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NewsAnalysis11:20,08March2011Tuesday
Turkey'sErbakanandhis"NationalViewMovement"

Whilesomepeoplerememberhimthroughhisspeechesinthe
parliament,manyofthepeoplemakementionofErbakanname
withFebruary28postmoderncoupinTurkey.

BysmailDuman,WorldBulletin
"NecmettinErbakan,thefirstIslamistprimeministerofTurkey,whoseattempttoturnhiscountryaway
fromtheWestledthemilitarytodeposehimin1997,diedonSundayinAnkara.Hewas85"saysStephen
Kinzer,fromTheNewYorkTimes,fordeclaringhisdeath.
ErbakanwasoneofthemostimportantfiguresinTurkishpolitics.HelefthismarkonTurkishsociety.
Whilesomepeoplerememberhimthroughhisspeechesintheparliament,manyofthepeoplemakemention
of'Erbakan'namewithFebruary28postmoderncoupinTurkey.
WhenErbakanbecomesacurrentissue,"PoliticalIslam"conceptcomestomindintermsofTurkey.
AlthoughtherewereDemocratPartyandJusticePartyperiodsin1950s60sforthefirsttime,Turkey's
conservativeIslamistpeople,activelyappearedinTurkishpoliticalsceneafterErbakan'sNationalView
(MilliGr)Movement.
HundredsofthousandsofmournersattendedtothefuneralofNecmettinErbakanandthisnumberexplains
theimportanceofhimatcrowdofpeople.Veryinterestingly,asDelphineStrauss,fromtheFinancialTimes,
says,"themilitaryhonoreditsoldadversarywithamessageofcondolence,sayinghis"greatservicestoour
countrywillbealwaysremembered".
ItisdifficulttotalkaboutthelifeofErbakanandthefunctionofhismovementintheselimitedpages.But
wewilltrytosummarizethisstoryverybrieflyandclearlyforyou.Ihopethatyoutakeadvantageofthis
collectedworkinordertounderstandErbakanandhispoliticalmovementclearly.Beforesharingthe
commentsofsomewritersinthisissue,IwanttosayforErbakanthatMayAllahresthiminpeace.
WhoisErbakan?
While"NecmettinErbakan,whosefirstnameliterallymeans'theStarofReligion,'wasundoubtedlythestar
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ofTurkey'spoliticalIslam"saysMustafaAkyol,fromHurriyetDailyNewsaccordingtoSedatBozkurt,
"HeintroducedpoliticalIslamtoTurkey...However,thepoliticalIslamappliedinTurkeydifferedfromthe
others.OneofitselementswasTurkishnationalism."
BeforelookingatthedetailsofcommentsonErbakan,Iprefertofocusonhislife:
"HewasborninSinopon29thOctober,1926.NecmettinErbakangraduatedfromCumhuriyetPrimary
SchoolinKayseriandthenhehadtogotoTrabzonbecauseofhisfather'sappointmentandhefinishedhis
primaryeducationsuccessfullyinTrabzon.
ErbakanwasbroughtupbyShaikhM.ZahidKotkuHz.whowastheImamofIskenderpaaMosqueanda
naqshbandishaikhandotherenlightenedandScholarMuslimleaders.ShaikhKotkuhadadeepeffecton
Erbakanintermsofmoralmaturation.
Aftergraduatingfromtheprimaryschoolin1937,hecontinuedhiseducationinIstanbulHighSchool.After
that,heachievedaperfectscoreandbegantoIstanbulTechnicalUniversityfromthesecondclass.Oneof
hisfriendsinUniversitywasSleymanDemirelwhoalsoverysoonbecameapolitician.
In1948,duringsummerterm,ErbakanwhograduatedfromITU,facultyofmechanicalengineeringwitha
gooddegree,gotthechairmanshipasanassistantatEngineDepartmentoftheMachineFaculty.Duringthe
followingyears,hepreparedhisdoctoratethesis.Althoughonlydoctorsandprofessorswereabletoteachin
universities,hewasgivenaspecialpermissionforteachingonlywhenhewasanassistant.
In1951,hewassenttoAachenTechnicalUniversityinGermanybythefellowshipofITUfortheaimof
improvinghisscientificresearchwithProfessorSmith.Hepreparedthreethesesintwoyears.Oneofthem
washisdoctoralthesis,andthenhegotthefameasaDoctorEngineer.
