Although it is sad that I can’t blog as much as I’d like to, my encounter with the honourable Sayyid Erdogan tonight has compelled me to post this live from Davos after he revived my faith in faith – my imān in imān itself. Strange phrase? Well, across perhaps 30-40 bodyguards when I shouted across to him in Arabic, “Jazākallāhu khayran for speaking the truth!” he turned around, and came through the crowd to give me a hug and say, “Hayyākallāh wa bārakallāhu feek!” My Turkish colleague then said to him, “May Allah be pleased with you for what you said!” to which he replied pointing to his heart, “My imān forced me to say it.”
What is all this about you ask? Please watch the full video below. You must watch all of it for you will learn many things about the Peace Process you didn’t know and you’ll understand the challenge we’re facing in the search for peace and stability today.
I was fortunate enough to meet Sayyid Erdogan at a dinner last year – I have just always found him to be a remarkable man wa lā nuzakkī ‘alallāhi ahad and I hope that Allah jalla wa ‘alā protects and guides him to that which is good. I don’t want to or need to get into a debate about Muslim leaders and all their kufr and all the rest of it. I just want to look for small pieces of good news and rays of light in these immense times of darkness.
I want to also make public that I went up to ‘Amr Moussa the Secretary of the Arab League afterwards, a controversial but most eloquent figure, and thanked him personally and told him that I would make du‘ā for him for his good intentions and deeds. One hopes that these efforts to try and make a little change in the world by such political leaders in such difficult times under the most intense of pressure might be a source of salvation for them. And us. Insha’Allah.
Finally, despite the well-known impotence of the UN on the international political stage and especially with respect to the Palestinian-Israel conflict, I would like to thank Ban Ki Moon for his honesty and sincerity by speaking the truth directly to Shimon Peres sitting next to him. And I think all of you should thank these folks too. So there you are. You heard it here. I’m out.
PS: I do indeed stand by the statement read out by Klaus Schwab at the end which we drafted early on today but I wish to make it clear that it was very specifically aimed at the WEF hierarchy – therefore I shall hopefully be soon releasing a more representative statement drafted by myself and which has been approved by a few friends and colleagues who share my feelings, from both religious and political circles.
January 30, 2009 at 12:31 am
Barakallahu Feek.
May Allah Guide us all to stand up for justice.
Asal Allahu-l’adheem Rabb-ul ‘arshil ‘adheem an’yaj’alana wa iyyakum khaira wat tawfique fid dunya wa fil akhira, fa Innallaha huwaal ‘Aleem al Hakeem. Ameen
January 30, 2009 at 12:33 am
[...] he walked off, our Br. Abu Eesa was in the audience: Well, across perhaps 30-40 bodyguards when I shouted across to him in Arabic, “Jazākallāhu [...]
January 30, 2009 at 12:35 am
Related:
http://www.iraq-war.ru/article/188462
January 30, 2009 at 1:25 am
Thank you for posting this, and by saying what you did to him you did what many of your readers would have wanted to if they were present also.. so jazakallahu khair!
May Allah make the land of Turkey once again a bastion of Islam!
January 30, 2009 at 1:42 am
That was awesome… jazakallahkhair
January 30, 2009 at 7:36 pm
that was eye-opening. subhanAllah. May Allah reward you for your efforts.
what a favor. israel made 250,000 phone calls to palestinian families so they could leave before Israel started shooting.
thanks.
ds;fkdjfdkl….speechless. can’t say much more.
January 30, 2009 at 10:41 pm
I’m just pre-empting the inevitable reaction from the Muslims in support of what the Turkish Prime minister Erdogan did at the World economic forum by walking out after a row with Shimon Peres. If you look past some of the statements Erdogan has made regarding Gaza you’ll see that Turkey is Israels greatest ally in the region. Turkey
has a long history of close ties with Israel. It was the first Muslim country to recognize it in 1949. In 2006 the Israeli foreign ministry characterised its relationship with Turkey as “perfect” Turkey is Israels 8th largest trading partner and their annual trade is worth around 4 billion dollars. Turkey and Israel have a military alliance.
