Report of Israeli Think-Tank on the Global Muslim Brotherhood

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CONCLUSIONS 1. The Gaza Flotilla Was Supported by the Turkish Government There is strong evidence for Turkish governmental involvement in the Gaza flotilla incident, including the <strong>of</strong>fice <strong>of</strong> Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. As this report demonstrates, Turkish government support for the flotilla was channeled through the Turkish Muslim Brotherhood network. It included the attendance <strong>of</strong> <strong>of</strong>ficials from Turkey’s ruling AKP party at many important Turkish/MB network events in support <strong>of</strong> the flotilla, a meeting by Erdogan himself with a delegation <strong>of</strong> Global Muslim Brotherhood and flotilla movement leaders from Britain and France shortly before the flotilla, and a message <strong>of</strong> support from Erdogan to an IUMS meeting held shortly after the flotilla incident. In addition, in a March 2010 speech, IHH leader Bulent Yildirim implied that the flotilla had <strong>of</strong>ficial Turkish backing by incorrectly asserting that the flotilla as a whole was “sailing under the Turkish flag” and that Israel would never attack it since that would be ”the same as attacking a Turkish consulate.” Turkish government administrators facilitated the purchase <strong>of</strong> the lead ship, the Mavi Marmara, from the Istanbul municipality, which was controlled by the AKP, as well as its departure from Turkish ports. 1 The <strong>Israeli</strong> Intelligence and Information Center has also reported the finding <strong>of</strong> a laptop computer aboard the Marmara containing the minutes <strong>of</strong> a meeting held by the flotilla organizers on May 16, 2010. The laptop document reportedly revealed claims by the IHH Vice-President, who chaired the meeting, that over the last few days the flotilla had received support from Erdogan and other ministers and that if the flotilla should run into difficulties, “gov[ernment] will extend what support they can.” The support given by the Turkish government to the Gaza flotilla is not surprising, given the increasingly Islamist nature <strong>of</strong> AKP foreign and domestic policy in recent years. Recently disclosed U.S. State Department cables reveal concern over Turkey’s “new, highly activist foreign policy” ascribed in part to the influence <strong>of</strong> Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, said to be laboring under “neo-Ottoman fantasies” <strong>of</strong> regaining lost Muslim lands and avenging Muslim defeats. Like the Muslim Brotherhood, which envisions a restoration <strong>of</strong> Islamic rule, at an initial stage, in parts <strong>of</strong> Europe that were once under the banner <strong>of</strong> Islam, a participant at an AKP think tank meeting expressed the reportedly widespread belief that a neo-Ottoman Turkey would want to “take back Andalusia and avenge the defeat at the siege <strong>of</strong> Vienna in 1683.” The same cable also asserts that many in the AKP believe that it is Turkey’s role to spread Islam in Europe. The recently disclosed U.S. diplomatic material provides a context for understanding Erdogan’s ideological ties to the Global Muslim Brotherhood network, ties which this 7
eport has documented date back to Erdogan’s affiliation in the 1970s with the World Assembly <strong>of</strong> Muslim Youth (WAMY), a Saudi Wahhabi charity with known connections to extremist and terrorist groups. It should further be noted that the Gaza flotilla was also supported by leaders <strong>of</strong> the Grand Union and Saadet parties who participated in Turkish/MB network events. State Department cables expressed the view that Erdogan was trying to avoid being “outflanked” on Israel by politicians from these other Islamist parties, providing additional insight into his support <strong>of</strong> the flotilla. It should also be noted that a personal representative <strong>of</strong> Erdogan was reported to have intervened with Egyptian authorities during the December 2009 Viva Palestina land convoy, which also included five AKP deputies and 200 Turkish citizens. In another speech during a convoy welcoming ceremony in the Syrian port city <strong>of</strong> Latakiyah, IHH leader Bulent Yildirim thanked both Bashar Assad and Erdogan for “their stances, the ongoing support to the Palestinian people and their efforts to end the siege on Gaza.” 2. IHH Was Not Acting Alone – The Role <strong>of</strong> the Global Muslim Brotherhood Network The Gaza flotilla incident brought into sharp focus an even more significant longterm development: the growing relationship between the Erdogan government and the Global Muslim Brotherhood, which has given rise to some <strong>of</strong> the most notorious Islamist terrorist groups – from al-Qaeda to Hamas. Since 2006, Turkey has become a new center for the Global Muslim Brotherhood, while the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip acted as the main axis for this activity. The AKP allowed key elements <strong>of</strong> the Global Muslim Brotherhood, and above all the International Union <strong>of</strong> Muslim Scholars, led by Sheikh Youssef Qaradawi, to operate freely on Turkish territory, with its active support, as witnessed by the large number <strong>of</strong> conferences held recently in Istanbul and sponsored and/or attended by Global Muslim