We cannot turn a blind eye to the Andalusian Muslims' contributions to Europe. Islamic civilization at that time was superior to European civilization. Europe is exhibiting an inappropriate conceit. Turkey's membership will enrich the EU."For German Roman Catholic Bishop Reinhard Marx, Turkey's membership is not a religious issue: "It might be argued that Turkey's membership perturbs the EU or that there are problems regarding human rights in Turkey. However, it would be wrong to say that a country with a Muslim population would be excluded from Europe on principle. There are millions of Muslims in the federal republic -- among them a growing number of German citizens. Declaring Islam as something un-European or not fit for Europe would mean depriving these people of their European civil rights."
In this context, the most striking statement was made by Joseph Ratzinger as a cardinal, before he was selected as the pope. He argued that Turkey, with its predominantly Muslim population, is not fit for Europe, so connecting it to Europe would be a mistake. "Europe should continue to carry its Christian legacy. Throughout history Turkey has always represented another continent that is constantly in conflict with Europe. In the past, the Ottoman Empire for centuries fought to conquer parts of Europe. Turkey should seek its future in Islamic organizations instead of the Christian EU. Identifying the two continents with one another would be a mistake. This would cause a loss of culture and richness for the sake of economic benefits," he said.
These debates actually point to a more profound problem. Unlike politicians, we should refrain from finding palliative solutions to our problems and instead discuss them from a more profound perspective. Dialogue and understanding require patient, analytical thinking. In all these debates, a concept used by Greek Archbishop Christodulos points to the core of the problem: "barbarian."
In ancient Greece, the word "barbarian" was used to define a person who did not belong to the city-state of Athens, i.e., the foreigner, the other. Barbarians posed a threat to the city and its internal security, unity and social harmony would be formulated as an attitude toward barbarians. In other words, Athenians would define themselves with reference to "barbarians." In connection with the debates over the EU constitution and Christianity, Italian Parliament Speaker Pier Ferdinando Casini made a similar allusion: "At a time when Turkey, a country with different cultural traditions, is trying to be a member of the EU, and at a time when we cannot say that we are not multi-ethnic, we need to discover our common denominator, which is nothing but our Christian roots" (Milliyet, Sept. 29, 2003).
These words imply that the EU has still not made up its mind. Groups in Europe, be they religious or secular, still have not reached consensus about Turkey. This is actually a good thing for Turkey, as it means that there is not a collective reaction against it. Europe is trying to make a decision. This can be asked: Does this mean that Europe is discussing its own identity in connection with Turkey's membership? The EU is trying both to make up its mind and to define a new identity for itself.
French sociologist Alain Touraine says: "Although this is not openly voiced, there are some people who do not believe in the possibility of establishing a link between Islam and the Western world." For him, if Europe seeks to become a "global player," Turkey's membership is a good opportunity for the EU. This is because "İstanbul is the center of two continents" and "Turkey is the best possible link between Islam and the West." Europe will not close its doors and let its reins be handled by the US, as it did in the past. At this point, we arrive at the "clash of civilizations" doctrine developed by Bernard Lewis and Samuel Huntington which, though it uses the word "civilization," actually refers to "religions" and a "clash of religions."
