“Muslim countries should unite, otherwise Türkiye should have nuclear weapons…” Islamic scholar advises Erdogan

Hayrettin Karaman, an Islamic scholar who delivered the main fatwa (religious sermon) for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said Turkey should develop nuclear weapons to confront Israel. Karaman, a 90-year-old Islamic scholar and leading ideologue of Turkey’s Muslim Brotherhood, said Turkey’s current capabilities are not enough to stop Israel.

“Either the Islamic world should unite and cooperate with China and Russia, or Turkey should move towards acquiring nuclear weapons,” Karaman said in an article for Turkish Islamic newspaper Yeni Safak.

Karaman praised the Erdogan government’s efforts to strengthen the defense industry and Turkey’s conventional warfare capabilities. However, he criticized Turkey’s decision to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. He said that nuclear-rich countries have colonial tendencies and they want to maintain exploitation through this treaty.

He wrote, “If those countries exploited by the nuclear-rich nations acquire nuclear weapons, they will not be able to continue their oppression.”

“Israel wants to occupy parts of Türkiye”

Recalling his visit to Israel and Palestine in 1995, Karman said he saw firsthand how Israeli Jews envisioned a “Greater Israel.” He claimed that Jews were moving toward this goal with the support of Western countries. He claimed that the Jewish “Greater Israel” also includes some areas in southeastern Turkey.

President Erdogan also reiterated this statement in his speech. Erdogan claimed that Israel wanted to occupy Turkish territory. Erdogan also praised the Palestinian organization Hamas. He said that the organization not only protects the rights of Palestinians, but also the rights of Turks.

Hayrettin Karaman is very influential in Türkiye

Hayrettin Karaman wields considerable influence among Islamists in Turkey, including those who hold key positions in the government-backed defense industry.

This is not the first time that Kamen has advocated for the development of nuclear weapons. In an article for the Yeni Safak newspaper on March 16, 2017, he argued that “instead of buying these weapons, we should consider making them ourselves, without delay and despite Western warnings.”

Karaman supports portraying Erdogan as the leader or caliph of all Muslims in the world.