Islam: the Good, the Bad, and the Everyday: Erdogan

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Sunday, March 25, 2018

Mideast Week in Review

by Michael Isenberg.

Syria war end game.

Israel sentences slap video teen to eight months in prison.

The war in Syria dominated the news from the Middle East this week. Government forces continued to make gains in the Eastern Ghouta region. 70% of the district, on the outskirts of Damascus, has now fallen into the hands of the Assad regime. The area had been under rebel control since 2013.

The operation by the Assad regime and its Russian ally has been brutal. The BBC reports more than 1,400 civilians have been killed. Among these, fifteen children and two women died in an underground school that was struck by Russian missiles.

With the capture of Eastern Ghouta, the Syria War is in its end game and, sadly, it's an Assad victory. Not that the other options were great. But at least the destruction will stop soon.

Separately, in the north of the country, Free Syrian Army forces, backed by Turkey, have taken control the Kurdish town of Afrin. The Turkish government claims that the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which controlled the area, is part of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK), a rebel group within Turkey which the government considers a terrorist organization. The US disputes the claim that the groups are in cahoots. Turkish president Recep Erdogan intends to create a buffer zone in northern Syria along the Turkish border. “The military operation will go on until the terror corridor through Manbij, Ain al-Arab, Tal Abyad, Ras al-Ain, Qamishli has been wiped out,” he said.

The Trump Administration has done little to protect the Kurds from Turkish aggression. Given that the Kurds allied with the United States in the battle against ISIS, and fought in the front lines, it is shameful that we are not doing more to help them. That may change, however, as American troops are stationed in some of the towns threatened by Erdogan.

There were reports of looting by the rebel forces. According to the BBC, “AFP news agency journalists in Afrin also saw rebels break into shops, restaurants, and houses, and leave with food, electronic equipment, blankets and other goods.” And we thought the Free Syrian Army were the good guys.

Also related to Syria, the Israeli government this week declassified video and other documents concerning its bombing of a suspected Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007. This is the first public admission by the Jewish state that it was behind the destruction of the facility. Pundits believe the timing of the release is intended as a warning to Iran that Israel will respond similarly to Iran's nuclear ambitions. Indeed a tweet from Prime Minister Netanyahu, that “Israel's policy was and remains consistent - to prevent our enemies from arming themselves with nuclear weapons,” seems to confirm that interpretation.

Syria war: Air strike 'kills children in Eastern Ghouta school’

Syria war: Turkish-led forces oust Kurdish fighters from heart of Afrin (BBC)

Syria war: Afrin looted by Turkish-backed rebels (BBC)

Israel admits striking suspected Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007 (BBC)

In a plea deal, an Israeli military court sentenced 17-year old Ahed Tamimi to eight months in prison. You may recall Ms. Tamimi as the Palestinian teen who was pictured in a viral video slapping an Israel soldier.

In my humble opinion, Israel made a mistake in prosecuting Tamimi. The video was a propaganda victory for the Jewish state, showing Israeli restraint in the face of Palestinian provocation. By imprisoning Tamimi, Israel is turning victory into defeat by creating a martyr for the Palestinian cause.

Michael Isenberg drinks bourbon and writes novels. His latest book, The Thread of Reason, is a murder mystery that takes place in Baghdad in the year 1092, and tells the story of the conflict between science and shari’ah in medieval Islam. Check it out on Amazon.com.

Photo credits: IHS Conflict Monitor, Twitter

Sunday, May 28, 2017

Mideast Week in Review

Trump in Saudi, Israel
Turkey State of Emergency
Iran Election Aftermath
Liberation of Mosul
Manchester Bombing

Egypt Bus Attack
by Michael Isenberg

Trump in Saudi, Israel: Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia and Israel this week, as the first two stops on his first foreign tour as President of the United States.

On Sunday, Mr. Trump addressed the Arab Islamic American Summit. Those of you who follow me on social media know that I’m not a fan of the president, but I’m willing to give credit where credit is due. His Riyadh speech hit the bullseye. He called out terrorists for what they are, “barbaric criminals who seek to obliterate human life.” What a welcome change from the cringing, apologetic tone of Mr. Obama! I found it significant that he mentioned ideology six times. IMHO, he showed real insight into the War on Terror: it's a War of Ideas. Terrorists become terrorists because they accept an ideology that tells them to become terrorists.

