Turkey has behaved as a dutiful EU intern by acceding to the club’s demands and now deserves what it has long been promised: Serious entry negotiations. Anything less would signify a betrayal on the part of the expanded bloc.

Moreover, the world is watching and especially the Muslim world, which is likely to perceive any U-turn vis-à-vis Turkish membership in terms of a growing clash of civilizations.

Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned “either the EU will decide to become a world force and a world player, which would show its political maturity, or it will limit itself to being a Christian club.”

The editor of Algeria’s La Tribune Abdelkarim Ghezali went one step further, saying, the “EU’s rejection of Turkey, though it has fulfilled al the criteria, will definitely show that Europe still has not overcome its ‘Crusader and Medieval’ logic.”

Since Turkey signed an Agreement of Association with the precursor to the EU, the EEC in September 1963 it has come a long way in meeting the tests required of it. It has abolished capital punishment; changed its policies toward torture; cracked down hard on the perpetrators of so-called honor killings; eliminated secretive State Security courts; permitted broadcasts in various languages and dialects including Kurdish; facilitated free speech, banned sexual discrimination, and improved life for its minorities.

Unfortunately, the EU’s citizenry remains unimpressed with only 22 percent of Europeans in favor of Turkish accession. This is largely because no effort has been made to help European populations understand the pros.

Critics are fearful that economically disadvantaged Turks would swamp Europe’s wealthier countries creating a demographic imbalance and dragging down economies.

Similar fears were voiced prior to the comparatively recent EU expansion concerning Eastern European countries, especially in France where the ubiquitous Polish plumber became a dreaded symbol. Those fears did not materialize because they were based on the false premise that populations would transfer en masse to other nations at the drop of a euro.

The fact is if individuals can find well-paying jobs in their own countries, that’s usually where they prefer to be and if Turkey is accepted into the EU, it will be awash with new investment and opportunity. Furthermore, its economy — not so long ago in the red — is now stable and growing.

Critics also claim that Turkey’s long and porous borders could open the door for illegal immigrants and asylum-seekers from its poorer or war-torn neighbors.

Supporters say the infusion of young Turks into the union’s aging and shrinking populations would bolster upcoming pension crises and wish to see NATO’s second largest military force safely in the fold. Many also believe that Turkey could evolve into a bridge of understanding between the West and the Muslim world.

At the time of writing, the biggest obstacle to Turkey’s EU ambitions is Austria, which wants to offer some kind of second-rate alternative to full membership. However, it is coming under heavy pressure from countries like Britain that currently holds the revolving six-month EU presidency, to soften its approach.

Austria may have an agenda, though as it is pressing for its neighbor Croatia to be allowed to join the club and may use its acceptance of Turkey as a bargaining tool in Croatia’s favor.

Other countries have long attempted to put up hurdles. For instance, in August this year, France demanded that Turkey would first have to recognize the Republic of Cyprus. Earlier, France had insisted that when talks began proper, Turkey should agree to acknowledge the mass killings of Armenians in the early part of the last century as “a tragedy”. Both suggestions have incensed the Turkish government.

Interestingly, Turkey’s traditional foe Greece is keen for Ankara to get the green light. Petros Molyviatis, the Greek foreign minister, told his country’s Kathimerini newspaper that it would be a mistake to disallow Turkey from enjoying full membership of the union. “When Turkey becomes a full member it will enjoy all rights, but also have obligations,” he said, adding, “a special relationship (of the type proposed by Austria) would not guarantee that Turkey had obligations as well as rights.” Those obligations would no doubt revolve around resolving the outstanding problems of a divided Cyprus.

In any event, the Turks are in no mood to accept anything less than parity with other EU member states and have stated that they would reject any type of inferior membership.

Turkey’s EU membership talks were due to kick off yesterday and by the time you read this, you will probably know which way the baclava has crumbled. You’ll know whether Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has boarded a plane to Luxembourg to continue a process that began decades ago or whether the Turks have once again been snubbed as they were in 1997.

It’s probably now or never for Turkey’s accession. The younger generation, tired of the deluge of membership preconditions, dangling carrots, postponements and rejections, are becoming disillusioned with the process. Whereas just a year ago some 68 percent of Turks were eager to join, a recent poll shows only 57 percent are in favor today. Disillusionment runs deep as just 24 percent believe Turkey’s admission is likely.

I truly hope the doubters are proved wrong and Europe holds firm to its commitments. Turkey has behaved responsibly and fulfilled its promises toward the EU. It is an important member of NATO and a Western ally in the “war on terror”.

Moreover, part of it lies geographically within the European continent, and Turks have as much claim to being “European” as anyone else; certainly more so than Israelis who are considering applying for full membership to ease their isolation and fuel their economy. The Israelis, who already have backing from Spain and Italy, say they share European values.

In the unlikely event that Israel succeeded in getting the red carpet treatment while Turkey was left out in the cold, Europe would be open to charges of anti-Islamic bigotry.

Chris Patten, the former high commissioner of Hong Kong and a former EU Commissioner, is already ringing that bell. Member states “must confront” their xenophobia concerning Turkey, he said. “To define Europe today as though it were an introverted, cohesive, medieval Christian community is, I think, terrible.”

Terrible...and potentially dangerous, too. For one thing Turkey would be driven to form other alliances, unpalatable to the West, while the millions of European Muslims, many already marginalized, would receive a slap in the face and may be driven to re-evaluate their own loyalties.

Allowing Turkey to join the EU is not only sensible politically; it is simply the right thing to do.