بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
17 years being in power was not victory of Islam for us to say today that Islam was defeated
News:
Tens of thousands supporters of Ekrem Imamoglu gathered at Thursday (June 30) near Istanbul town hall to celebrate Imamoglu’s taking mayor office. It is the second time in last 3 months when Central Election Committee issues oppositional candidate with Major certificate. (Source: https://ru.euronews.com/2019/06/27/new-istambul-mayor-takes-office)
Comment:
With his victory in the Istanbul mayor elections E. Imamoglu, from Republican People's Party that was founded by Ataturk struck a blow to President R.T. Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party whose positions seemed unshakeable.
It is first time since the past 17 years being in power when Erdogan’s party was defeated in Istanbul’s major elections.
Furthermore, during local elections that were held on April 31 2019, Erdogan’s party lost major seats in two other biggest cities – Ankara and Izmir.
It is worse to mention the following words of Erdogan that he said being Istanbul’s mayor: “The one who possesses Istanbul, possesses the whole of Turkey”.
Defeat in Istanbul’s major elections was just another manifestation of weakening of Erdogan’s popularity. For a long time his party has not been able to solely form the Turkish government and was forced to go into a coalition with other political parties.
Erdogan’s popularity loss is a natural consequence of his policy, which is adopted by his party during all his years in power. While exploiting Islamic sentiments, his party has been implementing the secular system that was built by Ataturk. Quite often, Justice and Development Party is mentioned as a good example of moderate Islam that is in power for such a long time. Though Erdogan’s success of being in power for such a long time is not based on rightness of his party's course but a result of American support. America uses his party to weaken English influence in Turkey which was enforced by Ataturk’s Republican People's Party for decades. Muslims in Turkey more and more become disappointed in Erdogan due to his empty promises and exploitation of Islamic sentiments.
Some experts say that results of Istanbul’s major elections indicate defeat of Islam. Despite the fact that some Erdogan’s supporters argued that elections on July 23 force them to choose one side between Muhammad (saw) and Abu Jahl, we should state that 17 years of Erdogan’s being in power was not victory of Islam. After every Erdogan's victory in elections, the so called Islamists came to power, but Islam never came to power.
When the new elected mayor of Istanbul E. Imamoglu spoke to his supporters on June 30th he said: “Istanbul people lectured those, who wanted to violate democracy. And today at last we can say “Long Live Republic! Long Live democracy!”.
Notable is the fact that after every election victory Erdogan’s party declared about “Victory of Democracy”. In fact both opposing parties defended the values that are alien to Muslims, and to the Turkish people, the values of democracy, secularism and capitalism.
Exactly therefore on every anniversary of Ataturk’s death, Erdogan, while standing near his grave, declares encomium towards Ataturk and assures everyone of his adherence to secular nature of Turkey.
Thereby the past 17 years were not victory of Islam; for us we don't say after Istanbul mayor elections that Islam was defeated in Turkey.
In conclusion, it should be said that year after year Muslims in Turkey clear their minds from fallacious values of capitalism and secularism, and their minds are occupied by Islamic values which will sooner or later lead the true Islamists come to power in Turkey besides Islam that will also come to power. And this day is not far.
Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Fazil Amzaev
Head of the Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Ukraine