#d

According to this view, democracy is a product of western culture, and it cannot be applied to the Middle East which has a different cultural, religious, sociological and historical background. ↗

— Recep Tayyip Erdogan

#applied #background #cannot #cultural #culture

As a politician who cherishes religious conviction in his personal sphere, but regards politics as a domain belonging outside religion, I believe that this view is seriously flawed. ↗

— Recep Tayyip Erdogan

#belonging #cherishes #conviction #domain #flawed

But foremost, I do not subscribe to the view that Islamic culture and democracy cannot be reconciled. ↗

— Recep Tayyip Erdogan

#culture #democracy #foremost #i #i do

Even as we ought to accept that each country would progress with a different method and speed toward that goal, the standard for the expected end-state should not be lowered. ↗

— Recep Tayyip Erdogan

#country #different #each #even #expected

Even in the Western world, one cannot argue that the ideal has been achieved given the existence of issues like the integration, participation and representation of Muslim citizens, and occasional but lingering anti-Semitism. ↗

— Recep Tayyip Erdogan

#anti-semitism #argue #been #cannot #citizens

Everyone should unconditionally accept that Israel is an indispensable element of the Middle Eastern mosaic. ↗

— Recep Tayyip Erdogan

#eastern #element #everyone #indispensable #israel

However, democracy cannot be defined as the existence of parliaments and elections alone. ↗

— Recep Tayyip Erdogan

#cannot #defined #democracy #elections #existence

I regard the endorsement of both the objective and a method - which can differ from one country to another- of democratization by the parties in the region as a basic requisite of democratization in the Middle East. ↗

— Recep Tayyip Erdogan

#both #country #democratization #differ #east

Let not thy heart cling to the things which for so short a time deck out thy life. Let him who has, learn to lose, and him who is happy, familiarise himself with what may give pain. ↗

— Friedrich von Schiller

#inspirational #transcience #wisdom #inspirational

I should like to repeat what I stated recently in the Jeddah Economic Forum in Saudi Arabia: It won't be the religion, but rather the world-view of some of its followers that shall be made current. ↗

— Recep Tayyip Erdogan

#current #economic #followers #forum #i