Islamists Flexing Their Muscles in Turkey

On May 31, 2010, naval commandos from Israel's elite Shayetet 13 unit boarded six ships of the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla" which were trying to break through the Israeli blockade. One ship, the Mavi Marmara, turned into a battleground as the "activists" assaulted the Israeli commandos with knives, metal rods, and other weapons. One commando was thrown over the top deck and fell thirty feet to a lower deck. The commandos were armed with paintball guns and stun grenades and had orders to use non-lethal force to gain control of the ship. However, after one of the "activists" grabbed the sidearm of one of the commandos and reportedly shot him in the stomach, the Israelis fired at their assaulters. This caused a tremendous backlash in the international community. Much has been written on this topic already, but it is a critical event in the evolution of Turkey from a secular country to an Islamist power. The Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH), the organizers of the flotilla, are significantly tied to terrorist groups such as Hamas. The IHH also maintains close relations with the current government of Turkey, and many analysts believe that the flotilla was only possible because of Turkish support.

First, a little history lesson. After the collapse of the Byzantine empire, the Ottoman Turks built the greatest Islamic empire in history. For centuries, the Turks cast a shadow over all of Europe. But internal conflicts and the decadence of their superpower position severely weakened the Ottoman Empire. Their imperial designs on Europe (beyond the Balkans) were laid to rest after a crushing defeat on September 11, 1683 at the Battle of Vienna. They limped along as the other European powers grew stronger. Ultimately, the Ottoman Empire chose the wrong side in World War I. They were the bad guys that the British and Arabs were fighting in Lawrence of Arabia, if you recall. After their defeat, the victorious nations of England and France divided up the former Ottoman territories which encompassed most of the Middle East. Included among the lost land was a little area the British called Palestine, but I'll get to that in a later post. In the aftermath, a charismatic military officer named Mustafa Kemal Ataturk led a revolt against the old regime. Ataturk realized that, while the Ottomans still maintained the customs and thinking of a medieval empire, the rest of the world had moved past them. In a bold move that has enraged Muslims for generations, Ataturk abolished the Caliphate and established a secular government in Turkey. The duty of defending this secularism was given to the military. For most of the 20th century, it seemed impossible that Turkey would fall back into Islamism. However, there were people such as Uriel Heyd who saw what was coming and tried to warn the world before it was too late.

The nation of Turkey has seen a resurgence of influence in the past few years. During that time, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the ruling AKP party have pushed Turkey further into the Islamist camp in direct violation of the Turkish constitution. While there is still significant resistance to the current direction of the country, particularly among the military leadership, the fact is that Turkey has no real reason to turn away from its increasingly Islamic character. Several military officers who have expressed displeasure with Erdogan's leadership have been arrested. The European Union is content to ignore the warning signs and even weaken the ability of the Turkish military to fulfill their constitutional mandate to maintain a secular government. Turkey is an important member of NATO and sits at the crossroads between the Middle East and Europe. As Greece continues its downward spiral, we may see Turkey get more involved in the nation they once conquered.

Turkey is also gaining support with their historic rivals in the Arab world. Erdogan was recently awarded the "King Faisal International Prize" by the Organization of the Islamic Conference for his "services to Islam." In the World View section of an Arab opinion poll conducted in 2010, 20 percent of respondents said that Erdogan was the world leader outside their country that they admired most. A further 19 percent said that Erdogan was the second most admired world leader, placing him at the very top of both lists. But the most interesting part of this poll is the fact that Erdogan was a nobody as recently as 2009 (he tied with Saddam Hussein in popularity, if that's any indication). So what changed? The poll was taken in late June and early July, approximately a month after the infamous Gaza flotilla incident. Suddenly, Turkey became a real thorn in the side of the Israelis. And in the year since, the pressure has been steadily building. Many of the countries involved in the 2010 poll have felt the effects of the so called "Arab Spring," especially Egypt. Turkey has presented a new model for revolutionaries in the Arab world to follow. This has had the side effect of straining Turkey's relationship with Iran. For decades, Islamic revolutionaries have used the Iranian model of violence and aggressive jihad against their enemies, not to mention the Iranian-supplied equipment and weapons. But the flotilla incident proved that controlling the public relations battlefield was just as important as any physical territory. That is why we are seeing a substantial reduction in self-labeled mujahadeen and an increase in "peace activists" who push for the same goals. What a difference a name makes.

Anti-Israeli sentiments and hatred of Jews have seen a sharp increase in Turkey in the past several years. Indeed, Turkey is in a unique geographic position to be affected by three distinct but related strains of anti-Semitism. Nazi propaganda from Europe, Tsarist writings such as The Protocols of the Elders of Zion from Russia, and traditional Islamic attitudes about the Jews combine to form a nasty stew that has poisoned Turkey's relationship with Israel. Erdogan is no stranger to anti-Semitism, having written, directed, and starred in a theatrical play condemning the conspiracies of the Jews (the Turks must be hard up for entertainment). Turkey will continue to drift further into the Islamic sphere and further from the West in the years to come, and the anti-Semitism will only increase.

Turkey poses a problem for the West for two main reasons: its diplomatic influence and its inspiration of Arab revolutionaries. The international condemnation of Israel following the Gaza flotilla incident came about largely due to Turkish influence in the Middle East, Russia, and Europe. Meanwhile, as the "Arab Spring" continues and Israel is placed under increasing pressure from all sides, Erdogan's Turkey will be there to push for Islamist regimes. The White House may say that the uprisings in the Middle East are a result of the people's desire for democracy, but they conveniently ignore the influence of Turkey. After all, Prime Minister Erdogan said himself, "Democracy is like a streetcar. When you reach your stop, you get off." At what point do the Arab revolutionaries take Erdogan's advice to "get off" the democracy streetcar and push for a full-blown Caliphate? It may be sooner than you think.