Why Muslims Support Erdogan – Sh Haitham al-Haddad

Dear Dr Shaykh Haithan al-Haddad

Assalaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullah

May this naseehah reach you in good health. Please forgive me if I come across a little strong for I do not mean to be disrespectful. I’ve sent this openly so others can read and at least understand that there are others who respectfully disagree with you.

We did not support Erdogon because he is the “legitimate shar’i ruler?!” Simply because he is not a legitimate shar’i ruler since ruling by Islam is a condition (shart) in the contract of bai’yah (allegiance) and he rules by clear-cut kufr (ie secularism)! The offer (ijaab) in the bai’yah contract is to implement Islam over the people and not for the sake of him being a ruler.

It is not befitting for an aalim like yourself to cloud the thinking of the Muslims regarding Democracy. As stated by usuliyyoon, like Ibn Qayyum al-Jawziyyah (rh), that we take terms from those who establish it and advocate it. This term ‘Democracy’ emanated from the Greeks and they established its meaning to ‘sovereignty belonging to the People’, which directly conflicts with Islam where sovereignty is for Allah alone. This is from core meaning and their differences today on its definition does not negate this core meaning.

We did not support Erdogan because he is a “Mujaddid?!” Because a Mujaddid is the one or those who bring tajdid to the deen (revives major parts of the deen of Islam). Erdogan used capitalists free market economy with mixture of fiscal and monetary policies to boost the economy not Islamic economics. A bust is expected in the Boom-Bust business cycle of the capitalist and for Turkey this may result due to the high personal debt of the people.

Erdogan did not revive the Muslims sentiments for Islam these where there before him (in fact he came to power using Islamic sentiments as did politicians before him) and he used secular laws, not Islamic law, to remove the ban on hijab, build more masajid and institutions – all of these favour secularisation of Islam! Secularism recognises religion and confines it to individual and personal space. He is in fact far for being a Mujajdid let alone an Islamic ruler! He must be judge on the Islamic standard as a ruler.

Erdogan has not implemented one single rule of Islam! A rule to be Islamic it must be based on Islam. Otherwise Britain under multiculturalism policy would be Islamic with their building of masajids across UK, planing permissions for Islamic institutions, not preventing wearing of hijab or beards in civil institutions, Shari’ah compliant borrowing, religious rights under Race Relations Act etc Erdogan’s tears for Syria, leading prayer or reciting Qur’an are good individual qualities and when comparing some of his good leadership quality (eg helping refugees in spending from Turkeys economy) with his betrayal and negligence (eg preventing those capable ie army to help Syria, economic dealings with Israel, reconciliation with Bashar regime, giving Turkish base to bomb Syria?!) – his betrayal and negligence are far greater and more devastating to the deen and the global Ummah.

We supported Erdogan against the coup because the militant-kamalists and the western agents hate Islam and wish to reform it – they wish to use him to redefine Islam. We ask Erdogan to reject all western influence, send the army to liberate Syria and not to hinder the dawah carriers of Khilafah. If he is not able to do these then we ask him to replace himself with a man who understand that Islam came to be implemented to solve problems on the political level and not put aside for man-made laws, a man he would fear Allah alone and not America or the militant-Kamalists, a man who is politically astute and will play the Americans and the British against each other, a man who will accept the shar’i bai’yah and would ready his army, unite the scattered mujahidin to liberate Syria and Palestine and annexe Iraq and Jordan. He would make use of the blessed resources of the Ummah, remove all foreign influences and embassies and seek to carry the dawah of Islam.

This is not difficult for an Ummah who have a vision and a promise from their Rabb (Subhana wa ta’ala)

Jazakh Allah khairan for reading. If you wish to respond in private please email me: [email protected]

From your brother in deen

Abu Yusuf al-Hanbali