Erdogan Is Right on Egypt
It was a coup and a setback for democracy, not a revolution.
The military coup in Egypt is a hot issue in Turkey these days. (Yes, it is a coup, not a "revolution." The latter happens when masses topple regimes, but when generals depose and detain an elected president, while arresting, torturing and killing his supporters, that is called a coup.) News and commentary about what is happening in Cairo currently dominates Istanbul’s media, Ankara's political rhetoric and tweeting all across Turkey.
The reason for such passionate focus on Egypt is not a deep knowledge about this large Arab country. In fact, only a handful of Turks can speak Arabic well, something actively discouraged by Ataturk's education system, and most of those who comment on Egypt wouldn't even be able to name the main political actors. Rather, Turks are interested in Egypt because when they look at what's happening there, they see themselves.
One thing is quite clear: The incumbent Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its supporters strongly identify with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and Mohammed Morsi, the deposed president. In the past few weeks, some AKP members have even begun to use photos of Morsi on their Twitter profile.
This is interesting, because if there is any Turkish political line to which the Muslim Brotherhood corresponds, it is that of the late Necmeddin Erbakan, the old Islamist school that AKP founders abandoned for a more liberal, reformist and Western-friendly approach. (The old school is now represented by the marginal Felicity Party, led by Erbakan's young and inexperienced son, Fatih Erbakan.) Regardless, the political and religious sentiments of the AKP resonate with their less reformed brethren in Egypt.
