Why Turkey has become the young man of Europe

Why Turkey has become the young man of Europe: "Why Turkey has become the young man of Europe
Juliette Terzieff
Sunday, January 23, 2005

Here's a little quiz: Which issue in European politics presents a greater challenge for the world in the 21st century than any other? A couple of hints: It speaks to the kind of world Europeans want to inhabit, pitting insular forces against progressive ones. The outcome will either stanch or step up the flow of hatred in an age of mounting extremism and fear.
If you guessed 'opening the door for Turkey to begin accession negotiations to join the European Union,' you get a gold star. Religion and poverty are factors in the controversy. Europe's regressive forces are fearful of the presence of 72 million members of the world's fastest-growing religion, Islam, in a union dominated by Catholic countries. "