ErbakanmadesuccessfulresearchaboutengineswhichuselittlefueloilforGermanyEconomyMinister.
Afterhisthesiswaspublishedinsomeoftheimportantmagazines,Prof.Dr.Flatswhowasthedirectorof
thegreatestenginefactoryatthattime,DEUTZ,invitedhimtomakeresearchabouttheLeopardTanks.
In1966Prof.ErbakanbecamethepresidentofIndustryDivisionintheUnion,ofChambersandCommodity
ExchangesofTurkey.In1968,hebecameamemberofExecutiveBoardoftheUnion.In1969,hewasthe
presidentoftheUnionofChambersandCommodityExchangesofTurkey.ButDemirelwastheheadofthe
governmentinthoseyears.HeremovedErbakanfromhispositioninanillegalway.
Afterconsultingtoopinionleadersofsociety,hedecidedtocontinuestrugglinginpoliticalarena.He
appliedtoAdaletPartybuthewasvetoed.HewaselectedfromKonyaasanindependentmemberofthe
GrandNationalAssemblyofTurkeyin1969.
HemarriedwithNerminErbakan,agraduateofeconomics,in1967.
Theyhavetwodaughters,Zeynepbornin1968,Elifbornin1974andasonMuhammedFatihbornin1979.
Erbakanfoundedthefirstpoliticalparty"MilliNizam",whichwasaproductof"MilliGr"Movementin
1970January24,butwhenthepartywasclosedinanantidemocraticwayin1971afteramilitarycoup,
ErbakanwenttoSwitzerlandforashorttime.
ThesecondpartyhefoundedwasMilliSelametParty.From1974to1978thepartywasindifferentcoalition
governmentsandErbakanwastheassistantofprimeministerandpresidentofEconomycouncil.During
thesefouryearshefocusedonthematerialandmoraldevelopmentofTurkey,heplayedacrucialroleinthe
Cyprussuccess,hepioneeredthemovementofheavyindustry,achievedcompletemembershipof
"ORGANIZATIONOFISLAMICCONFERENCE",heguaranteedequalrightstothegraduatesofImam
HatipHighschoolsinUniversityentranceexam.Afterthecoupof12September,thepartywasclosedand
hewasbannedfrompolitics.
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In1987,ErbakancamebacktotheactivepoliticswithWelfare(Refah)Party.Afterbecomingamemberof
theassembly,hispartyhadahistoricalsuccessinmunicipalityelections,whichissoonnamedas
"REVOLUTION"
In1995,RefahPartybecametobethegreatestpartyofTurkeyasaresultoftheelection.AndErbakan
formedthe54thgovernmentofTurkeyon28thJune1996,becomingtheprimeminister.Thecoalition
governmentlastedonly11months.Someactionsattractedtheattentionofsecretgovernorsoftheworld.So
againanantidemocraticprocessbeganandErbakanwasforcedtoleavePrimeMinistrybyapostmodern
coupandhewasbannedfrompoliticsandhispartywasclosed.
ThemovementofMilliGrhascontinuedwithFazilet(Virtue)Party.Thispartywasalsoclosedafteran
electedparliamentmemberrefusedtoundressherheadscarf.AndlastlyFelicity(Saadet)Party..."
(gencsaadet.com)
CommentsonErbakan...
Whenwelookatthecommentsinthewesternmedia,wecomeacrossemphasizesnotonlyonhisanti
WesternandantiZionistidentity,butalsoonmoderatingfunctionofhisideasforthemarginalIslamic
movementsthroughhisstruggleinthelegalborders.
"Castbyhissecularenemiesasadangerousreligiousreactionary,Mr.Erbakanisnowacknowledgedasa
moderatingforceonTurkey'sIslamists.....HewasfiercelyantiWestern,decryingtheEuropeanUnionasa
ZionistChristianclubandrailingagainstusuryandthefreemarket.YetunlikesomeIslamists(butlike
Turkey'sTarikatSufiIslamicfraternities),hedisavowedallformsofviolence.Hesportedasuitandtie
(usuallyVersace).Whenthearmypushedhimoutin1997,Mr.Erbakandidnotcallonhisfollowerstotake
tothestreets."saysTheEconomist.Ontheotherhand,accordingtoThomasFaulkner,fromtheGuardian,
"Ashrewdpolitician,withafolksyturnofphrase,NecmettinErbakanledTurkishIslamismformorethan
fourdecadesduringwhichthemovementgrewfromamarginalgrouptobecomethemainstreaminTurkish
politics,effectivelysupplantingtheoldcentrerightandthecentreleft."
