The coalition government of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz in Austria is all set to complete six months in office on June 18. Just a week before celebrating its ‘six-month anniversary’, the government has seemingly declared a war against the ‘political Islam’.
Since Chancellor Kurz formed the government (on December 18, 2017), the German-speaking Central European country has experienced a change in policy towards migrants and the religious minorities. A couple of days ago, Kurz’s Interior Minister Herbert Kickl hinted that Vienna would soon expel around 60 Turkish-funded imams and also shut down seven mosques. Speaking at a press conference, the minister said: “The circle of people possibly affected by these measures – the pool that we’re talking about – comprises of around 60 imams.”
Kickl stressed that the government made a final decision in this regard on June 8 after receiving some images of children in a Turkish-backed mosque playing dead and re-enacting the WWI battle of Gallipoli. Those images were taken in April.

Chancellor Kurz

The interior minister strongly criticised the Turkish-Islamic Cultural Associations (ATIB) – a branch of Turkey’s religious affairs agency Diyanet – for its alleged involvement in ‘anti-national’ activities. Kickl further accused ATIB of contravening a ban on foreign funding of religious office holders. He informed the press that 150 people might lose jobs and right to residence because of the government’s decision.
The chancellor welcomed his minister’s announcement, saying: “Parallel societies, political Islam and radicalisation have no place in our country.”
Meanwhile, Kickl’s announcement has triggered a fury in Turkey that has denounced the move, with presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin saying: “Austria’s decision to close down seven mosques and deport imams with a lame excuse is a reflection of the anti-Islam, racist and discriminatory populist wave in this country.” The spokesperson reminded Vienna that ATIB had condemned the photos immediately after those were published by the Falter weekly.

Syrian migrants

It is to be noted that Ankara’s relations with Vienna have deteriorated in recent times, with Chancellor Kurz urging the European Union (EU) to discontinue negotiations on Turkey joining the bloc. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently launched verbal attacks against the Austrian chancellor, stressing: “This immoral chancellor has a problem with us. He’s throwing his weight around and making a scene.”
The move made by Vienna is strategically very important, keeping in mind that Austria is all set to take over the (rotating) Presidency of the Council of the EU for the third time on July 1 (after 1998 and 2006). Although Ankara had been trying hard to become a member of the EU for long, the bloc was not interested in accepting Turkey as a member country because of its (political) proximity with West Asia and alleged involvement in ongoing crisis in Syria and Iraq. So, it is quite natural that Austria will follow the EU line before taking over the Presidency.

President Erdogan

Experts are of the opinion that Austria’s decision will not bother the Erdogan administration, as Turkey is no more interested in joining the EU. President Erdogan, known for his ability to bargain, plans to maintain close ties with Russia and the US simultaneously in an attempt to gain an extra political mileage. Perhaps, his bargaining power will help Turkey emerge as a key player, along with Iran, Saudi Arabia and Israel, in West Asia. As the erstwhile ‘sick man of Europe’ is a nation straddling eastern Europe and western Asia with cultural connections to ancient Greek, Persian, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires, President Erdogan believes that the geographical location of the country will help his government approach to global affairs in a way such that it could impact the role of Turkey in West Asia.
It seems the Turkish president fails to realise that his judgements are only for near-term gains and therefore entirely faulty.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das