Their militarys have conducted joint exercises particularly their navies. Israeli pilots even trained in Turkish air space, flying training sorties from a Turkish base near Ankara. Israel has supplied unmanned air vehicles to monitor Kurdish rebel activities in Turkey’s southeast. The Erdogan government appointed General Buyukanit’s as
Chief of Staff of the armed forces, he is known to be
pro-Israeli and one of his jobs has been to weed out anti-Israeli sentiment among Turkey’s senior military brass. In 2006 the Jpost reported that Israel and Turkey were negotiating the construction of a multi-million-dollar energy and water project that will transport water,electricity, natural gas and oil by pipelines to Israel. These are just some facts but there are many more if you look on the web.
January 31, 2009 at 12:45 am
Maashallah, its good what he did, but is this what its come to, I mean just by walking out were acting like wow brilliant. So much more is needed to be done by these peeps man, and of course ourselves.
January 31, 2009 at 3:08 am
[...] he walked off, our Br. Abu Eesa was in the audience: Well, across perhaps 30-40 bodyguards when I shouted across to him in Arabic, “Jazākallāhu [...]
January 31, 2009 at 3:58 am
Wow what a place to be spending a night or two!!! I admire Sayyid Erdogan’s open refusal to listen to Mr Perez’s bakwas, but knowing the close relations turkey has had with israel (as posted on the no 7 post above) one must try to look for whether it is a true passion or a political agenda on his part. The answer to this is only known to Allah.
but thanks for posting this to us, I looked at some other clips and found the one below very enlightening too, something most of us didn’t know much about.
hope you will share this one with your group.
JZK
Javed
January 31, 2009 at 4:54 am
pathetic! is this what we have become? an ummah of shoe throwers and walk off the stagers? pathetic!
January 31, 2009 at 8:04 am
“pathetic! is this what we have become? an ummah of shoe throwers and walk off the stagers? pathetic!”
and don’t forget an ummah of complainers
January 31, 2009 at 8:55 am
Being a convert married to a Turk, who is currently in Turkey right now, I was incredibly proud of the comments made by Erdogan in Davos. What other leader has made a public stand at an international forum against Israel– or even in private? To the person who made comment #7 on the blog here, I would have to strongly disagree that Turkey is Israels strongest ally. Histroy would refute that, and how is that argument valid at all when Egypt who borders Israel had closed its border imprisoning our Palestinian brothers and sisters. I believe the comments of Peres spoke loudly enough when he told Erdogan he had great respect for Mubarak and that he knew the situation better. (More of the comment can be found at may14muslima.blogspot.com as well as a history of the occupation of Palestine under the post Occupation 101).
And to ar.m– As Muslims we are supposed to stand against agressors and oppressors. It would be a far bigger discrace to the Muslim ummah if we just stood silent and didn’t throw shoes, walk of stages when oppressors were given glory or focus, and didnt make a stand when given the chance. May Allah guide us all inshallah
January 31, 2009 at 11:41 am
Salams all
I’ll just say the following folks: politics is exactly that – politics.
Everyone has a personal, nationalist and religious agenda whatever actions or statements they make. No-one is naive to what the real score is as mentioned above, but we also hope and pray that there is still iman in the heart of those who might show otherwise. I remind you all of Najashi (r) and remind you to be positive, despite the fact that I am and always have been a critic of the leaders. I directly and openly challenged the Pakistani President today on certain issues yet I understand his position and difficulties. Please try to remain balanced when dealing with politicians and politics for yes although there are many moments for takfeer, there are also small moments for tabsheer.
And Allah knows best.
January 31, 2009 at 11:58 am
May Allah Bless you and Mr Erdogan. I have written ssame article in Malay:
http://tokohmuslim.wordpress.com/
January 31, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Dear Mr. Ardogan ,, ‘
I was soooooooo proud of such a Moslim leader like you who lifted our heads up to the sky ,,,
Barak Allah fe emanak ..
this is the real faith ,,,
faith is by deeds…
God Bless you ,,,
January 31, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Hamas vs. Likud Charter
In many of the Internet discussion I read throughout the recent war on Gaza, Zionist hasbara fighters claimed that it is impossible to talk with Hamas because its charter, written in 1988, calls for the destruction of the state of Israel. That charter is of course irrelevant and the use of the charter argument by pro-Zionists is nonsense.
Several times, last back in November, Hamas leader Haniyeh said publicly that Hamas is willing to accept a Palestinian state with 1967 borders and thereby will effectively recognize Israel. So from Hamas’ site, a solution of the conflict is possible.