While"Despitepoliticalbansandpartyclosures,healwaysreemergedandneverwaveredfromhisbeliefin
anIslamicTurkey."saysMartinChilds,fromtheIndependent"Definitely,hewasamujahid.Hewould
nevereveracceptdefeat.Hewouldnevereveraccepttocompromisefromhis"nationalview"political
doctrine.Evenattheworsetimeswhenhewasbanishedfrompolitics,thepartiesheheadedwereclosed
downbythecourtorhis"students"betrayedandpartedwayswithhim,Erbakanmanagedtoappearinfront
ofthemediawithasmilingfaceanddeterminationnottogiveup"commentsYusufKanl,fromHurriyet
Dailynews.
AsFatmaDiliZbakwrites,Yeniafak'sAliBayramolusaysthefirstthingthatcanbesaidaboutErbakan
followinghisdeathisthathewasacharismaticleaderandagreatmobilizerwhohadtheabilitytospurthe
massesheaddressed,andtheirresources,toaction.AccordingtoBayramolu,ErbakanwasalsoaColdWar
politicianwhopreferredpoliciesofcrisisandmovesinvolvingtensioninthehopeofexpandinghis
influencethiswayratherthanengaginginanopenfightofprinciples.
Inadditiontothis,althoughMustafaAkyolcriticizessomeideasofErbakan,healsoacknowledges
Erbakan'scontributions:"UnlikemoreradicalformsofIslamismthatemergedintheMiddleEast,Erbakan
neverrenounceddemocracy.Heratherbecameawillingandactivepartnerofthedemocraticsystem,giving
thelatterareligiouslegitimacy.Besides,Erbakanneverpromotedoreventoleratedpoliticalviolence.
Hence,inthe1970s,whenTurkey'syouthwasdividedbetweenaviolentMarxistleftandamilitant
nationalistright,Erbakan'spiousfollowersremainedresolutelypeaceful.'Terrorism'wasaverysecular
conceptatthetime,andIslamismlookedalltoodocile."
AndasalastcommentonErbakan,IwanttoquotethesentencesofToday'sZaman'sEmreUslu:
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"HismaincontributiontoTurkishpoliticscanbelistedasfollows:First,Erbakansuccessfullyopenedanew
politicalavenuethatproducedmanypoliticianswhoarenowleadingthecountryandforthatheshould
receivecredit.Moreimportantly,hecreatedthispoliticalavenueoutoftheblue.
Second,withouthistirelesseffortsitwouldbeverydifficulttobringtheconservativeruralmassesinto
everydaypolitics...ForthosewhosupportedErbakansupportedhimeveryday,notjustfromelectionto
election.Hismaincontributiontopoliticswasfindingdevotedsupporters.Forhissupporters,Erbakanwas
notjustaleader,butaleaderthatwaslargerthanlifeifnotaMahdi,thelatestsavioroftheMuslimworld.
Third,ErbakanwastheonlypoliticalleaderwhonormalizedIslamicactivitiesinthepublicdomain."
Erbakan'santiZionistIdentity
OneofthemainstrugglesofErbakanisagainstZionism.Therearemanystatementsonthisissue.Because
ofthesethoughts,heislabeledasanantiSemitic.Qudswasveryimportantforhim.Ifwewantto
understandthesethoughts,weshouldgiveanearhisspeechesinthisissue."Memri"websitewhichisclose
toZionistidentitycollectedsomesentencesofErbakan'sspeechinTurkey'sFlashTVin2007.Ithinkthese
sentencesexplainhisantiZionistandproIslamistidentity:
"Whenwelookatthemapoftheworld,weseeabout200countriespaintedincolors,andwethinkthatthere
aremanyraces,religions,andnations.Thefactisthatfor300years,allthese[200nations]havebeen
controlledfromonecenteronly.Thiscenteristheracist,imperialistZionism.Unlessyoumakethiscorrect
diagnosisfortheillness,youcannotfindthecuretoit."
