Erdogan goes on offense against European leaders in defense of lslam
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has taken up the cause of Islam in the West, further damaging Turkey's ties with Europe.
Along with other businesses, Mevlana Mosque in Berlin was searched by police on Oct. 21 during dawn prayers. The mosque — a well-known establishment in the heart of Berlin’s Kreuzberg district — belongs to the Turkish-Islamist Milli Gorus (National View) movement, which is a member of the Islamist Federation and affiliated with the AKP. The reason for the search was the allegation that the mosque and other businesses are involved in fraud, including illegally receiving 70,000 Euros (about $83,000) from the German government for COVID-19 emergency aid. This aid is reserved for businesses that have suffered financial losses due to the pandemic.
In angry outbursts, AKP officials say there was no justification for police to enter the mosque. For example, Diyanet (the Religious Affairs Directorate) condemned the search both from its official website and the director’s Twitter account. Diyanet’s director, Ali Erbas, tweeted that “this kind of discriminatory and disrespectful behavior against Muslims cannot be accepted for any reason.”
