Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is on a mission to fight European prejudice. He is meeting European Union officials in Brussels. His task is to clarify Ankara's stance on reforms. His visit is taking place just two weeks ahead of the release of a EU report on Turkey's membership eligibility. During his meeting Erdogan intends to reassure Brussels that Turkey is committed to pro-EU reforms. His talks are crucial because Turkey needs the green signal to begin negotiations to fulfill its long quest to become a EU member.

The crucial meeting is being held in the backdrop of Erdogan's decision to shelve controversial penal code reforms. He had to do this under pressure of hardliners in his Justice and Development Party. Several EU members are said to be opposed to Ankara's EU admission. Their opposition reflects Europe's blatant prejudice that is being fanned by the Turkophobia sweeping the continent. However, a part of the blame should be shared by the hardliners in Turkey's ruling party who are opposed to the reformist demands.

Erdogan is considered as a progressive leader, but the EU feels he has to do more to improve the rights of minorities. He has promised zero tolerance to torture. He is under increasing EU pressure to accelerate social, economic and political reforms. But Erdogan was forced to shelve the new penal code as it contained toughened penalties for torturers, rapists and perpetrators of honor crimes against women. He has to convince EU parliament members now that he is not faltering on reforms in line with European countries. He is expected to mollify Brussels by pledging to scrap the most contentious issue of criminalizing adultery.

Even then there is stubborn resistance to admit Ankara into the bloc. EU Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen, who still harbors serious reservations about Turkey's reform plans, has the backing of several European leaders who are demanding that the starting of Turkish membership negotiations should be delayed by two or three years. Erdogan anyway has to cool his heels till EU's executive branch, the European Commission, releases its report on October 6. Based on this a final decision on access talks would be made at the EU summit in mid-December.

Erdogan will find it hard to change the European mindset about Turkey. Several EU members nurse prejudice against the Muslim country of 70 million people. They fear "Islamization of Europe." A recent pan-European public opinion survey highlighted this prejudicial view. Even a person of the stature of former French president Val?ry Giscard d'Estaing, the author of the new EU constitution, had said publicly that the entry of Turkey would signal "the end of the EU." Fighting this prejudice is a gargantuan task for Erdogan, who hopes that entry into the European Union would help to accelerate his country's economic growth. European prejudice against Turkey threatens to thwart his plans to make Turkey a progressive and prosperous country.

Note: It is rarely wise or useful to push oneself where one is not wanted, so Turkey would do better to keep out of the EU. The economic benefits Mr. Erdogsan expects from joining are unlikely to materialize under such circumstances. Besides, this step would almost certainly lead to a marked cooling off between Turkey and the United States, which is a much better friend for any Moslem state not directly or indirectly involved in terrorism. EU attempts to score off the US in the Middle East by pandering to the Arabs will not benefit Turkey, regardless of whether or not they succeed.