"DoyouknowwhatthesafetyofIsraelmeans?Itmeansthattheywillrulethe28countriesfromMoroccoto
Indonesia.SincealltheCrusadeswereorganizedbytheZionists,andsinceitwasourforefatherstheSeljuks
whostoppedthem,accordingtotheKabbalathereshouldbenosovereignstateinAnatolia.Thisisthese
people's[i.e.theJews']religion,theirfaith.Youcan'targueornegotiatewiththem.Thisistheirreligion,and
itcomesfromtheKabbala."
"Let'ssaythatyou,asaMuslim,wanttosendmoneytoanotherMuslimcountry.Sayyouwanttosend
moneytoPakistan.Youcannotsendit,becauseyoudon'thavetheinfrastructuretodothat.Youarelivingin
their[i.e.theZionists']world.Tosendthemoney,youneedtotakeittoaTurkishbank.ThentheTurkish
bankwillgiveittotheAmericanbank.TheAmericanbankwillgiveanordertoitsbranch[inPakistan],that
branchwillgivethemoneytothePakistanibankthatwillpayoutthemoneythatyousent."
"Alittlemorepatience.Look.TheseJewsstarted19Crusades.The19thwasWorldWar[1].Why?Onlyto
buildIsrael.TheyusedtheChristianstobuildIsrael.TheCanakkale[Gallipoli]victorywasonlyoneofour
battles.Wefoughton30frontsduringthewar.ThentheyhadussigntheTreatyofSvres.Theytoldusthey
wouldeliminateusandbuildGreaterIsraelandmakeustheirslaves.Noothernationcouldfightagainst
themon30battlefrontslikeournationdid.
Ifwedonotseetheserealities,wecannotunderstandworldaffairs.WhatdoesBushsay?HesaysthatJesus
orderedhimtoinvadeIraq.HesaysthatthemostimportantfactorinmakinghisdecisiononIraqwashis
beingChristian.[Hethought,]'IwilltakeIraq.IwillbuildGreaterIsrael,sothatJesuscanreturn.'These
peopleworkwiththatkindofbelief.Ifyoudon'tknowaboutthesepeoples'beliefs,youcannotunderstand
whytheydowhattheydo.Ouryouthmustlearnallthis."
Erbakan'sMostPopularSpeeches
IfwetalkaboutErbakan,weshouldalsoreferhisfamousspeeches.Manypeoplearerepeatinghisspeeches
'jokingly'.
HereisaselectionofHurriyetDailyNewsforErbakan'sfamousstatements:
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"Wewillwaitforthebottomsideofthekadayf[aTurkishdessert]tobebaked[beforewesendthis
governmentaway.]"(SpeakinginMarch1980ontheSleymanDemirelledgovernmentthatreliedon
Erbakan'ssupport.)
"Love,determinationandtheNationalViewthesewillgiveusmilkfromeventhemalegoat."
"Wearenotofamushroommentalitywearetheplanetree."
"Theyarejustglugludancing."(Speakingonmassprotestsagainst"deepstate"relationsaftertheSusurluk
incidentonNov.3,1996.)
"EverybodyisoftheNationalView,theyjustdon'trealizeit."
"TheAKP[JusticeandDevelopmentParty]governmentislikeahormoneinjectedtomato."
"MehmetIItheConquerorwasneitherleftistnorrightist.HewasoftheNationalView."
"Thesunishere,whatneedisthereforthebulb?"(SpeakingontheAKP'slogo)
"ThebrainoftheexploitationmonsterthatoppressestheworldisZionism.ItsheartisCrusaderEurope,its
rightarmisAmericaanditsleftarmisRussia."
NationalViewMovement...
"Whetheryoulikeitornot,theNationalView,beittheoriginalversionorthechangedone,isoneofthe
mosteffectivepoliticalmovementsinTurkey."saysCneytlseverforErbakan'sNationalView
Movement.
"Thetutelarymentality,whichwecantracebacktotheCommitteeofUnionandProgress(CUP),never
understoodoracceptedournation'scommitmenttoIslam.Foracentury,Turkeyhasbeenatargetofasocial
engineeringprojectthathasbeentryingtoisolatereligionfromdailylifeandconfineIslamtopeople's
conscience.Politicshasbeenheavilyinfluencedbythisproject.Thus,whenthenationtriedtoembraceits
religionandvalues,"rightwing"partiesweredesignedtolurethem.However,thepeoplesoonrealizedthe
parties'insincerityandthegamestheyplayed.Thustheystartedtolookforalternatives."saysHseyin
Gulerce,fromToday'sZaman,andheadds:"ThisisoneofthemainreasonswhyErbakan'sMilliGrwas
veryappealingtovoters."
