{"id":36198,"date":"2011-06-20T09:19:26","date_gmt":"2011-06-20T06:19:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.turkishforum.com.tr\/en\/content\/?p=36198"},"modified":"2011-06-20T09:19:26","modified_gmt":"2011-06-20T06:19:26","slug":"some-lawmakers-have-second-thoughts-about-turkey-trips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/2011\/06\/20\/some-lawmakers-have-second-thoughts-about-turkey-trips\/","title":{"rendered":"Some lawmakers have second thoughts about Turkey trips"},"content":{"rendered":"

By<\/span> Laylan Copelin<\/span> and Mike Ward<\/span>
\n<\/span> AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

For Texas legislators, one of the most coveted activities in recent years has been 10-day trips to Turkey, paid for in full or in part by various Turkish American organizations.<\/p>\n

A dozen or so state officials, including several Central Texas legislators, have taken the trips in the past several years, and more have been invited this year.<\/p>\n

Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, said he has taken many fact-finding trips, including to almost every country in Europe, but Turkey stands out.<\/p>\n

He said last fall’s trip to Turkey was “the best I’ve taken” because of the high level of government officials and business leaders he was able to meet.<\/p>\n

“They are trying to improve relations,” Fraser said. “It was a trade mission.”<\/p>\n

The Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians, an umbrella group for Turkish Americans, said the trips are about good will, not lobbying.<\/p>\n

“These trips serve to further the business, commercial and cultural relations between Texas and Turkey,” said Kemal Oksuz, the council’s president-elect.<\/p>\n

However, some legislators say they’re having second thoughts about going this year, in part because of a recent New York Times article that suggested connections between the Harmony Schools, which operate 33 charter schools in Texas, and several Turkish American businesses and organizations, including the Houston-based Turquoise Council.<\/p>\n

The Times questioned whether those connections favor Turkish American companies in bids to build the schools or provide education services.<\/p>\n

Additionally, conservative bloggers have implied that the Harmony Schools promote Islam.<\/p>\n

Harmony officials deny that their schools teach religion, They also have said they have no connection to the Turquoise Council and its trips.<\/p>\n

Despite the denials, Rep. Sid Miller, R-Stephenville, said he believes there are connections between the Turquoise Council, the Harmony Schools and the promotion of Islam.<\/p>\n

“After I researched it, I’m not interested,” he said of the council’s invitation to visit Turkey.<\/p>\n

As for the Harmony Schools, Miller said, “Apparently it’s (involved in) indoctrination of Islam.”<\/p>\n

Although Turkey is a moderate Muslim nation, Miller said: “That just means they’re nonviolent. They won’t cut off your head.”<\/p>\n

Rep. Wayne Christian, R-Center, said, “It’s a tempting trip.” But he said he worried about “political overtones” because of reports about Muslim connections.<\/p>\n

“If it’s true \u2014 and I don’t know that it is \u2014 if they’re teaching Islam, that’s a problem,” said Christian, a supporter of charter schools.<\/p>\n

Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, visited Turkey a few years ago to observe its education system, among other things.<\/p>\n

“I don’t remember that anyone talked about the Harmony Schools or anything that anyone in Turkey was doing in Texas,” she said. “They didn’t make a big deal out of religion. It really wasn’t brought up. They wanted people to understand their country.”<\/p>\n

Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, traveled to Turkey five years ago but said he hasn’t decided whether to return this year.<\/p>\n

“It was the single most educational trip I’ve taken,” he said. “You have in-depth conversations with the people there, the officials in government, in business, different groups, different ethnicities. You meet and talk with real people.”<\/p>\n

Rep. Ken Legler, R-Pasadena, said he is tempted to go because his district includes part of the Houston Ship Channel and he is interested in encouraging more Turkish trade through the port.<\/p>\n

But he said he hesitated to accept an offer for an all-expenses-paid trip for him and his wife.<\/p>\n

“It would look like a junket,” Legler said. “I’m just worried about how it looks.”<\/p>\n

Lawmakers who have taken the trips have reported their value at between $3,200 and $3,800.<\/p>\n

The itinerary includes visits with government and business leaders, journalists and everyday citizens, as well as sightseeing at tourist attractions and religious sites.<\/p>\n

There’s also time for fun, including a yacht trip on the Bosporus strait, a balloon flight and shopping in the city’s famous bazaars.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Laylan Copelin and Mike Ward AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF For Texas legislators, one of the most coveted activities in recent years has been 10-day trips to Turkey, paid for in full or in part by various Turkish American organizations. A dozen or so state officials, including several Central Texas legislators, have taken the trips in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":60022,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36198"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36198\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}