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How about Albania, Kosovo and Bosina as a majority of their inhabitants are Muslim. In addition the Greek language and Basque language is not related to any other European languages.
Anatolia was "considered" Asia about a thousand years before the Muslim faith even came into existence, and the people of Albania, Kosovo and Bosnia, although Muslim, are not of Asian or Turkish origin. Finnish and Hungarian languages are also unrelated to European languages. But Greek is Indo-European.
The division between Europe and Asia is totally political/cultural. Why do people get so hung up about it?
Turkey does have links to Europe - I mean western Anatolia was part of the Greek and then Byzantine world before the Seljuk Turks introduced Muslim and 'Turkified' it. Istanbul I think is truly a European cities in some respects, I mean the Hagia Sophia was the largest church in Christendom.
Anatolia was "considered" Asia about a thousand years before the Muslim faith even came into existence, and the people of Albania, Kosovo and Bosnia, although Muslim, are not of Asian or Turkish origin. Finnish and Hungarian languages are also unrelated to European languages. But Greek is Indo-European.
Right. Albanians, Bosnians and other Balkan Muslims are Islamacized Muslims...
Although the relationship between Greece and Turkey goes back a long way and lasted until recently. The Ottomans briefly ruled Greek, and during the early 20th century Greek Muslims went to Turkey while Turkish Christians went to Greece. Genetically Greeks and Turks are related.
Although the relationship between Greece and Turkey goes back a long way and lasted until recently. The Ottomans briefly ruled Greek, and during the early 20th century Greek Muslims went to Turkey while Turkish Christians went to Greece. Genetically Greeks and Turks are related.
I wouldn't call ~1359-1829 "briefly" even if you're speaking of the Greeks, but anyway.
Re: early 20th century (post-WWI) -- I understand what you mean but the words you used are inaccurate. The Muslims living in Macedonia/Western Thrace/etc were not "Greek Muslims" and they didn't see themselves as such. They were Muslims living in the Ottoman Empire. Likewise, the (Orthodox) Greeks living in Turkey and Anatolia were not "Turkish Christians", they were Greeks living in the Ottoman Empire. Greeks and Turks may be genetically related but religion was never the only thing that defined/separated them.
Serious question. Why is it not just a straightish line down from around the latitude on the west side of the Caspian?
It seems so weird that it goes around all of Turkey and the east Med. basin with that whole area just sticking out towards the west so much. Is it a political thing? Maybe because Israel, Lebanon, Syria and the lot don't fit in culturally with Europe? You could argue that Latin american North America is just as separate with USA and Canada.
It would otherwise certainly be more of a proportionate sized continent, too.
Because they are Muslim and they aren't even part of Europe but Asia.
The division between Europe and Asia is totally political/cultural. Why do people get so hung up about it?
No, the division is a body of water that was challenging for invaders to get across 2,000 years ago when the distinction was made between Europe and Asia. It was that barrier that made the two land masses easy to defend from each other, and thereby caused the separate political/cultural character of the two sides to endure for millennia.
Because they are Muslim and they aren't even part of Europe but Asia.
Simply saying "Muslim" isn't enough. What about some of the Balkan countries?
Then you went on to say "they aren't even a part of Europe but Asia". Well yeah, but I'm asking why. Expand on the reasons, other than "Muslim", why you think that is.
As well as the black sea and sea of marmara, which as continuously connected by water to the mediterranean/aegean. There wasn`t much in the way of civilization north of the black sea in those days, so the threats to Europe all lay across water.
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