT programmes were implemented in certain local authorities in 07/08. Local authorities are starting to clearly disseminate between PREVENT work and community cohesion, even though there are common strands. The language of PREVENT is more sensitive, yet preventing violent extremism is clearly stated as being part of the programme of work, even though projects may be labelled in softer ways. Also, many more Muslim civil society groups are applying for funding,, compared to the few that applied in the initial Pathfinder programmes. So, things are moving on and the PREVENT work is bedding down in communities.

One of the concerns that I have is that we do not get caught out by Labour’s charges and a detailed analysis of what is taking place on the ground needs to be disseminated to key stakeholders so that we can understand the complexity of the issues around violent extremism. The Government and security agencies have for example, developed threat assessment frameworks that are related to certain towns and cities in the UK, suffice as to say that even if suspected individuals who can and will carry our violent actions leave the city, it may still be regarded as being an area at risk. More importantly, as I mentioned at a conference recently, the horn of Africa and in particular, the continuing civil war in Somalia, may lead to real problems here in the UK.

A few weeks whilst doing a door to door surgery in my ward in Haringey, I came across a young Somali who was angry at the actions of Ethiopia within Somalia. He felt that the actions of Ethiopia within Somalia were disastrous (something that I agree with); he felt very angry at what was taking place and the inaction of our Government (he is entitled to feel that way and more importantly, to voice them), but then he moved onto something else. He stated that violent action was the only way to free Somalia and this is where I intervened and talked about other ways of voicing concerns and changing opinion. After listening to me for 10 seconds, he closed the door. I do not believe that young man would conduct any violent actions, yet, he clearly had thought about various options in his own mind and the only way forward for the ‘liberation’ of Somalia, was through violence.

Global conflicts are clearly impacting on us in the UK and there are political and social complexities that lead to people believing that violent action for social change is the only way forward. Yet, more than ever, we need to be aware of what is taking place and to develop our own pro-active thinking in this area. We need to be seen as the thoughtful David, taking on ‘Goliath’ political parties, rather than Achilles with a serious flaw that can be prone to attack.