BeforelookingatthemainprinciplesofNationalViewMovement,IwanttofocusonAhmetT.Kuru's
sentencesforsummarizingthehistoryofthismovement:
"TheMilliGorusmovementwasinitiatedbyErbakan.In1970,ErbakanandhisfollowersfoundedtheMilli
Nizam(NationalOrder)Party(MNP).Thepartywasdisbandedfollowingthemilitarycoupd'etatin1971.
In1972,theformercadresoftheMNPfoundedtheMilliSelamet(NationalSalvation)Party.Thatpartyalso
wasdisbanded,bythemilitarycoupd'etatin1980.Thesepartieswerebothaccusedofbeingantisecular.
Whenitspartywasdisbanded,themovementfoundedanewone,ratherthanprotestingradicallyagainstthe
state.Themovementhasalsohadlinkswithsocioculturalinstitutions(forexample,theNationalYouth
Foundation)andmediaoutlets(forexample,MilliGazete).
In1983,theMilliGorusmovementfoundedtheRefah(Welfare)Party(RP).TheRPgainedinfluenceinthe
1990sinTurkishpoliticsandwassimultaneouslystrengthenedbythenationwideriseofIslamicmovements.
ItbecameincreasinglysuccessfulinnationalelectionswiththesupportofthenewAnatolianbourgeoisieand
proIslamicmedianetworks.Itwonthemayors'seatsinTurkey'stwolargestcities,IstanbulandAnkara,in
1994.Inthenationalparliamentaryelections,theRPincreaseditsshareofthevotesfrom7.2percentin1987
to21.4percentin1995andbecametheleadingparty.Erbakanbecameprimeministerin1996intheRP
TruePathParty(DYP)coalition.
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Untiltheendofthe1990s,theMilliGorusmovementdidnotbenefitfrominternationalopportunities.It
wasanationalmovementthatsoughtatopdowntransformationofsocietyviapolitics,unliketheGulen
movement,whichfocusedonabottomuptransformationviaeducation.TheMilliGorusmovementwas
restrictedbyTurkeyanddidnotattempttospreadouttoothercountriesbybenefitingfrominternational
opportunities,nordiditseetheinternationalinstitutionsandnormsasanopportunitytobesavedfromstate
repression.Instead,itsawinternationalinstitutionsandnormsasextensionsoftheWesternhegemonythat
collaboratedwiththerepressivestate.
Inadditiontothelackofinternationalopportunities,theintolerantnormativeframeworkofthemovement,
politicalIslamism,wasshapingthemovement'santiglobalizationview.Inthe1970s,themovementsought
toleadthecountry'sdevelopmentofheavyindustry.Thatdiscoursewasconsistentwiththepersonalityof
Erbakan,whowasaprofessorofmechanicalengineeringandworkedontheLeopardtankprojectin
Germany.Inthe1980sandearly1990s,themovementusedaseconddiscoursebasedonwelfarepolicies,as
emphasizedinthetitleofitsparty(WelfareParty).Yet,duringbothoftheseperiods,theMilliGorus
movementpreservedthecoreofitsnormativeframeworkpoliticalIslamism.Moreover,antiWesternism
wasasinequanonforthemovement.
TheRP,therefore,hadapoliticalIslamistandantiWesternagenda.ItopposedTurkey'smembershipinthe
EU.TheRPwasplanningtofoundanIslamicUnionandtocreateanIslamiccurrency.Inlate1996and
early1997,ErbakanvisitedseveralMuslimcountriesastheprimeminister,andtriedtoorganizeanIslamic
Union.HesucceededincreatinganinternationalcooperationorganizationamongeightMuslimcountries,
referredtoastheD8(DevelopingEight).ThisbecameatopicofdebatebetweentheGulenandtheMilli
Gorusmovements.GulendefinedD8asavainprojectanda"verycheapmessage"toErbakan's
constituency.Becauseofthesetypesofdisagreements,theGulenmovementdidnotsupporttheRP.It
continuedtopursuetheprincipleofpoliticalneutralityandtoestablishgoodrelationswithallpolitical
parties,includingtheleftistones.