Following his speech, he joined King Salman of Saudi Arabia and President as-Sisi of Egypt at the opening of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology. As far as I can tell, the Center, which is located in Riyadh, is a boiler room for countering jihadism on social media. While combating extremist ideology is pretty much my raison d'etre these days, there’s something creepily Orwellian about governments, some of which are already highly repressive, countering any form of speech. In any case, the three heads of state let themselves be photographed holding on to a glowing orb. The unfortunate visual, combined with the Center's sinister mission, put many in mind of a certain organization of supervillains, and #HailHydra trended for a day. But by Monday Mr. Trump was in Israel and the Interwebs had a new thing to speculate about: what did he write in the note that he left at the Western Wall?

Read more—

Trump Gets One Right

Make Hydra Great Again

So, just what did Trump's note in the Western Wall say? (BBC)

Turkey State of Emergency: The New York Times reported that in Turkey on Sunday, President Recep Erdogan stated that the state of emergency put into place after last year’s coup attempt would stay in place until “welfare and peace” returned to the nation of 80 million. According to the Times report, under the emergency measures, thousands have been jailed, and websites blocked, with no parliamentary oversight.

The Real Problem with Erdogan

Iran Election Aftermath:Iran President Hasan Rouhani is getting back to work following his overwhelming victory in the May 19 election. The BBC reports that he faces three major challenges: 1) unemployment, 2) opposition to reform from Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei, and 3) relations with the United States.

The third challenge was underscored by Mr. Trump during the course of his travels. In his Riyadh speech he said, “Until the Iranian regime is willing to be a partner for peace, all nations of conscience must work together to isolate Iran, deny it funding for terrorism, and pray for the day when the Iranian people have the just and righteous government they deserve.” In Israel, he vowed, “Iran will never have nuclear weapons, that I can tell you.” But Mr. Rouhani scoffed at the words of his American counterpart, which he called, “Just a show.”

Trump tells Israel Iran will never have nuclear weapons (BBC)

Rouhani dismisses Trump warning over Iran 'threat' (BBC)

Liberation of Mosul: The slow but steady advance of the Iraqi army and its allies into the city of Mosul continues. While east Mosul is now under government control, ISIS remains entrenched in the western sector of the city.

Liberation has not been without its cost in human life. The United States confirmed on Friday that 105 civilians died in a US air strike in March. The US had targeted two ISIS snipers with precision-guided munitions, tragically unaware that the building was used to store explosives and was also a place of refuge for residents who had been driven from their homes.

With liberation, come the stories: the true horrors of life under ISIS. According to the BBC, these include the murder of a seven year old girl. She died screaming in front of her mother, who was also screaming, as female members of the religious police bit and pinched her to death for the crime of being alone with a male shop owner when she went to buy candy.

Lipstick and dresses return to Mosul’s streets (BBC)

Manchester Bombing:Tragedy struck Manchester, England Monday night when a suicide bomber detonated an explosion at an Ariane Grande concert. Twenty-two victims, as young as eight years old, died in the calamity, their hopes and dreams snuffed out in an instant.

As the week progressed, a portrait, albeit a fuzzy one, emerged of the monster responsible. Twenty-two-year old Salman Abedi was born in England, but his ties to the Mideast are extensive. His parents are Libyan refugees. The Telegraph reports that his father belongs to the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, "a well-known militant Islamist group in Libya, which is proscribed in Britain." The younger Abedi is thought to have traveled recently in Syria and Libya. There is some question as to when and how he became radicalized. According to some reports, he drank alcohol until as late as last year, but his travels changed him. His sister said, “I think he saw children—Muslim children—dying everywhere, and wanted revenge.” I am skeptical. IMHO, jihadism is motivated primarily by its own ideology; anything the West has done is secondary. There is some evidence this was the case with Abedi. Contradicting accounts of a recent conversion to jihadism, The Telegraph writes there were at least five reports to authorities of incidents, going back five years, of Abedi showing sympathy to terrorists. These included telling friends that "being a suicide bomber was okay," and getting banned from the local mosque after a run-in with an imam who had given a sermon condemning terrorism.

