Turkey has for quite some time been in bed with the Muslim Brotherhood. It even welcomed Brotherhood leaders who had been forced to leave Qatar after heavy pressure from Gulf countries. But that was almost seven years ago. In February of last year, an Egyptian human rights group openly accused Qatar and Turkey of funding the Muslim Brotherhood group that had been designated as terrorist by the Egyptian government. By October, the leading British think tank, the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation at King’s College London, concluded that Qatar and Turkey were bankrolling Muslim Brotherhood networks and organizations all across Europe, including the Muslim Council of Britain.
In 2019, a shocking declaration was made by Turkey’s ruling AK Party. It threatened “that if the United States designated the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization, it would hamper democratization efforts in the Middle East and serve militant groups like Islamic State.”
“Turkey Says It Still Opposes Egypt Labeling Muslim Brotherhood ‘Terrorists,'” Reuters, April 20, 2021:
ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkey remains opposed to the Muslim Brotherhood being declared “terrorists” by Egypt despite a recent push to repair strained ties between the two countries, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday.
He said Turkey viewed the Muslim Brotherhood as a political movement.
Last month, Turkey said it had resumed diplomatic contacts with Egypt, eight years after ties crumbled over the Egyptian army toppling a Muslim Brotherhood president close to Ankara in 2013.
Asked about Turkey’s ties with the Muslim Brotherhood in an interview with broadcaster Haberturk, Cavusoglu said Turkey’s international ties were not based on parties or individuals, and that Ankara’s issue with Cairo stemmed from what it views as a “coup”.
“We were against the coup in Egypt, not because it was the Muslim Brotherhood. If (Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al) Sisi was in office that day and somebody else had carried out a coup, we would shown the same principled stance,” Cavusoglu said.
“Our ties are not tied to one person or party. But, we are opposed to the Muslim Brotherhood being declared a terrorist organisation. It is a political movement that is trying to come to power through election,” he said.
A thaw in ties between the regional powerhouses could have repercussions around the Mediterranean. They have backed rival sides in the war in Libya and sealed conflicting maritime deals with other coastal states. But, Turkey has said a new period in Turkey-Egypt ties had begun and Cavusoglu on Thursday said Ankara did not see “Libya as an area of competition” with Egypt.
In the first concrete sign of a thaw, Ankara last month asked Egyptian opposition TV channels operating in Turkey to moderate their criticism of Egypt. Cavusoglu on Thursday said Turkey had made a similar request from other such foreign channels as well, and it was not specific to Egypt…..
Eur says
Cause you are a branch of Muslim Brotherhood….
Infidel says
Other way around. The Muslim Brotherhood is an extension of Turkey’s soft power, where they get to use stooges of theirs in other countries to extend their influence. In this case, it’s Turkey’s claim to the leadership of the ummah, and that comes at the expense of the Saudis. Normally, the Saudis would have a lock on the Arab bloc, but groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and their affiliates like Hamas, al Qaeda and others, disrupt that unity on the Arab side and give Turkey an opening
Yeah, it makes perfect sense that Turkey would oppose the designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. Partly b’cos they don’t even consider jihad as terrorism
warren raymond says
How can a devout Moslem not be a member of the Moslem Brotherhood?
mortimer says
Reply to WR … they have many options in the matter of Islamic terrorism.
mortimer says
Turkey’s government is a terrorist organization that terrorize ALL MUSLIM TURKISH PEOPLE, so they see nothing wrong with an organization that terrorizes the DIRTY KUFAAR.
Sean says
Daily Express
Mon, Apr 5, 2021
New Brexit deal with Turkey ‘on the horizon’ as trade with Ankara soars after EU split.
Turkey and the UK are set to have closer trade ties after Turkish trade with Britain increased by 12 percent in the first quarter of 2021.
Raja says
Next in line should be the declaration that Islam is a religion of terror in about 20 years. Preempting this the foreign minister might be opposing the terrorist tag to Muslim brotherhood.
He is into realpolitik. How long will he succeed only time will tell.
mortimer says
Raja says : declare Islam to be the ‘religion of terrorism’. Yes!
“I was made victorious by TERROR!” – Mohammed
born saturday says
turkey is not just involved in terrorism with the muslim brotherhood, erdogan called for the latest terrorist attacks in france and austria, this time in public… the sultan of the ottomaniac empire chalifate is behind most western terrorism attacks as he took over ten years now the funding of mosques in the whole of the west, from saudi arabia….
Boycott Turkey says
They are probably appossed as well as to ISIS being called a terror organisation and also they where apposed to France labelling the grey wolves a extremist group which advocates genocide
oskar says
You’re right, BT. Turkish state is hypocritical, as well as brutal to the “kuffar” as Erdogan said in his party congress then they screamed takbir.
Grey Wolves is a fascist terror gang. They incite hatred against Armenians, Greeks and Christians in general. It’s hypocritical that while Turkey attacks Dutch politician Wilders as being “fascist and racist” they themselves supporting the fascist Turkish terror gang.
Grey Wolves’ political branch is Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) which rules Turkey together with the Erdogan’s Islamist party. This means Turkey is being ruled by both Islamists and fascists.
The nationalist and religious extremist situation that Turkey has turned into is worrying. I fear that the Christians of Turkey would be totally exterminated. Turkey is destroying the Christian heritage of the country. It’s very sad, Saint Paul and many other Church Fathers were originally from Anatolia and they evangelized in this land.
Boycott Turkey says
True Oskar they are committing a cultural Genocide in Turkey by stealing Agia Sophia and turning it into a Mosque and also they did the same to more Greek and Armenian Churches in Turkey it is very worrying but the world stays silent all they hear is Erdogans cries about so called islamophobia and him begging for money so he don’t send in refugees to Europe also nobody helped Armenians in the recent war and now they been ethnically cleansed from Artaksh and 6000 Armenians Genocided by Turkey and Azerbaijan it’s very sad the west and Russia is helping Turkey to Genocide Christians
gravenimage says
Turkey’s foreign minister: ‘We are opposed to the Muslim Brotherhood being declared a terrorist organization’
………………….
What else would you expect from terrorists?
Mevlut Cavusoglu has also condemned the West for defending against Jihad terror.
Bikinis not Burkas says
My answer to him is get stuffed, olives for your next whatever!
OLD GUY says
Turkey is going down the Islamic shit hole. Once again they are on the wrong side.