http://www.mmail.com.my/Current_News/NST/Saturday/Columns/20031004095632/Article/
Turkey at crossroads about itself and relations with other Muslim nations
Shamsul Akmar
But Diyarbakir, which is a two-hour flight from Istanbul and its walls, is not the subject of this article. It is about Menzil, which is about two hours away from Diyarbakir by road and crossing the Euphrates River by ferry. Menzil is like a commune where a Sufi sheikh seems to reign supreme.
Muslim visitors to Menzil, for whatever reason, will be asked if they would be interested in meeting the sheikh, Sayyed Abd Baqir Ghouse al-Zam, and repent before him.
If accepted, the visitor will be taken to the sheikh who will then “assist” the sinner to repent and commit himself to not repeat all the evil deeds he had done before.
Once the process is completed, the visitor will then be accepted into the sufi order and he will, from then on, be “spiritually protected” by the sheikh, no matter where he is.
To ensure the protection is available always, the follower must observe “rabita”, a bonding of his heart with that of the sheikh. This is achieved by perpetually thinking of the sheikh.
Again, this article is not about the sheikh nor the efficacy of the sufi or tarikat order in paving the path to religious enlightenment.
It is about the thoughts of some of those met in Menzil about the Muslim world, the conflicts in the Middle East and the direction of Muslim nations.
Turkey, in itself, is at a crossroads, not only about its existence but also in its relations with other Muslim countries.
It was once the guardian of the Ottoman Empire, which controlled the Middle East and spread deep into Europe, Asia and North Africa.
While Turkey’s glorious past is still visible in buildings within its own borders and parts of Europe, its people, like many Muslims from other nations, share a similar sense of being “victimised” by powerful non-Muslim nations of the West.
But one thing seems to have changed in Turkey, at least that is how certain individuals in Menzil feel.
“The country is beginning to return to Islam after the AK Party took over the nation’s rule a few years ago,” said Mehmet Hanafi, a Turk with a British passport who has been a member of the Menzil sufi order for the past year.
Mehmet, who like most Turks are opposed to “Kemalism”, has faith in Recep Teyeb Erdogan, in terms of leading Turkey back to its Islamic footing as well as its past glories.
Kemalism is a doctrine named after Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, father of modern Turkey, who established secular democracy and “Europeanised” the nation.
There is an on-going “battle” within Turkey between opposing forces that want to defend secular establishment and allowing the Islamisation of the nation.
But Mehmet and others like him seem to believe that Erdogan was doing a good balancing act, claiming that Menzil, prior to the AK Party taking over, had been subjected to scrutiny by secular forces.
Another visitor to Menzil, a history teacher from a nearby village, said: “Now, we are quite free to pursue Islam. I believe Turkey will again be the leader of Muslims throughout the world to stop the Western forces from trampling all over us.” Discussions then turn towards Palestine and Iraq, especially the situation in the latter.
To a number of Turks, the most pressing issue concerning Iraq is whether the Turkish Government should send its troops to the warravaged nation.
Mehmet said: "We have to … Otherwise, who is going to scrutinise what the US and its allies are doing there? From what we have heard, they are allowing their allies in Tel Aviv to move into Iraq.
“All Muslims should be aware that the Israelis want to make sure that Iraq and other Muslim nations do not become strong and independent as they will then pose a threat to Tel Aviv.” Such theories of Jewish conspiracy in so far as Iraq is concerned is not something which is peculiar in Turkey.
In other parts of the Middle East, from Baghdad to Amman, to Damascus and Istanbul, the theory is well received.
“If Saddam (Hussein) had not been supportive of the Palestinians in their cause against Tel Aviv, I do not think the US would have been so keen to remove him,” added Mehmet and his colleagues in the mosque in Menzil nodded in agreement when he translated what he had said into Turkish.
But other Turks met in Istanbul did not share his idea about the need for Turkey to send its troops to Iraq.
“Let the Americans feel the full force of the Iraqi wrath for invading their country. Let Iraq be another Vietnam for the US and its allies. Then, probably, they will learn their lesson about interfering in the affairs of other nations,” said Murat Yildirim, an owner of a hotel and restaurant in the touristic Sultanahmet area.
Their views about the role of Turkey in post-war Iraq is actually a reflection of the problem faced by most other Muslim nations: whether to be part of the multi-national forces or to stay away until the United Nations gets full control of Iraq.
The problem of most of these Muslim nations, if they decide to join in now, will be tantamount to recognising the invasion of Iraq by the US which was, from the start, without the blessings of the UN.
To stay away may result in Iraq being totally shaped according to the whims and fancies of the US, carved and distributed among the invading allies, and if the suspicions are true, with even Tel Aviv having a share, a truly unpalatable option.
While Muslim nations contemplate what role to play in Iraq, the Iraqis, whether Saddam loyalists or patriotic ones who can’t stand the presence of the occupiers, seemed to be giving Washington and its allies sleepless nights with their frequent attacks on the foreign forces.
“That is the price the occupiers have to pay for their evil intents. They may win the war for now but their souls will never be at peace,” said Mehmet of Menzil.
Such thoughts seem to be the only comfort for most Muslims throughout the world whenever they think about how Iraq, once the cradle of civilisation, is being ravaged by present-day military might.
Ironic it might be, this present-day military might has a lesser history compared with its conquest. After all, these conquerors were still barbaric when civilisation in Iraq was flourishing and producing cultures of intellectualism for others to emulate.
No wonder, given their lack of culture, might remains to be right.