But there is another charter in play and I have not seen that mentioned in those Internet discussion.
The Likud charter from 1999 as available on http://www.knesset.gov.il says:
The Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza are the realization of Zionist values. Settlement of the land is a clear expression of the unassailable right of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel and constitutes an important asset in the defense of the vital interests of the State of Israel. The Likud will continue to strengthen and develop these communities and will prevent their uprooting.
…
The Government of Israel flatly rejects the establishment of a Palestinian Arab state west of the Jordan river.
Judea and Samaria are the West Bank. I am not aware of any refutation of that charter.
Likud is likely to win next month’ election in Israel. Its leader Netanjahu promisses to extend the Zionist settlements in the West Bank.
This against international law, the roadmap and other peace plans.
So while using Hamas charter in an argument as being an obstacle to peace is clearly bogus, it is obviously justified to point to Likud’s charter as the real issue.
So why have I never seen this used as an argument in the discussion? Maybe people just do not know. If that is the case, please spread the word.
February 1, 2009 at 12:31 pm
at what time did he say my iman forced me to and when did abu eesa shout out.could u plz tell me the time in the vid jzk
February 2, 2009 at 9:16 am
43 killed in Swat Valley? Ustadh isn’t that where you’re from?
February 2, 2009 at 11:24 pm
Assalaam Aleikum
Mashallah Erdogan seems to be a sincere muslim leader. I thought I’d just mention that a state is not one monolithic entity; within it will be different factions striving to change policy. The Justice and Development Party (of which Erdogan is leader) is doing its best as a government within the confines of a secualar army and elite all too willing to depose them in a coup.
February 3, 2009 at 12:21 am
What is the point of bringing light to the Hamas charter that is irrelevant? If the Hamas Charter is no longer accurate…then one should change the charter to state that Hamas is willing to accept a Palestinian state with 1967 borders and thereby will effectively recognize Israel. But my friend….I don’t think anyone within Hamas would have the courage to make such a statement official in writing and put forth a new charter….so perhaps there will be no end of 10 Palestinians being killed for 1 Israeli that is killed.
I’m also amazed at how the slaughter of hundreds and hundreds of Palestinians was portrayed as a victory by Hamas…that is like saying 9/11 was a victory for the U.S.
February 3, 2009 at 1:05 am
Anon post 21
You make some valid points
I guess as a lay person I’m just trying to understand why Hamas would be regarded as a terrorist entity but Likud would not…when Likud clearly state that Palestine should not be a sovereign state, continue to build settelements ignoring previous agreements…
An extract from their charter:-
“The Palestinians can run their lives freely in the framework of self-rule, but not as an independent and sovereign state. Thus, for example, in matters of foreign affairs, security, immigration and ecology, their activity shall be limited in accordance with imperatives of Israel’s existence, security and national needs. ”
clearly the above are prinicples of apartheid..
With the very real possibility of Netanyahu (Likud)winning on the 10th Feb…is there any hope for peace?
If both deny the other’s right to exist as sovereign states should they not both be treated with the same sanctions etc?
I do appreciate your opinion
February 5, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Salams all
Here is a comment from a friend of mine:
Why Erdogan left the debate – A personal note from Davos
29 January 2009
Davos, Switzerland
Being among the audience in Davos, I want to share with you the background of today’s incident where Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left a debate with Shimon Peres in anger.
In my understanding Erdogan was angered due to three circumstances: Before he was cut off by the moderator Erdogan said that he couldn’t understand how so many people in the hall could applaud the killing of 1200 people (with a reference to the friends of Israel in the hall who gave Peres a long applause after his speech). So the applause was probably one important factor. The second factor is the almost hysterical speech that Peres delivered. He shouted out at least 5-7 times. When Erdogan finally was allowed to speak (after having insisted for about 20 seconds, see the third factor below), he said that Peres was shouting because he has the psychology of the guilty. And he said that he (Erdogan) would not resort to that kind of tactics in order to make a point.
And the third factor is that the moderator tried to close the debate immediately after Peres’s speech where he made a lot of contra-attacks towards Erdogan. During Peres’s speech Erdogan took a lot of notes and now he was not being given the chance to respond at least one time (it should be noted that Peres had the time to respond to Erdogan’s accusations, whereas Erdogan was not given the same opportunity). Erdogan got one minute, he used this time and was stopped again, but he insisted to be able to complete what he had to say. The moderator Davis Ignatius from Washington Post continuously interrupted Erdogan whereafter Erdogan “thanked” Ignatius and said “Davos bundan sonra benim icin bitmistir” meaning “After this Davos is a closed chapter for me”.