TheFebruary28"soft"coupin1997endedtheRPDYPcoalitionandsubstantiallyimpactedtheMilli
Gorusmovement.ErbakanwasforcedtoresigninJune,1997.TheRPwasdissolved,andErbakanwas
bannedfrompoliticsin1998bytheTurkishSupremeCourt.Shortlyafterthat,theRP'smayorofIstanbul,
TayyipErdogan,wasimprisonedforrecitingapoem,andconsequentlybanishedfrompoliticallife.
FollowingtheFebruary28coup,theMilliGorusgraduallydividedintotwogroupstheelders,ledby
Erbakan,andtheyoungergeneration,ledbyErdogan.Becauseofstaterepression,bothofthesegroups
tendedtoseeinternationalinstitutionsandnormsasopportunitiesforprotectionoftheirrights.Erbakan,for
example,appealedtotheEuropeanCourtofHumanRightstooverturnthedissolutionoftheRPandhisban
frompoliticsbytheTurkishConstitutionalCourt."
TheFunctionof"NationalViewMovement"...
Asisknown,today'smanyoftheIslamicleaderscomefromthismovement.So,itsfunctionisvery
importantforMuslimsinTurkey.Althoughmanyofitsmembers,today,leftMilliGorusMovement,they
didnotleaveitsmainprinciples.
Forexample,in196070stherewasaMTTB(NationalTurkStudentsAssociation)andtoday'sMuslim
leaderswereveryactiveinthisassociation.MTTBwaslikeyoungorganizationofNationalVision
Movement.
After1965s,politicalpictureforyoungMuslimsinTurkeyhasbeguntochange.'Turkism'thoughtshas
begantoreplacewith'Ummah(TheWorldwideMuslimCommunity)'thought.Well,whatwerereasonsfor
thischanging?Whenweobservethisprocess,weseenewbookswhichweretranslatedfrommainlyArabic.
Asweknow,Arabpeninsulahasexperienced"Arabnationalism"intensively.Aftertheyhavebegunto
questionthisnationalismintermsofIslam,theyhavenoticedthewrongfulnessofthisthought.Andthen,
newrevivalistshaveemergedinArabpeninsula.'Nationalism'hasbeencriticized.So,manyscholarshave
beguntotake'Islam'ratherthannationalvalues,asapointofreference.Theytriedtounderstandallthe
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eventsinthelightofQur'an.Theyhavefocusedonallproblemsofummahratherthanjustnation'sproblem.
Actually,theyhadbeguntoquestion'nationstate'conceptintermsof'Islamicthought'.
WhenIslamicyouthinTurkeyhasstartedtoreadbooksinwhichtheseissueshavebeendescribed,
"nationalistconservativeMuslim"perspectivehasbeguntochange.Forthefirsttime,"Muslimyouth"
conceptwasusedinsteadof"NationalistTurkMuslims".Forthefirsttime,protestshavebeenorganizedfor
theMuslimswhohaveexposedoppressionindifferentplacesofworld."Ummah"concepthasacquired
moreimportance.TheemblemofMTTBwas'greywolf',butafter'Islamization'process,theyhavechanged
thisemblemasaQur'an.Actually,thischangingwasveryinteresting.Firstly,membersofMTTBwere
Ataturkistsandtheyweresupporterofregimesotheyhavedefinedthemselvesfromregime'snational
conservativevalues.Andthen,theyhavebeguntouseIslamicsymbolstodefinethemselvesbutthisalso
havehadproblemsbecausethisprocesshasderivedfrom'importedbooks'.Ifwewanttounderstandthis
processandthischanging,weshouldlistencarefullypeoplewhowereactiveinthisprocess.
ThereisaninterviewwithKenanYabaniglwhowaschairmanofexecutivecouncilofMTTB,inHaksz
Magazine.Inthisinterviewhesays:
"Inmyopinion,MTTBandsimilarcircleshavebeguntoheadforIslaminearlyof1970s.Thisorientation
hasshapedstructureofyoungpeoplewhohavemovedawayfromTurkIslamsynthesisanddesiredtolearn
andliveIslamfromitsownroots.Thefactorswhicheffecttobecome'Islamicidentityproblem'acurrent
issuewerenotcausingwhichhaveonlyreason.
