Report of Israeli Think-Tank on the Global Muslim Brotherhood

NETWORK BACKGROUND (1998-2005)
This report relies entirely upon public information sources that by their nature grow
sparser as they recede in time. Moreover, the history <strong>of</strong> the Turkish/MB network does
not begin in earnest until 2006, when Hamas emerged victorious from the Palestinian
general elections. Still, the available early history <strong>of</strong> the Turkish/MB network contains
several important events setting the stage for what was to come. Gazi Misirli and
Jamal Kerim, two Turks <strong>of</strong> Arabic origin, can be identified during this time period as
emerging leaders <strong>of</strong> the Turkish/MB network. In addition, two important organizations
that are part <strong>of</strong> the network can be seen to be showing the initial signs <strong>of</strong> politicization
that would later characterize the bulk <strong>of</strong> their activities. It should also be noted that
this time period saw the August 2001 founding <strong>of</strong> the Islamist Turkish Justice and
Development Party (AKP), currently the ruling party <strong>of</strong> Turkey. The AKP came to
power in the November 2002 Turkish elections.
Gazi Misirli - The Origins <strong>of</strong> a Turkish MB Leader
The history <strong>of</strong> the Turkish/MB network begins with Gazwan Masri, later to become its
most important leader. Mr. Masri told a Saudi newspaper interviewer that in 1998 he
had joined MÜSIȦD, the Turkish Islamist businessman’s association. 121 MÜSIȦD had
been founded in 1990 by religiously-devout entrepreneurs, generally from the Anatolian
heartland, with connections to either the party <strong>of</strong> Prime Minister Turgut Ozal or to
Erbakan’s Refah Party. MÜSIȦD was created as both a small business organization and
as a lobbying group whose members sought mutual assistance to defend their interests
against the secular middle-class, represented in business by the Turkish Employers’
Federation (TUSIAD), headquartered in Istanbul. 122 After an early beginning <strong>of</strong> trying
to spread Islam through student-oriented activities and following its success in export
businesses, MÜSIȦD developed a pro-business philosophy that was based on an Islamic
critique <strong>of</strong> capitalism. 123 This critique employed themes common to the global Muslim
Brotherhood- that as Muslims moved away from the Quran, degeneration <strong>of</strong> political,
economic, and social life followed. MÜSIȦD proposed replacing the “neo-liberal”
capitalist system with a financial order based on Islam. 124 The group’s membership had
reached 3000 in 1998 from 400 in 1991, and its members’ companies’ annual revenue
was US $ 2.79 billion. 125 The US State Department reported that MUSIAD gave Prime
Minister Erdogan key financial support as the AKP campaigned prior to the 2002
elections, and in 2006 a Turkish/Islamic business portal reported that MÜSIȦD was
supported by Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, as evidenced by his recent appearance
as a guest <strong>of</strong> honor at a MÜSIȦD conference. 126127 In October 2009, Mr. Masri described
MÜSIȦD in an interview as an “economic lobby” comprised <strong>of</strong> religious businessmen
whose constituent businesses represent 15% <strong>of</strong> the Turkish national income. 128 Mr. Masri
went on to say that all MÜSIȦD members believe they are not there for the money only,
and that MÜSIȦD stands firmly with the Palestinians. Since MÜSIȦD works mainly to
strengthen trade between the Islamic states, he said he didn’t think that members work
with Israel, which is not only oppressive, but “kills innocent women and children.”
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