Turkey is a republican parliamentary democracy. Shortly after its creation in 1923 it instituted secular laws to replace traditional religious fiats. In 1952 it was welcomed into NATO.

But where France sees no problem playing diplomatic pattycake with HAMAS, Hezbollah, and the PNA, that thin psuedo-state veneer brushed over Pali-terrorism, Syria, Sudan, and Iran, well, it's democratic secular Turkey that suddenly awakens France to the dangers of Islam.

"We don't think we should tell Turkey that the doors of Europe are forever closed to it," [French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre] Raffarin told the [Wall Street Journal Europe], but then said: "Do we want the river of Islam to enter the riverbed of secularism?"

"The issue isn't the commitments made by Turkey's government, it's the attitudes of Turkish society," the French prime minister explained.

"We're not doubting the good faith of Mr Erdogan, but to what extent can today's and tomorrow's governments make Turkish society embrace Europe's human rights values."

Well, say this for the French when they spit in your eye, they are unerring. And you can't much improve on the cloying condescension of a French snub.

Hhmm, just where does M. Raffarin propose to redirect the river of Islam? We are keen to know.

And where did M. Raffarin pick up his runaway trope? We detect the euphuistic hand of M. Villepin, who recently penned his sophomoric Le requin et la mouette (The Shark [dark, murderous America] and the Seagull* [light, soaring France**]) conceit. (Amazon advertises a reduced price for this bundled with M. Villepin's earlier Le Cri de la gargouille: Deux, c'est mieux ! Though it would be more accurate to say: Deux, c'est moins !)

* Common in landfill areas, gulls feed on mussels, clams, fish, garbage, rodents, insects, the young of other gulls, and steal food from other birds.

** Promoting his latest masterwork on a TV show Dom boasted, "the shark cannot catch the seagull, never!" Gérard Depardieu, who hardly rates in the paperweight class of French intellectual gravitas, was sharing the stage and, apparently having trouble following le philosophe grand, blurted out, "but seagulls are bloody stupid!" (Hat tip: Carine, personal correspondence)

It is Turkey's religiosity that is the main reason why it is being considered for inclusion in the EU, when historically and culturally the Turks were often antagonistic toward European nations (although they also befriended and benefitted European nations). But no matter how enthralled by Europe, the Turks always considered themselves apart from it until Ataturk moved the country to throw in its lot with the West.
In this post-9/11 world it is very desirable to have an Islamic country entrenched in Western values and civilization, despite the fact that Turkey is a fragile, immature democracy, unable to face up to its past (Armenian genocide), and with a potentially volatile human rights situation regarding the Kurds (will they grant limited autonomy to kurds in the east? will there be more civil unrest?). If you think the Balkans are a powder-keg, turkey is even moreso, but the prize of a hitherto elusive Western-Islamic harmony trumps all.