Intheseperiods,newtranslationworkingshavebeguntopublish.ThesebookswhichhaveintroducedIslam
asawholehaveorientedyoungMuslimstoreadthem.Inthesetimes,informationprovidedbythesebooks
havebeendebatedbetweenMTTB'smembersandthesethoughtshaveledtoveryinterestingchangingin
Islamicyouth".
CommentsonNationalViewMovement"...
AccordingtoAliBulac,fromToday'sZaman,wecansummarizetheidealsofthismovementso:
"Thefirstistoensurethatthepeoplewhotaketheirreligionseriouslybecomevisibleinthepolitical,social
andpublicspheresandthattheyarenotforcedtoconcealorsuppressordenytheirreligion,principaland
existentialreferencesastheyengagelegitimatelyinpoliticsandthepoliticalcompetitionforpower,andthat
theycanresistthosewhotrytoforcethemtodoso.
....
Thesecondistodefendthe"socialcenter"withallitsheterogeneityandpluralismagainstasmalland
privilegedminoritythatunfairlycontrolsthesocial,cultural,commercial,economic,politicaland
bureaucraticcenteraswellasthebureaucracyandthepublicbudget.InTurkey,itisMilliGrandits
partiesthatdefendAnatolia,broadmassesofpoorpeopleandstanbulandThracewiththeirmiddleclasses
againstAnkara'sbureaucraticcenterandthetraditionalhardcoreofthesystem.
ThethirdistoensurearegionalintegrationviaTurkey'sactiveroleandinitiative.InErbakan'sjargon,thisis
calledtheIslamicUnionandthemajorsteptowarditistoestablishtheD8."
Ontheotherhand,accordingtoLeventBasturk,themostimportantaccomplishmentofthemovementwas
itsabilitytobecomeamechanismthatcarrieddemandsofreligioussegmentsintothepublicrealmina
countrywherereligionandreligioussegmentsweresuppressedsincethe1920s.
"AccordingtotheNationalView,theMuslimWorldhasexperiencedamoralandmaterialdeclinefor
severalcenturiesalthoughitusedtobemoreadvancedthantheWestinadministrative,military,scientific,
andtechnicalfields.Thebasicsourceofthisgreatnesswasthemoralandspiritualstrengthderivedfromthe
nation'sfaith(iman).ThepresentbackwardnessofTurkeyineveryrealmwascausedbytheblindimitation
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ofWesternvaluesandinappropriateWesterntechnologybytheWesternorientedelitewhomadethecountry
asatellitetotheWest."hesays."Inordertocreateagloriousfutureagain,Turkeymustrealizetherightand
consistentblendingandsynthesisofmoralspiritualandmaterialdevelopment.Inordertorealizethat,the
Turksmustembracemoralandspiritual(Islamic)consciousnesswithadistinguishedhistoricalmissionin
ordertobeagreatpoweragainlikewhattheOttomanEmpireusedtobe.Inotherwords,theNationalView,
whichrepresentstruth(haqq),providedanoutlineinordertoreturntooriginsofthenationandtobuilda
newcivilizationasanalternativetomaterialisticWesternworldviews,whichhavealwaysrepresentedfalse
(batil)."
ThenhearrangestheprinciplesofNationalVisionMovementinorder:
brotherhoodofallcitizensofthecountry
thefusionofthenationandthestate
thefreedomofthoughtandbelieftoprovidesupremacyofthemoralityandspirituality
plannedprocessofmoralandmaterialprogress
theestablishmentoftheJustOrder(AdilDuzen)asaneconomicandpoliticalmodel
fastandsteadynationaldevelopment
prosperityforeveryoneandtheabolitionofinterest
realizationofheavyindustrialization
developmentwithinternalsourcesratherthanwithforeignborrowing
NationalDefenseIndustryandforeignpolicywithhonorcooperationamongMuslimnations
NotasatelliteTurkey,butamorallyandmateriallydevelopedgreaterTurkeyagain.
"RelationshipwithMuslimnationsoccupiesanimportantpartoftheNationalView.Erbakanemphasizedon
fivegreatstepstowardrealizingcooperationbetweenMuslimcountries:
establishmentoftheOrganizationofMuslimUnitedNationstoendtheZionistconspiracyagainstthe
Muslims
establishmentoftheMuslimDefenseOrganization
FormationofaMuslimCommonMarket
commoncurrencyamongMuslimnations
EstablishmentofMuslimcountries'OrganizationofCulturalCooperation."
