The European Tribune is a forum for thoughtful dialogue of European and international issues. You are invited to post comments and your own articles.
Please REGISTER to post.
In Turkey, the State pays imams' wages, and provides religious education in public schools (article 24 of that country's Constitution). The State has a Department of Religious Affairs (article 136 of the Constitution), directly under the Prime Minister bureaucratically, responsible for organizing the Muslim religion - including what will and will not be mentioned in sermons given at mosques, especially on Fridays.
The Alsace-Moselle area...is still under the pre-1905 regime established of the Concordat, which provides for the public subsidy of the Roman Catholic Church, the Lutheran Church, the Reformed church and the Jewish Religion as well as public education in those religions. An original trait of this area is that priests are paid by the state; the bishops are named by the President on the proposal of the Pope.
Sounds like trouble on the horizon...
Except that it isn't. Those whom the Gods wish to destroy They first make mad. -- Euripides
Second, the potential conflict is that if Turkey is pressured to reduce her support for Islam, then she may fairly ask why France, Germany, Britain, Spain, et al. are allowed to support their churches. At that point, who gives in? Do the French cathedrals close due to having no members, and get turned into restaurants? (As happens in the U.S.) Does England allow the next king to be Catholic?
My view is that adding such a huge new member to the EU will cause big changes on both sides--and Europe is not officially admitting it. Europe may plan to press existing EU ideals onto Turkey, but an obvious reflex will be for Turkey to press her ideals on to Europe.
Specifically, how will European countries divide the financial support that they give to churches? Will it be by population, i.e. Muslim churches get, say 70% of the government money and Christian churches get, say, 30%--because there are so few Christians? Or will Christian churches get 90% of the money because Europeans are Christians after all?
Will the EU church-supporting fund have to be significantly enlarged to fix up all those Turkish mosques that desperately need repair? After all, with Turkey's huge population, and that population almost entirely Islamic, equity demands that EU cultural maintenance be distributed in proportion. http://www.ndp.ie/viewdoc.asp?DocID=588
Roughly. There are other measures used too, like the state of the infrastructure. This is why your example, Ireland, was still eligible. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
From this side of the pond, where the government is ... in practice secular.
Second, the potential conflict is that if Turkey is pressured to reduce her support for Is
My view is that adding such a huge new member to the EU will cause big changes on both sides--and Europe is not officially admitting it.
Will the EU church-supporting fund
by Frank Schnittger - May 31
by Oui - May 30 50 comments
by Frank Schnittger - May 23 3 comments
by Frank Schnittger - May 27 3 comments
by Oui - May 13 66 comments
by Frank Schnittger - Jun 10
by Oui - Jun 91 comment
by Oui - Jun 58 comments
by Oui - Jun 257 comments
by Oui - Jun 112 comments
by Oui - May 31118 comments
by Oui - May 3050 comments
by Frank Schnittger - May 273 comments
by Oui - May 2742 comments
by Oui - May 24
by Frank Schnittger - May 233 comments
by Oui - May 1366 comments
by Oui - May 928 comments
by Oui - May 450 comments
by Oui - Apr 30273 comments
by Oui - Apr 2666 comments
by Oui - Apr 8108 comments
by Oui - Mar 19145 comments