Turkey's
'Jerusalem Fetish'
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Originally published under the title, "Turkish Fairy
Tales from Uncle Tayyip."
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Does
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan think of himself as a modern-day
Saladin who will conquer Jerusalem?
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It is truly fascinating that Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, a
professor of political science, believes that Jerusalem, built a
millennium before the birth of Islam, is originally a Muslim city. And
that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, -- Saudis should please not
get offended -- thinks Jerusalem is the Muslims' "most important
Mecca."
Jerusalem has always had a spectacular place in a Turkish Islamist's
heart and mind. But pre-election fervor in Turkey has lifted their
"Jerusalem fetish" to new heights.
Turkey's Islamists today look like Egypt's second president, Gamal
Abdel Nasser, a Pan-Arab nationalist, and his army commanders almost half
a century ago. On May 16, 1967, Nasser ordered U.N. Emergency Force
Commander, Indar Jit Rykhye, to evacuate his force from the Sinai buffer
zone within 48 hours. When Rykhye asked one Egyptian commander if Egypt
was aware of the consequences, the commander replied:
"Oh sir, I'll meet you at lunch in Tel Aviv." The UN force
left, and Egypt and Israel were left alone to fight the 1967 war. This
author does not know where the Egyptian commander had lunch the next day,
but definitely not in Tel Aviv. His words, however, may have inspired Turkey's
leaders.
Pre-election fervor has lifted the
"Jerusalem fetish" of Turkish Islamists to new heights.
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Prime Minister Davutoglu, formerly foreign minister, has reiterated
countless times since he joined the Turkish cabinet in 2009 that,
"We will have prayers at the al-Aqsa mosque in the Palestinian
capital 'Quds' ([Jerusalem]." This wish remains to be fulfilled. But
that does not discourage Turkish leaders from cherishing increasing doses
of "Jerusalem-fetish."
When a Kurdish politician said in a public speech that "Jerusalem
is the holy city for the Jews," a furious Davutoglu held a rally and
said
at the top of his voice: "Jerusalem is our holy place;" and that
he would never allow the city's "Islamic character" to change.
Davutoglu, in another election rally speech, added:
"One day al-Aqsa will definitely reach liberation ... Jerusalem is
our eternal cause." In yet another speech, Davutoglu claimed
that his government has faced multiple coup d'état attempts only because
he says "Jerusalem is our cause.".
In still another, he claimed
that Jerusalem's final period in peace was "our (Ottoman)
times." And in another, he commemorated "the Turks, Arabs,
Kurds, Zaza (a Kurdish tribe) and Arab in the glorious army of
Saladin." It is as if, for Davutoglu (and Erdogan), Jerusalem did
not exist before 1187. If it did not, why do the Turks talk about its
"conquest," a euphemism they always seem to prefer to avoid the
word "occupation" or "invasion."
President Erdogan has no less-eccentric ideas. "Jerusalem,"
according to the president, "is the holiest place of Muslims and it
belongs to the Palestinians." In a recent speech, he claimed
that Jews are [secretly] educating people on the Zoroastrian faith at
mountain camps. "We have evidence [to prove] that," Erdogan
added. Yet he has never produced this "evidence."
President Erdogan said in a May 15
speech that Muslim hearts are "destined to beat for
Jerusalem."
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Most recently, in a speech on May 15, Erdogan
said that: "Unfortunately we the Muslims lost our aim to head
towards Jerusalem. The water of our eyes froze, making us blind, and our
hearts that were destined to beat for Jerusalem are now instead
conditioned for rivalry, in a state of war with each other."
In other words, Erdogan is calling the ummah [the Muslim
community] to end its conflicts in order to unite behind a jihad march
toward Jerusalem. This is not surprising for Turkey's political Islam,
whose Arab ideological next-of-kin is the Muslim Brotherhood. Mohammed
Badie, Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, declared in a public
message published by Egyptian daily, Al-Ahram, that "the
Zionists only understand force," and that Arabs cannot hope to
achieve justice from the Jews "through the corridors of the United
Nations or through negotiations." Badie
was quoted as saying,
The time has come for the Islamic
nation to unite around one man for the sake of Jerusalem and Palestine
... The Jews have dominated the land, spread corruption on earth, spilled
the blood of believers and in their actions profaned holy places,
including their own ... Zionists only understand the language of force
and will not relent without duress ... This will only happen through holy
Jihad, high sacrifices and all forms of resistance. The day they realize
we will march this path and raise the banner of Jihad for the sake of
God, is the day they will relent and stop their tyranny.
Is Erdogan that one man around whom the Islamic nation should unite
for the sake of Jerusalem and Palestine? Erdogan may be thinking that he
is the 21st-century reincarnation of Saladin. So may be his Muslim
Brothers and Qatari allies. For the rest of the Muslims, all that is
merely "fairy tales from Uncle Tayyip."
Burak Bekdil, based in Ankara, is
a columnist for the Turkish daily Hürriyet and a fellow at the Middle East
Forum.
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