DivisionsinErbakan'sMovement
AsSeyfeddinKarasays,RecepTayyipErdoganandAbdullahGulweretwoprominentdisciplesofErbakan
buttheydepartedfromErbakan'spartyin1998.Thereasonfortheriftwasdifferenceofopinionbetweenthe
"progressives"representedbyErdoganandGulandthe"conservatives"representedbyErbakanandhis
closefollowers.
Ithink,here,itcanbeanimportantsteptogiveaneartoOzanrmeciinordertounderstandthemain
causesofseparationbetweenErbakan'sgroupandErdogan'sgroup:
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"WhilecomparingthetwoimportantIslamicparties,itisworthtotakeintoaccountsomeconceptsdefined
byDanielBrumberg.HemainlydistinguishesthetypesofIslamismintothreecategoriesnamely'radicalor
militantfundamentalism,reformistfundamentalismandstrategicmodernismorIslamicLiberalism'.
Accordingly,partieswhopursueradicalfundamentalismaimedatchangingthesystemofthecountry
throughforceandattheendformaregimebasedonIslamiclaws.Inreformistfundamentalism,theparties
havethesameaimwiththeradicalfundamentalistthatisestablishingastatebasedonIslamiclawsbutthose
partiespursuemoderatepoliciesandcontinuouslyrejectviolence.Inotherwords,throughestablishingmass
electoralsupporttheytrytowintheelectionsandconstructahiddenagenda.Thisisalsocalled
dissimulation(takiyye).Ontheotherhand,'IslamicLiberals,whicharequiterareintheMiddleEast,seekto
extendreligiousfreedomsinabroadlydemocraticenvironment.'Unliketheradicalandreformist
fundamentals,IslamicLiberalsdonotaimatforminganIslamicstate.Insteadofdoingthistheytrytoco
existwiththesecularestablishmentofthestate.Inthissense,wecancallWPareformistfundamentalist
partyhavingsomeelementsofmilitantfundamentalismandJDPanIslamicLiberalpartycarryingsome
aspectsofreformistfundamentalistpartybylookingatanalyzingtheirpoliciesandthedeedsoftheir
leaders."
Whenwelookatdifferencesbetweenthepreferencesoftwoparties,wecannotonlysaythatthisisasimple
separation.Ithink,weshouldreadthisprocessinthelightofchangingglobalsystemprojects.InTurkey,
wheneverpoliticalIslamhasgainedapower,someliberalreligiouspartieshaveemerged.Iamevaluating
DemocraticParty,MotherlandPartyandlastlyAKPinasamepicture.Inlastperiod,AKPhasliberalized
many'radical'groupssuccessfully.So,whenwedescribeitsposition,weshouldmorefocusonitsdynamics.
Inadditiontothis,thereisanewdivisioninthismovementinthelastperiod:NumanKurtulmus'sVoiceof
PublicParty."LikeErdogan,KurtulmustooemergedfromtheMilliGorusMovement.Hehadledthe
FelicityParty(SP)untilOctober2010andhadbeenregardedasErbakan'ssuccessor."saysSeyfeddinKara.
"However,fatetookadifferentturnandKurtulmusandErbakanhavebeenatoddssincetheparty'sgeneral
congressinJuly2010,whenKurtulmuswasreelectedaschairmanandexcludedNecmettinErbakan'sson
andsoninlawfromthepartyadministration.ErbakanwastheSP'shonoraryleaderatthetime.Facing
strongreactionfromErbakanandhissupporters,Kurtulmusresignedandafewmonthslaterestablishedhis
ownparty."
Asaconclusion,withitsrightsandmistakes,Erbakanwasoneofthemostimportantfiguresin20thcentury
forTurkey'sIslamists.Weshouldreadhisexperiencesmorecarefully.InTurkey,whenonepersondies,he
becomesapopular.WesawthispictureafterErbakan'sdeath.Althoughmostofthemediaweremakingan
attacktohiminFebruary28process,today,theyarepraisinghimasthoughpeoplewhowereattackingto
himarenotthemselves.Weshouldtakecareofthesepeople/attempts.And,weshouldgiveonErbakan'sdue
fairly.
Again,MayAllahrestHocainpeace...

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