Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a pan-Islamic alliance to defeat Israel: “Turkey’s Erdogan: Islamic countries should form alliance against ‘Israel’s growing expansionism,'” Jerusalem Post, September 7, 2024:
Erdogan hosted Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Ankara this week and they discussed the Gaza war and ways to further repair their long-frozen ties during what was the first such presidential visit in 12 years….
Erdogan has been distinctly cold to the regime of al-Sisi ever since its overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood president, Mohamed Morsi, in a coup. Erdogan had good relations with Morsi, and he described al-Sisi as a “tyrant” for overthrowing him; Egyptian members of the Brotherhood have fled to, and been given refuge by, Erdogan’s Turkey. But during the last few years his hatred of the Jewish state has led him to try to patch up relations with Arab states.
Erdogan said in July that Turkey would extend an invitation to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “any time” for possible talks to restore relations between the two neighbors, who severed ties in 2011 after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war.
During the Syrian civil war, the overwhelmingly Sunni population of Turkey took the side of Assad’s mainly Sunni opponents. Assad and his officer corps are members of the Alawite sect, a branch of Shi’ism. Erdogan was also angry about the 3.3 million Syrians who were forced to flee the country and now live in Turkey — another two million live in Lebanon and Jordan — for they have become a great burden on the state; the Syrian regime is in no hurry to take them back.
I don’t think Erdogan’s call for a pan-Islam military alliance will amount to much. In North Africa, Libya is still embroiled in a civil war, with rival regimes in the east and the west of the country. Morocco and Algeria are still at daggers drawn over competing claims to the Western Sahara. Egypt is unlikely to openly join a military alliance against Israel; its leaders remember what the IDF did to it in 1967 and 1973, and want no repeat of those disasters. Furthermore, were Egypt to join such an alliance, it could expect that the roughly $1.3 billion it now receives from Washington would be cut altogether; that’s a loss it can’t afford. What about Lebanon? The Shia of Hezbollah and its supporters might be glad to join an “Islamic alliance,” but only if it is led by their fellow Shi’a in Iran, not by Sunni Turkey. And the two-thirds of Lebanese — Christians and Sunnis — who detest Hezbollah and fear being dragged by it into a war with Israel that would be the final blow to an economy nearing total collapse would not want their country to be part of any Islamic alliance that would take on the IDF.
As for the Gulf Arab states, the UAE has shown throughout the Gaza War that it has no intention of leaving the Abraham Accords, much less cutting other ties to Israel. The Accords have brought the UAE political capital in Washington, an improved image in the West, increased trade and new weapons supplies. That’s not something the UAE would want to give up.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammed bin Salman would not want to go to war with Israel; he continues to hold out the promise of “normalization” of ties with the Jewish state. And he certainly would not want to enroll in a war under the leadership of Turkey, which for many centuries, under the Ottomans, was the brutal overlord of the Arabs in the Middle East.
In short, Erdogan’s fantastical dream of leading a united Muslim alliance against Israel, riven as those Muslim states are by civil wars (in Yemen, Libya, and Syria), national rivalries (Algeria with Morocco), ethnic disputes (Berbers and Arabs in North Africa, Kurds and Arabs in Iraq and Syria), and religious fissures (Christians and Muslims in Lebanon, Alawite and Sunni Muslims in Syria), will never come to pass. Erdogan has forgotten how much his support of the Muslim Brotherhood has enraged both the Egyptians and the Saudis. His dream of this “Muslim alliance” will remain a snare and a delusion, a desert mirage, an ignis fatuus. Once Erdogan had the idea of a “pan-Islamic army.” Now that idea has him.
Frank Anderson says
It is very easy to talk big when assuming unity among more or less 1.6 BILLION muslims against 16 MILLION Jews worldwide. Erdogan’s first problem is that when Jews disappear that unity such as it is in his dreams will disappear along with them. Islam must have an enemy. It it does not have one externally it will fall apart from internal strife. “Be careful what you wish for: You may get it!”
Hank says
“against ‘Israel’s growing expansionism”
Strange talk from Erdogan. What about Islams growing expansionism. Turkey, North Africa, is nothing more than a result of Islams growing expansionism into Christian land. Istanbul’s real name is Constantinople. What is going on now in non-Muslim countries is nothing more than Islams growing expansionism. The Iran we have today is a result of Islams growing expansionism. Persians used to be Zoroastrians.
Luchtpint says
Quite right. Erdogan is out for neo-Ottoman expansion. He thinks he can subdue all Arabs in the region like the Ottomans did.
Walter Sieruk says
Concerning Erdogan’s call for a pam -Islamic military alliance against Israel to destroy her, might not occur, as this jihadwtach article explains.
