Zee News, India


How President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is destroying Turkey through
Islamic schools and nepotism

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is riding on the wagon of
political Islam to become the Caliph of the Muslim world. For ensuring
his success, he has converted Turkey into a lab of political Islam
during his 18-year rule. To radicalise the children and youngsters and
to build an army of Islamic preachers, he has changed the entire
education system of Turkey — dominated by political Islam and
projecting  Erdogan as the tallest Muslim leader.

The roots of his radicalism lie in the very fact that Erdogan is
himself an alumnus of an Imam Hatip school - a set of schools for
training Islamic clergymen in a traditional manner. He changed the
purely religious nature of the curriculum into politicised Islam that
is against the ethos of Turkish culture and shifted the focus of these
schools to extremism.

As per some experts “since Erdogan came to power, the number of such
schools began to rapidly increase, taking the number from 450 to 5,000
in the past 18 years. The number of Imam Hatip schools has outnumbered
the science schools in at least 61 provinces of Turkey. The army of
preachers to carry forward Erdogan’s agenda is being build within
these schools.”

However, popular discontent against these schools have started
erupting as these schools serve no purpose except radicalising
students and after graduating from such schools, students are left
with no skill sets, no scientific temperament, and eventually no job
prospects in the real world.

A recent survey conducted by Ensar Foundation Centre for Religious
Education has revealed that over 70% graduates from Imam Hatip schools
regretted their decision of being educated from such schools. Besides,
73% graduates of such institutions said that they would not study at
such schools, if given a second chance. While 68% students said that
they were unhappy with studying at those schools and were uncertain
about their future.The survey also revealed that most of the students
admitted in Imam Hatip schools earlier had a poor academic record and
failing to secure admissions in other schools, Imam Hatip was their
last option.

According to the survey, “ 44% respondents confessed that they chose
Imam Hatip schools after their poor performance in the national high
school placement examinations — an exam that helps students to secure
admissions in schools of their choice based on the marks secured in
the exam.”

To build a world dominated by political Islam, Erdogan needed to prop
a similar model in Turkey itself. Erdogan’s party  Justice and
Development Party (AKP) is on a mission to destroy the secular fabric
of the country since it came to power. It believes that through
radical Islamic education, it can build and train its own staff. To
serve the Purpose, besides brainwashing the parents, Erdogan’s party
has also started to forcefully admit students in these schools.

Besides producing Islamic clerics and foot-soldiers for Erdogan’s
political islamist aspirations, these schools have also started to
take over the political economy of the country. The top posts of
Turkey's administration and politics are being increasingly acquired
by the alumnus of the Imam Hatip schools. The alumni of Kartal Imam
Hatip High School, which is also the alma mater of President Erdogan’s
son Bilal Erdogan, have taken over the top positions in the national
airlines of Turkey - Turkish Airlines.

It is interesting to see that  “Nearly 80 schoolmates of Bilal Erdogan
have taken over the top posts of the Airlines. The list also includes
board members Arda Ermut and Ogun Sanlier, assistant general managers
Abdulkerim Cay and Ahmet  Olmustur, press undersecretary Yahya Ustun,
head of advertising Rafet Fatih Ozgur, head of human resources
Ebubekir  Akgul, besides others.”

However, this is not an exclusive case of nepotism related to Erdogan
family and Turkish airlines. Earlier, Recep Tayyip Erdogan appointed
his aide Mehmet Ilkar Ayci, also an alumnus of Kartal Imam Hatip
school, as the chairman of the board of the Airlines. President
Erdogan’s elder son Ahmet Burak Erdogan has also contributed in
tarnishing the image of Erdogan family through nepotism. Manta Marine
- the shipping company he is associated with, is facing allegations of
corruption and favoritism as its funds have suddenly doubled and are
increasing at a rapid rate. Ahmet Burat Erdogan is a senior partner in
the airlines and is alleged to promote the company by making illicit
favours. However, the door is not equally open for the common youth,
leaving them with no other option than to indulge in criminal and
radical activities.

The degradation of the youth through promotion of radical Islamist
schools at one hand and making illegitimate favors to his own folks,
Erdogan has killed two birds with one stone. Firstly, he is ensuring
that his kins keep ruling the nation by controlling the resources and
facing no tough competition from the Population with an unscientific
temperament. Secondly, he is successfully creating an army of Islamic
clerics which could further his political Islamist agenda across the
world. In this way, Erdogan is taking Turkey towards a path of slow
death and proving to be the worst thing that could have happened to
the country.