I do not see the link between Islam and the pure political conflict between Turkeys against some European countries. We all know that the crisis between the Turkish President and Germany, Netherlands, and perhaps other European countries has nothing to do with Islam.
The crisis is caused by the refusal of some European countries to allow mass gatherings of Turks living there to make publicity to vote in favour of the constitutional amendments in Turkey. The crisis got worse when the plane boarded by Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, was prevented from landing in the Netherlands and Turkish Family Minister, Fatma Kaya, was also stopped and forced to return to the borders. These issues are of pure electoral and political nature and have no relation to Islam. President Erdogan did not miss this opportunity to expand the crisis and drag others by directly linking it to what he considers European Islamophobia.
To be fair and objective, we have to think about it. We have to wonder: Can Turkey allow Dutch far-right leader of the Dutch Freedom Party Geert Wilders to organize an electoral campaign in Istanbul, Ankara or other Turkish cities— regardless of the size of the Dutch community in Turkey—to promote his electoral program?
The answer is that Turkey, for many reasons, will not allow him or others to organize a rally. Europe refuses rallies for reasons related to security concerns that are sweeping the whole world. After all, these rallies can be exploited by terrorists. Europe has the right to refuse even if the reasons are not clear, because this is a matter of sovereignty that the states can deal with according to the law and international norms.
The second point is that the conflict between Turkey and the EU countries has historical backgrounds and roots in which religion may be a crucial factor. It is not about Islamophobia, but because Europe considers its own union as a Christian club. This is the point of view of some influential countries in Europe and it is difficult for them to accept the idea of an influential Islamic country like Turkey joining the Union. However, the Turks are aware about this fact and they relied on the American pressure in prior periods. Turkey also relied on its strategic role as the eastern front of NATO against any potential Russian threat.
Turkey’s position is its problem. It is strange that the International Union of Muslim Scholars, headed by Dr. Yusuf al-Qaradawi, condemns what it called the Dutch practices against Turkey and calls the Islamic world to support it. The Union has played the wrong card by linking Netherland’s position to Islamophobia. In fact, this phenomenon exists, but it does not have a clear or convincing relationship with the subject.
There is a silent crisis between politicians in the West and the Islamic world. It is wrong to over-generalize this conclusion as the whole West is not hostile towards Islam and Muslims. Advocates of such claims adopt an ideology that promotes hatred and religious conflicts in the world, the same way such advocates in Arab terrorist organizations do not stop incitement and spreading hatred against the West.
In a statement of solidarity with Turkey, the Union spoke about global peace before warning from confrontation and tension among nations. It is obvious that the Muslim community is not well aware of the crisis because it is a bilateral political crisis unrelated to them. The talk about world peace and the use of sophisticated terms and concepts is an amplification of matters in order to achieve an ideological goal. The Union gives Turkey the impression of being the leader of the Islamic world, and this is absolutely not true because Turkey is clearly secular. Erdogan is not a new Sultan despite his attempts to act as though he was.
European conflict with Erdogan will end as it did with Russia. The strategic interests of each State are clear and have nothing to do with religion. Al-Qaradawi and his colleagues are aware of this, but they succumb to the goals of Erdogan and employ religious propaganda tools for his benefit.
The Union’s statement points out what it called the right of Turkish politicians to meet with Turkish communities living in different countries and to discuss opinions on national issues. Turkish politicians or others actually do not have the right to organize meetings with crowds of their nationality in another country. The strangest fact about the statement is that it claims that Erdogan’s regime is consistent with Islamic teachings that make the Prince of the Believers or the supreme leader have absolute authority.
Who said that Turkey is governed by the Prince of the Believers? I doubt that Erdogan would say such a thing about himself given the fact that he always tends to confirm the secularity of his country. The president also calls upon others to take Turkey as an example to follow. How can Al-Qaradawi be more royalist than the king himself?
The statement completely drifted away from religion and was dominated by political discourse. In fact, the statement turned into a break in a comedy that might not find a hero because the script is bad. Personally, I was not surprised of the statement of the Union of Al-Qaradawi, for the simple reason that this is not the first time that it pokes its nose into a pure political issue. The Union has already taken the coup attempt in Turkey as being religiously forbidden. In this concern, the Secretary-General, Ali Muhyiddin Qaradaghi, said in a statement on behalf of the Union that “scientists and honourable people followed up the conspiracy against Turkey and the Islamic Nation. But Almighty God has made the criminals fail to reach their goal”. It is obvious that the Union performs a religious adviser role according to its whims and interests. So, it turns religious advice into goods that are sold to whoever pays more.
Regardless of the absurdity of the statement of the Union, the dangerous fact is that Erdogan has played the worst card linking the position of his country to the decision of a European Court about wearing the veil. The president said there is a new crusade against Islam, which confirms the strong and deliberate use of religion in his conflict with Europe. This is not less dangerous than ISIS and Al Qaeda inciting hatred between Islam and the West.
