Turkish pianist given jail sentence for insulting Muslim "values" - updated

BBC: World-renowned Turkish pianist Fazil Say has been given a suspended 10-month jail sentence for insulting Muslim values. An Istanbul court found Say guilty over a series of posts on the social networking site Twitter. Say was not in court for the sentencing. But he denied the charges, saying they were politically motivated. The case renewed concern about the influence of religion on politics in Turkey.

THE SENTENCE IS NOT IMPORTANT. 

WHAT'S IMPORTANT IS THAT THE CHARGE AND CONVICTION SEND A CHILLING MESSAGE TO OTHER TURKISH NON-ISLAMIST/SECULARISTS.

THAT WAS THE REAL PURPOSE OF CHARGING FAZIL SAY, AND THE REAL REASON FOR CONVICTING HIM AND SENTENCING HIM.

TO SEND A MESSAGE.

A FASCIST MESSAGE.

AN ISLAMOFASCIST MESSAGE.

TURKEY IS PROOF THAT IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER WHETHER A MUSLIM NATION TAKES A FAST ROAD TO ISLAMISM - LIKE EGYPT SINCE OBAMA WAS ELECTED, OR A SLOW ROAD - LIKE TURKEY SINCE ERDOGAN WAS ELECTED.

ISLAMISM IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH SECULARISM AND PLURALISM - AND THEREFORE DEMOCRACY.

THE SOONER WE IN THE WEST ACCEPT THIS... THE BETTER.

THE DELUSION THAT ISLAMISM CAN CO-EXIST WITH THE WEST INTERFERES WITH OUR ABILITY IT DEFEND OURSELVES AND LETS THE ENEMY CONTINUE TO GAIN  STRENGTH.

UPDATE: A DAY LATER AND INSTAPUNDIT WEIGHS IN:

BARBARIC: Turkish Pianist Sentenced for Twitter Postings. ” court here handed down a suspended 10-month prison term on Monday for Fazil Say, an internationally acclaimed Turkish pianist and composer convicted of insulting Islam and offending Muslims in postings on Twitter. . . . In recent years, many intellectuals, writers and artists have been prosecuted for statements about Islam and Turkish identity, both of which the pro-Islamic government seeks to shield from criticism. Social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter, however, have rarely figured in previous trials, although Turks are active users of the sites.”
Posted at 10:41 am by Glenn Reynolds