–Europe's Tolerance May Soon End

There Is Anti-islamism Today, Aydin
Turkish Press

CORDOBA (AA) - ''There is anti-Semitism today as there was yesterday, but there is also anti-Islamism today,'' Turkish State Minister Mehmet Aydin said on Wednesday.

Taking the floor at ''Conference on Anti-Semitism and on Other Forms of Intolerance'' held in Cordoba, Spain by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Aydin said that the discrimination in Europe against Islam should not be underestimated. Otherwise, he noted, this would cause problems in the future.

Underlining importance of Cordoba for Jewish, Christian and Islamic histories, Aydin said that Muslims had established tolerant societies in the Endulus, where they had lived for centuries.

Speaking to the A.A correspondent after the meeting, Aydin said, ''we should not ignore discrimination against Islam, because if this current situation continues and if we don't take any serious measures, tomorrow will be too late.''

Democratic values should be implemented honestly to prevent anti-Islamism in Europe, added Aydin.

Aydin will make a speech in tomorrow's (Thursday) session of the conference and touch on anti-Islamism.

State Minister Mehmet Aydin is expected to return to Turkey on Friday.

On the other hand, photographs of Jewish families, who ran away from the Inquisition and took shelter in the Ottoman Empire, are being exhibited as a part of the conference.