The other day a delegation of deputies from a European country came to Istanbul to find out more about what was going on in the country. Which European country they were representing is not of much importance, suffice it to say that it was a Northern European country, not involved in the latest rounds of Turkish baiting.The leader of the delegation was the first to talk. He spoke of the great economic progress that Turkey has made over recent years, and how impressive this had been. He also commented on the great task that Turkey had undertaken in housing so many Syrian refugees.Then he went on to say how worrying other trends in Turkey were. The arrest of journalists, the arrest of politicians, the arrests of other people as part of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) investigations.But when we look at Europe, at recent developments, such criticisms become more and more unreasonable.Yes, there have been arrests of journalists in Turkey; journalists who in some way support the multiple number of terrorist groups that are working to undermine the Turkish government. Politicians have been arrested for failing to appear before court, that is for contempt of court, others for blatantly working in the names of the PKK or FETÖ.But there is the other side of the coin. As a Turkish deputy pointed out at that meeting, in the 1990s Turkey was considered a "model democracy" by the Western world. Yet it was at this very time that girls and women were banned from pursuing education or employment if they wore a headscarf. All women had to have a photo without a headscarf on their identity cards. Anyone who had a photo with a headscarf could be denied medical help or any service in a state office. During this era, at least one woman is known to have died because the hospital refused to help her due to her hijabi identity card.Some 70 percent of 50 percent of the population (i.e. women) were marginalized from society. No one could protest about this without being arrested and beaten up. No one could criticize the government or the status quo in public without consequences. People "disappeared." If a man worked as a civil servant, and if his wife wore the headscarf, it was very difficult for them to appear as a couple in public. The man would be in danger of losing his job.It was illegal to speak Kurdish outside. Kurds were seen as "unmentionables," and the word "Kurd" in primary school was an insult used by children to indicate that the person in question was rather dim. Romani citizens were sneered at and disparaged. Alevi citizens found it difficult to worship, and often hid their identity. There was an undeclared war with the PKK; numerous lives were lost on both sides, and the south east was in turmoilIt was this government that changed all that. Over 15 years, the current government has brought about a number of legislations that have relieved the pressure on the marginalized groups, allowing them to take their proper place in society. In 2014, all bans on the headscarf were lifted. Kurdish was recognized as a legitimate language, and Kurdology institutes were established. Television channels and newspapers in Kurdish were permitted. The Romani citizens were given concessions, and Alevi places of worship were recognized and there is work today towards granting salaries to the Alawite religious leaders. A peace process was begun, and for more than 3 years, no lives were lost due to terrorist activities. This all came to an end after the June elections, when the PKK came to the conclusion that the government had been weakened sufficiently. They put into action a plan they had had up their sleeves during the peace process. All the mines that they had laid under tarmac, using local government funds, all the booby traps that they had set were put into action. Police were killed in their sleep. Off duty soldiers were shot while going about mundane civilian tasks, like taking money out of an ATM.One of the foreign deputies asked about Sharia law. And about if Turkey would impose the headscarf.The mind boggles. After the collapse of apartheid, and the victory of the ANC in elections, did anyone go to them and say "Oh, by the way, please don't practice apartheid against the whites?" Why would we be any different? Why would one jump to the conclusion that because 70 percent of the women were oppressed and marginalized, now that they had a voice they would only use that to oppress and marginalize the 30 percent?The reason why questions of human rights riles the Turks is very simple. The way Muslims are treated in Europe, in America, makes this double standard clear. How many school children were questioned by police in the U.K. about possible radicalization? And after this week's horrific attack in Westminster, how many more will be rounded up? How many innocent people are under suspicion? I know British Muslim friends who practice self-censorship when writing, blogging or posting. They have to weigh the import of every single word. When I hear journalists complaining that they suffer from self-censorship in Turkey, I snort. Very very quietly. But in derision.The difference is that Turkey is a country in which there seems to be a desire to create turmoil. This is not desired by the Turkish people; the Turkish people have had their fill of turmoil.An interesting example of such a desire to create turmoil is the speech last Sunday at which President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was supposed to have said "Europeans will not walk safely on the streets" if the diplomatic row were to continue.He said no such thing. He did say: "The Arabs have a saying "Men dakka dukka." If you hit us, then sorry to say, we will hit you back. Or, in other words, Sorry, but an eye for an eye. Turkey will not turn the other cheek anymore. What is being said here is what any statesman faced by so many virulent attacks would say. I will protect any and every Turkish citizen, wherever they may be. And any country that allows harm to come to a Turkish citizen will be held responsible. This is no different than any other statesman anywhere else in the world would say.Things are getting lost in translation. Whether or not this is being done on purpose by a media that has an axe to grind, by a media that is looking to build an ever bigger and uglier boogey man, never mind the facts, is up to the reader to decide.One thing that is certain is that in the U.K., the fallout after the Westminster attack will be great. Already people are tweeting #LondonIsOpen.A lone man tried to storm the gates of the British parliament with a knife; the reaction of the British parliament was to state bravely that they will continue to sit, or to remain in parliament despite the threat. Prime Minister Theresa May spoke of freedom and about how attempts to defeat democracy would fail.But wait a minute…The Turkish Parliament was bombed. A number of bombs were dropped from aircraft, aircraft owned by the Turkish state, by the Turkish people. These planes were hijacked by traitors, and used to bomb the Parliament. And the deputies stayed in the building, even when bombs were dropping all around them. They said they would defend democracy to the death.And when attempts are being made in Turkey to bring those responsible for these bombings to justice, Europe suddenly starts to ask questions about abuses of human rights. The planning to mount a one-man attack could well be the work of more than one person. The burning question after the event in Westminster was did the assailant have any associates? Naturally there will be lengthy investigations to find out anyone else involved.The same must be true for the attacks on the Turkish parliament, as well as for the attacks on the Turkish people. It doesn't take a great deal of imagination to understand that to plan an attack that used the vehicles and weapons of the Turkish air force and army against the Turkish people – civilians, police, soldiers and politicians - must have involved a large number of people in a myriad of positions. While the British media are telling people to remain calm, and go about life as normal, while the British are feeling chuffed that they can tweet #LondonIsOpen, the Turkish people turned out onto the streets, googled how to stop tanks, stopped tanks, were wounded and died. In the aftermath of the coup, the people took over public spaces to ensure that life did on as normal, that #TurkeyIsOpen.But unfortunately, life does not go on as normal. When a country is faced by such a threat, be it a lone person driving a vehicle into a crowd, or a group of treacherous soldiers, judges, bureaucrats, educators plotting to take over the country, the duty of the state is to make sure that the people are safe. In Turkey it is sad, and a little frightening, that so many people were involved in this treacherous plot. But it is even sadder that the investigations are being used as a stick to beat a government that has done more than any other in Turkish history to establish freedom, democracy and peace in the region.