Tag: Turkey

Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman has compared Turkey with Iran prior to the 1979 Islamic revolution, saying Israel will “not be Turkey’s punching bag.” Writing in Thursday’s Jerusalem Post, Mr Lieberman blamed the crisis in bilateral ties between Jerusalem and Ankara on internal developments in Turkey.

A Turkish television show is offering contestants what it claims is the “biggest prize ever” — the chance for atheists to convert to one of the world’s major religions. The show, called Penitents Compete, features a Muslim imam, a Catholic priest, a Jewish rabbi and a Buddhist monk attempting to persuade 10 atheists of the merits of their religions. Atheists who convert win a trip to a holy location, depending which religion they pick.

Although they are keen funders of research, most senior officials, in common with most of the population, do not believe in evolution.

Turkey’s feuding political factions are embroiled in a row over academic freedom after state officials forced a science journal to scrap an article celebrating the work of Charles Darwin.