He stood up and walked towards the exit, but was met by a very excited Amr Moussa who with an extraordinary respect shook hands with Erdogan. I was sitting in the third row and many Arabs among the audience stood up and applauded Erdogan (the Turks were in shock so they were sitting and trying to understand what had just happened).
I witnessed Erdogan and his close advisors about 20 minutes after the meeting ended, sitting in the lobby, formulating a press release. It was obvious that what had happened was a serious matter to him and his team. He was clearly affected. Although I am sorry that Turkeys negotiation position probably will be weaker after this move, on the other side I am happy that he was conveying the feelings of many people. May Allah (swt) reward him for speaking the truth.
As a last note I have to mention, that Peres in his speech complimented Hosni Mubarak and Mahmoud Abbas and said that these two “leaders” were on the side of Israel against Hamas. He said this to criticize Erdogan for being biased in favour of Hamas. Peres’s point clearly illustrates why Erdogans popularity has increased among Palestinians and other Arab populations.
by Fatih Alev
February 8, 2009 at 11:02 pm
Bismillah
I found this intersting article, on khilafah.com regarding the Erdogan walk-out.
***
ERDOGAN IS NO HERO
The prime minister of Turkey returned home yesterday from the world economic forum to a hero’s welcome. His “marvelous” feat was the act of walking out of the summit after a heated exchange with Shimon Peres regarding the Israeli aggression against Gaza.
Erdogan has also made some fiery statements regarding Gaza and is slowly being viewed as one of the harshest opponents of Israels’ aggression.
Erdogan, speaking at a municipal election campaign rally in Anatolia, said Israel was
“perpetrating inhuman actions which would bring it to self-destruction. Allah will sooner or later punish those who transgress the rights of innocents.”
If you look past these statements and his “walkout” at the summit, it’s very clear that Turkey is Israel’s greatest ally in the region.
Turkey has a long history of close ties with Israel. It was the first Muslim country to recognize it in 1949.
In 2006 the Israeli foreign ministry characterised its relationship with Turkey as “perfect”.
Turkey is Israel’s 8th largest trading partner and their annual trade is worth around 4 billion dollars.
Turkey and Israel have a military alliance. Their militaries have conducted joint exercises particularly their navies. Israeli pilots even trained in Turkish air space, flying training sorties from a Turkish base near Ankara. Israel has supplied unmanned air vehicles to monitor Kurdish rebel activities in Turkey’s southeast.
The Erdogan government appointed General Buyukanit’s as Chief of Staff of the armed forces, he is known to be pro-Israeli and one of his jobs has been to weed out anti-Israeli sentiment among Turkey’s senior military brass.
In 2006 the Jerusalem Post reported that Israel and Turkey were negotiating the construction of a multi-million-dollar energy and water project that will transport water, electricity, natural gas and oil by pipelines to Israel.
So we shouldn’t be duped by these empty symbolic acts, Turkey and Israel might be having a lovers tiff, but that’s all it is.
One last point to mention is that if the Turkish people can give Erdogan a hero’s welcome for walking out in protest, imagine the welcome he’d get if he used his resources as a deterrent to end the conflict once and for all. It just takes one brave man and the whole Ummah will be behind him, inshAllah.
***
Shukran.
February 8, 2009 at 11:03 pm
interesting*
February 9, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Is there a way to subscribe? It doesn’t seem to be working.
February 10, 2009 at 6:29 pm
erdogan is a hero and we should pray for him.
he is not responsible for ties with israel.
secularists have too much power and he is working within that unfortunately.
February 12, 2009 at 7:19 pm
Hi, I can’t seem to subscribe to this, Thanks.
February 15, 2009 at 6:37 am
The most practical solution to perpetual Gaza crisis: annexation by Egypt.
February 24, 2009 at 1:06 am
Masha’allah that’s an awesome story.
Thanks for telling!
September 26, 2009 at 10:28 am
[...] he walked off, our Br. Abu Eesa was in the audience: Well, across perhaps 30-40 bodyguards when I shouted across to him in Arabic, “Jaz?kall?hu [...]