So Abedi was on the authorities' radar long before he launched his hideous attack. It occurred to me that he had that in common with Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the older of the Boston Marathon bombers, and Omar Mateen, the Pulse nightclub shooter. In all three cases, the authorities failed to prevent them from carrying out their evil intentions. There hasn’t been much discussion about why counter-terrorist agencies have been unable to do more in these cases. Possibly they are overwhelmed with such reports, and are unable to distinguish the real threats. Possibly red tape limits their ability to act. Clearly it’s something that the US and its allies need to take a closer look at.

Read more—

Remembering the Manchester Victims

Everything we know about Manchester suicide bomber Salman Abedi (Telegraph)

Security services missed five opportunities to stop the Manchester bomber (Telegraph)

Manchester attack: The Libya-jihad connection (BBC)

Egypt Bus Attack: Alas, Manchester was not the only significant terrorist attack this week. Near Cairo on Friday, armed militants stopped and boarded a bus full of Coptic Christians on their way to a monastery in the desert. The militants, who wore masks, opened fire, murdering at least 29. ISIS has claimed responsibility.

Michael Isenberg writes about the Muslim world, medieval and modern, exposing Islamists and supporting reformers. His forthcoming novel, The Thread of Reason, is a murder mystery that takes place in Baghdad in the year 1092 and depicts the battle for the Muslim soul between those who embraced science and tolerance, and those who threw in their lot with mysticism and persecution instead.

Photo credit: The Telegraph

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Mideast Week in Review

Trump/Erdogan Meeting
US Airstrikes in Syria
Iran Presidential Election
Trump Saudi Visit

Egypt/Sudan Squabble
by Michael Isenberg

Trump/Erdogan Meeting: President Trump met with Turkish President Recep Erdogan in the White House on Tuesday. Trump was criticized for the warm welcome he gave Erdogan, despite the Turkish premier’s increasingly authoritarian rule. A letter from a bipartisan group of seventeen senators, including Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ), stated “Erdogan and his allies have mounted an assault on the rule of law, particularly using sweeping state of emergency authorities to stifle fundamental rights including free speech, undermine the independence of the judiciary, and quash any opposition to their undemocratic actions.” They urged the president "to make support for Turkish democracy a priority, both in your meetings with Erdogan this week and in U.S. policy toward Turkey thereafter." But at least as far as his public remarks were concerned, Mr. Trump declined to do so. He said instead that his talks with Mr. Erdogan would focus on trade and the fight against terrorism.

The visit was marred by violence at the Turkish Embassy between anti-Erdogan protesters and Mr. Erdogan’s security detail. At least one protester was “seriously injured,” prompting Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) to tell MSNBC’s Morning Joe, “We should throw their ambassador the hell out of the United States of America.”

Lawmakers demand swift action for Turkish Embassy violence (Washington Post)

Syria: US air forces attacked Syrian government troops on Thursday to prevent them from moving toward rebels allied with the US, along with some US advisers, near the Jordanian border. Although the strike is “believed to be the first targeting Syrian personnel,” a Pentagon official assured the Associated Press, “There is no change in policy.”

Separately, in Geneva, peace talks resumed. President Assad, who continued to advance militarily with the evacuation of rebel forces from the Qaboun district of Damascus, called the talks “irrelevant.”

Syria war: Peace talks restart in Geneva (BBC)

Syria war: Rebels evacuated from Damascus stronghold (BBC)

Iran Elections: About 70% of voters turned out to cast their ballots for president on Friday. In what he called a rejection of “extremism and violence,” incumbent Hasan Rouhani easily beat hardliner Ibrahim Raisi, 57% to 39%, with other candidates splitting the remainder. Rouhani’s campaign was marked by extensive use of social media, including an Instagram photo of the candidate with rather unislamically dressed women that appealed to the young and the hip, and trolling of Raisi by Rouhani supporters. Rouhani was considered the moderate in the race. Granted, "moderate" is a relative term. The election was a referendum on his efforts to expand diplomatic and economic ties with the West, which Raisi opposed.

Iran's Instagram election sees rivals battle on social media (BBC)

After the presidential elections, will Iran still welcome trade with the West? (BBC)

Trump visit to Saudi Arabia: Mr. Trump arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, the first stop on his first foreign tour as president. Trump has already signed $350B worth of deals with Saudi Arabia, including a $110B arms deal, and is expected to deliver a speech on “hopes for a peaceful vision of Islam.” It remains to be seen how that will be received by the Saudi people, but there’s no doubt Ivanka is a hit. #Bint_Trump (Trump's daughter) is trending big as legions of Saudi men fall in love with the First Daughter.