Nevertheless in some kind future confederacy of Islamic nations would be formed , but not in exactly the same way that Erdogan would image it to be. It would be fated to fail and fail hard in that Islamic quest to destroy Israel.
Therefore, to give some Bible based information with authorized Islamic literature also taken into account and yet not to go into detail and that state that this is a theory of Bible prophecy and not a complete prophecy fact. This is what might happen. This awful and terrible conflict in the twenty -first century is part of the war between the Judo- Christian West and the Islamic East. The Mahdi will arise in the Middle East he will appear a wonderful man to many people, in reality he will be wicked man and will be so very deceitful and lying to he will seem, very much, like a good righteous and rightly guided man who will make a short and false “peace” in the Middle East. The Mahdi with have a partner who will be the false “jesus” of Islam. This Islamic ”jesus” will give Christian’s a choice , which is convert to Islam or die by beheading, this is the Koranic way to killing non-Muslims, as in 47:4. Those vicious murders of Christians in the future are predicted in the Bible. As seen in Revelation 20:4.
Furthermore in Israel the Mahdi “shall divide the land” Daniel 11:39. [K.J.V.] between the Jews and Muslims and the Mahdi will also by many deceiving lying signs and wonders, will unify Shi ‘ite and Sunni Islam together common goal destroying the State of Israel ,once and for all. The Mahdi will then take the all the military force of Islam with Satanic intention of totally destroying the Jewish State, one and for all. The when the Second Coming of real Jesus will occur .This is at the Battle of Armageddon where the final and complete defeat of the Mahdi, along with false ”jesus,” and his Islamic military forces. After the great Victory there will be then the total destruction of Islam. As found in the Bible in, for example, Ezekiel chapter 37 and 38. Zechariah Chapter 12 and then 14:9-21 well as in Revelation 19:11-21.
There is an Christian Arab pastor ,Michael Youssef who had written two well researched and informative books about the Islamic messiah called the Mahdi the are END TIMES AND THE SECRET OF THE MAHDI also the book entitled JESUS , JIHAD AND PEACE Furthermore, another Christian author on the topic of the Mahdi and prophecy is other than pastor Youssef is Joel Richardson who wrote THE ISLAMIC ANTICHRIST :THE SHOCKING TRUTH ABOUT THE NATURE OF THE BEAST and the other book entitled THE MIDEAST BEAST : THE SCRIPTURAL CASE FOR THE ISLAMIC ANTICHRIST.
FYI says
If anyone in Israel is interested….
Zechariah chapters 12-14
Biblical prophecy is AGAINST any nation that goes against Israel,especially Jerusalem Zechariah 12 v 9
allah of the kaaba cult is NOT the Biblcal/Torah God of Israel
The isalmic nations face doom in Israel Zechariah 14 v 12
Stive says
Excellent call. Didn’t see this but now I do.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Erdogan still wants to be recognized as the de-facto leader of the islamic bloc – that’s what he’s been trying to get Presidents Putin & Xi to recognize. This is a move behind his saber-rattling. But can he get his Turkic allies, like Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, to snap their ties w/ Israel? Particularly Azerbaijan, which is helped by Israel against Iran on the positive side, if Armenia on the negative?
Also, he’s trying to bolster his credentials to lead such a group by saber rattling against Israel, hoping that it will gain the traction of most muslim countries. In terms of number of countries, Hugh has already pointed out how almost no Arab country will support him. Although I do think he’ll have success w/ a handful of them, such as “Palestine” (all parties there), Qatar, Yemen, Somalia, Libya’s GNA and Algeria.
In terms of number of countries, he won’t gain much. But in terms of the number of Muslims, he will, particularly the non-Arab muslims. Pakistan was an ally of his during Imran Khan’s regime, and can be won back. He’d also be successful w/ Bangladesh’s new islamic regime, as well as the Taliban. That’s 2 of the top 4 muslim populations in the world. Then he has the -stans, although they are friendly to Israel and may not wanna disrupt that: they still prefer Russian to Turkish policies, and Russia, for all its support to Iran and Syria, has still not destroyed relations w/ Israel. Add to that the Arab countries I listed above, and he has a virtual empire that the Ottomans would envy
This is why the West, particularly the US, needs to take note of this Turkish threat and end our hostilities w/ Moscow. Those in the Pentagon and the diplomatic circles who still insist that Russia and China can be defeated together will simply destroy this country
ruth samuel says
Turkey is now taking a leaf out of Egypt’s long dead Pan-Arabism’s dream. That too fizzled out and led to Egypt signing a peace treaty with Israel before any other member of the group. Let’s look forward to the moment when Turkey finally finds a different person to lead it, and hopefully leads it out of the Middle Ages. I say once again that during WWII Turkey gave safe haven to Jewish refugees from Nazi Europe.