Reports | 25 05 2020
By Algie Hussein
Day after day, the duplicity of the Turkish regime manifests itself in dealing with extremist Islamic organizations; perhaps most clearly in the issue of support for ISIS. This is particularly true for the Kurds, who accuse the Turkish government of providing funding, logistical, and military support to this extremist organization.
The secular experiment of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can be qualified as carrying many questions still searching for answers. This comes in light of the increasing signs of duplicity in the President’s dealings with Islamic movements which receive support on the one hand, while assuming the "secular" persona demanding accession to the European Union, on the other.
Erdogan is attempting to devise a political model of governance that integrates between Islam and secularism. This is mainly predicated on the tangible popularity he enjoys in his country; in addition to taking advantage of the moniker of "political Islam" adumbrated by his supporters to describe his policies. This creates a sizeable controversy vis-à-vis its application in reality.
This controversy can be gleaned in the vacillation Erdogan displays in attempting to harp the secular chord. He, thus, supports all civilian efforts and aims to achieve tangible progress to help secure EU admission of Turkey without political or religious problems; at the same time granting religious rights to Islamists and maintaining a balanced position toward them.
There have recently been more pronounced evidence of Erdogan’s duplicity, one of which is the arrest by Turkish authorities, last Thursday, in the province of Gaziantep bordering Syria of 19 European who were presented as being ISIS Sunni extremists.
Later, activists circulated news that the Turkish government actually released them, creating confusion on how to interpret the pronounced policy of Erdogan who has repeatedly denied that his country gave shelter to these groups or their camps.
Turkey has been accused of providing assistance to armed militant groups fighting the Syrian regime, as Turkish territories constitute the main crossing point to Syria.
Syrian Kurdish fighting units usually accuse the Turkish side, as bearing sole responsibility of inserting these groups and their military arsenal in the north-east of Syria, a largely Kurdish area with semi-autonomy when compared to other areas in the war-torn Syria.
Turkey has recently caused a political crisis and embarked on a sort of diplomatic escalation with Libya recently, when the Libyan Parliament decided to recall the country's ambassador to Ankara in protest over Erdogan's remarks regarding the Libyan Parliament as being dominated by "the Muslim Brotherhood."
Libyan politicians pointed to the inconsistencies in Erdogan's statements and the actual intervention in Libyan affairs they represented; or his almost overt support of the Muslim Brotherhood.
This duplicity is, therefore, evident in Erdogan’s support of radical organizations, as well as the Muslim Brotherhood. The Turkish territory playing host to the vast majority of the Syrian opposition is also evidence, especially after the bulk of the Free Syrian Army had transformed into Islamic Brigades or declared allegiance to the "Islamic State," while still being based in the Syrian refugee camps in Turkey.
Amid these examples, Erdogan has been called the "new Ottoman Sultan," as he continues to dismantle the secular legacy of Ataturk who, during his reign, eliminated all signs of Islamization.
Meanwhile, many members of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) led by Erdogan, are hopeful in his ability to restore the image of political Islam, and forge a kind of relationship between Islam and politics. This, the Turkish press is actually doing, by positively portraying the president as a moderate Islamist.
On the other hand, Erdogan supporters believe that he has succeeded in the economic management of Turkey's experiment. They read the economic data and export-import ratios and confidently ascertain the country's position in the global economic geography, as an indispensable partner in any global deal.
Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the opinion of Rozana.