Brotherhood leaders. The cooperation between the Global Muslim Brotherhood and the Erdogan government appears to have been based on mutual interests. Erdogan and the AKP were able to indulge the “neo-Ottoman” goals <strong>of</strong> reasserting a sphere <strong>of</strong> influence in former Islamic areas, while at the same time outmaneuvering the other Islamist parties and, as a bonus, satisfying Erdogan’s reported hatred <strong>of</strong> Israel. For their part, the Global Muslim Brotherhood was able to begin operating out <strong>of</strong> a major state without any <strong>of</strong> the interference that it normally encountered elsewhere in the Arab world. Erdogan chose not to rely on the <strong>of</strong>ficial organs <strong>of</strong> the Turkish state alone, but rather on non-governmental organizations with which he and the AKP had close ties. Prominent among those Turkish NGOs was IHH which subsequently became the focus <strong>of</strong> attention in the aftermath <strong>of</strong> the flotilla. However, as this report demonstrates, the IHH was not acting alone but rather was an integral part <strong>of</strong> a Turkish Muslim Brotherhood network comprised <strong>of</strong> seven NGOs with strong links to each other, to the Global Muslim Brotherhood, and to the Turkish political establishment. Taken together, the network possesses a business, a charity, and legal, organizational, and Palestinian advocacy capacity; two <strong>of</strong> its most important leaders are Turks <strong>of</strong> Arab ethnic origin who are associated with European Muslim Brotherhood organizations. The Turkish/MB network has been supported by nearly the whole <strong>of</strong> the Global Muslim Brotherhood, whose affiliates, from a number <strong>of</strong> Middle Eastern countries, provided passengers for the Mavi Marmara. In addition, the Global Muslim Brotherhood frequently held press conferences and demonstrations to demonize Israel, initiated 8
Page 1 and 2: Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
Page 3 and 4: © 2011 Jerusalem Center for Public
Page 5 and 6: REPORT 25 Introduction 25 The Floti
Page 7: Free Gaza Movement (FGM) - Western
Page 11 and 12: also showed early signs of<
Page 14 and 15: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BACKGROUND On May
Page 16 and 17: TURKISH/MB NETWORK 1. MÜSIȦD (Bus
Page 18 and 19: the dispatch of th
Page 20 and 21: SUPPORT OF TURKISH GOVERNMENT Given
Page 22 and 23: POST-FLOTILLA SUPPORT The Turkish/M
Page 24 and 25: IUMS Meeting The importance <strong
Page 26 and 27: REPORT INTRODUCTION The Flotilla On
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Page 30 and 31: While much remains to be learned ab
Page 32 and 33: The Global Muslim Brotherhood and t
Page 34 and 35: of Necmettin Erbak
Page 36 and 37: MFA, and the military and National
Page 38 and 39: 1. The European Campaign to End the
Page 40 and 41: Gazwan Masri, also known by his Tur
Page 42 and 43: »» IHH’s phone records in Istan
Page 44 and 45: HIKMET is headed by Jamal Kerim, al
Page 46 and 47: conferences, participating in demon
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properly. The Master gave some deta
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Finally, referring to the “rape <
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PLANNING AND CONFERENCES (2009) In
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Meanwhile, IHH continued to send ai
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February- The “Jihad” Conferenc
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World Popular Conference for the Su
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We must create an international sup
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The final statement of</str
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October-December- IHH in the Spotli
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he also thanked President Abdullah
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April - The Formal Announcement On
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Palestinian media reported that on
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and supporting this movement is the
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assault,” the MÜSIAD statement r
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Israel deprives people of</
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“They killed a number of<
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financially but the country benefit
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should feel ashamed. “We have to
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4) The Islamic nation has to praise
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It should be noted that Tariq Suwai
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20 http://www.terrorism-info.org.il
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available, last accessed 4/27/2008)
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http://www.keyifhaber.com/haber-532
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373 Eg˘itim için geldikleri Türk
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416 Below you can find the press re
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459 IMRA - Monday, June 7, 2010 MEM
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Jerusalem Center Programs Iran and
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