The Muslim Tweet: Daughter of Trump (Mike Isenberg)

Egypt/Sudan Tiff: In a March visit to Sudan, Sheikha Moza of Qatar referred to the country as “the mother of the world.” This led to a squabble between Sudan and Egypt, which claims that title for itself. Soon Angelina Jolie and the British ambassador became involved. An Egyptian talk show host ridiculed Sudan’s pyramids, claiming they look like cheese triangles.

Photo credits: CNN, Instagram

Saturday, July 16, 2016

The Real Problem with Erdogan

Last night saw a coup attempt in Turkey. Seeking to overthrow the government of President Recip Erdogan, a military faction positioned tanks around the Istanbul airport, closed bridges, buzzed Ankara in airplanes, and attempted to take over TV stations. It was quickly quashed. As of now, nearly 3,000 soldiers are under arrest following fighting that killed some 200 people. Prime Minister Yildirim says the situation is “completely under control.” President Erdogan promises that the insurgents “will pay a heavy price.”

Not a lot is known yet about the insurgents. Conventional wisdom has it that their cause is one of secularism against Islamism. An analysis by the BBC's Middle East Editor, Jeremy Bowen, is typical. In a sidebar titled "Why did coup happen?," Mr. Bowen writes that Erdogan “is a political Islamist who has rejected modern Turkey's secular heritage.” It’s a heritage that Turkey—and the Turkish military—take extremely seriously, dating back to the 1920s and Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic.

It’s true that Erdogan has Islamist roots. He came up through the ranks in the Welfare Party, which was banned by Turkey’s Constitutional Court in 1998 for its opposition to the nation’s secular charter. The following year, Erdogan was jailed for reciting an Islamist poem.

In spite of his early history, Erdogan has not been that much of an Islamist since he's been in power. The controversies that have characterized his eleven years as prime minister and two years as president have little to do with religion.

No, the real problem with Erdogan is not Islamism, but rather, in the words of Mr. Bowen, “Mr. Erdogan has become increasingly authoritarian and is trying to turn himself into a strong executive president.”

Examples abound of attacks on freedom of the press and separation of powers:

According to one report, over 1,800 journalists have lost their jobs under the AKP government.

In 2014, Twitter and YouTube were blocked in Turkey for two months.

This year, thirty “Academics for Peace,” who had signed a petition critical of military operations against the Kurds, were briefly jailed.

Traditionally, the President of Turkey is a figurehead, expected to be neutral in political matters. However, Erdogan has been actively involved in Parliamentary elections.

Most serious of all, there have been purges of the judiciary and subsequent packing of the bench with AKP supporters. The failure of the coup has given Erdogan an excuse to crack down on the independence of the judiciary even further. The BBC reports that 2,800 judges were fired today in the wake of the coup attempt.

I would be remiss if I didn't address some counter-examples, so here goes: Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (known by its Turkish initials AKP) has twice been dragged in front of the Constitutional Court in attempts to shut it down for infringing on the separation of mosque and state. But both attempts failed. It's also been alleged that Erdogan provided support to Islamic State; that charge hasn't stuck either. In fact, one of his accusers, US Vice President Joe Biden, ended up having to apologize. If any support did occur, it was probably more about opposing Assad than supporting Islamism. And although there have been restrictions placed on the sale and advertising of alcohol, they aren't that different from what exists in the United States.

All-in-all, Erdogan more closely resembles a strongman in the mold of Vladimir Putin than an Islamist like Muhammad Morsi. Some of my anti-Islamist friends will no doubt say that he’s playing his cards close to his chest, and he plans to implement a theocracy just as soon as he has consolidated enough power to get away with it. They might be right. But Erdogan’s not really a close-to-his-chest type. He’s more a shoot-from-the-hip, Donald Trump type, with a history of outrageous statements comparing Israelis to Nazis or telling female journalists, “know your place.”

In any case, regardless of whether there's a master plan for theocracy, I hope, for the sake of the Turkish people, that Mr. Erdogan never becomes powerful enough to implement one. Unfortunately, the failure of last night's coup will make the continuing concentration of power in Mr. Erdogan's hands that much harder to prevent.

Michael Isenberg writes about the Muslim world, medieval and modern. For his take on the roots of Islamism, see his talk The Islamic in Islamic State on YouTube.