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Most of the Arab Gulf countries, including Egypt, are trying to find a way to corner Turkey, but most Arabs feel that Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey is their best friend.
This is the opposite of what the Arab government and the people have to say about Turkey and President Erdogan, according to a recent poll of Arab public opinion.
The survey was conducted in 13 countries in the Arab world.
Fifty-seven percent of those surveyed said that Turkey’s policy in the Middle East was more in the Arab interest than any other. The Palestinian question, and even Turkey’s controversial military intervention in Syria and Libya, has the support of the vast majority of the Arab people.
After Turkey, the attitude of the Arabs towards the Middle East policy of China and Germany is the most positive. Fifty-five percent supported China’s policy, while 52 percent responded positively to Germany’s policy.
On the contrary, the most negative opinion has been expressed about US policy in the Middle East.
The survey was conducted by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, a group of experts based in Doha and Beirut, to learn the attitudes of ordinary Arabs on various national, regional and international issues in 13 Arab countries in Asia and Africa. .
Erdogan magic
Sami Hamdi, head of International Interest, a London-based political risk think tank and a Middle East political analyst, said there was no question that President Erdogan was becoming more palatable to a large segment of the Arab population than the Turkish state.
“There is no doubt that the acceptance of Turkey, especially among the marginalized Arab population, is growing,” Hamdi told BBC Bangla. And the image of President Erdogan is more important than that of the Turkish state in terms of increasing acceptance.
Arabs understand that Turkey before Erdogan and Turkey after Erdogan are very different. They know that Erdogan is the sole creator of Turkey’s new foreign policy.
According to Sami Hamdi, Turkey before Erdogan was seen by Arabs as an oppressive state, one that did not care about the sensibilities of Arabs and Muslims. It is a historical fact that at a time when the Arabs were working together for an independent Palestinian state, Turkey has gone in the opposite direction and recognized Israel.
But the Arabs now see President Erdogan changing that position in Turkey. When the rulers of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia and even Saudi Arabia are trying to downplay the traditional Muslim identity and identity of the Arabs, Erdogan is speaking without hesitation.
“It is attracting a lot of people in the Arab world.”
Hamdi believes that Erdogan’s fascination with Turkey is related to the political situation after the Arab Spring. In countries where elections were held after the Arab Spring, including Egypt, Islamists mainly won, but were overthrown within days.
“Many people are outraged, especially in the case of the Muslim Brotherhood government in Egypt, which has been dragged down and many powerful countries in the world have kept silent about it. They think there is a conspiracy to prevent a Muslim rebirth.
As a result, according to Sami Hamdi, when the democratically elected president of Turkey speaks out loud about the Islamic entity, many people in the Arab world think that he is actually speaking what they think.
“People in the Arab world see Erdogan as an Islamist, but he has been able to dominate the politics of democratic Turkey. He has given economic development to his country, increased the country’s military power. Speaking face to face with great powers such as states United States, Russia or Europe Many Arabs are fascinated by this.
“Arabs have the same dream, they want to see their own country, their own government and their own leaders,” he said. As a result, they can mate with Erdogan … they are actually finding an ideal Muslim leader in Erdogan.
Palestine and Erdogan
Public opinion polls, which have revealed the feelings of the common Arab people on the Palestinian issue, could be a headache for Arab leaders willing to engage with Israel.
The results show that 69 percent of Arabs still think that the Palestinian problem is not an isolated problem, but an Arab problem. Even among the people of the Gulf countries, this attitude is still very strong.
According to the poll, 6 percent of Arabs still oppose normalization of relations with Israel. Only six percent support.
Warning of sanctions against Turkey for spreading tension in the Mediterranean
Why? Respondents cited Israel’s “racist treatment” of Palestinians and its “occupation” of Palestinian land as the main reasons.
When asked which country is the greatest threat to Arab security, 6 percent of those surveyed said Israel and the United States.
Many analysts believe that the Saudi rulers may hesitate to establish relations with the Jewish state because of this hostile public opinion from Israel.
Giorgio Cafeiro, an expert on Gulf politics at the University of San Diego in the United States, recently tweeted: “This is not about normalizing Israel’s relations with the unelected Arab rulers and relations with the Arab people.” This can be understood by looking at the attitude of the Egyptian people towards Israel.
“Iran and Turkey will use this reality in the Middle East,” Caffeiro wrote.
However, Sami Hamdi said that Turkey’s position on the Palestinian issue is somewhat complex and contradictory, and that it would be difficult for them to use this issue only to defeat Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates.
The reason, he said, is that Turkey itself maintains diplomatic relations with Israel. There are regular flights between the two countries and business between the two countries.
“But it is a perception in the Arab world that Mr. Erdogan has sided with the Palestinians by changing the position of his country, where many Arab countries are preparing to abandon their long-standing policy and jeopardize interests. Palestinians. “
The question is, are the Arab rulers somewhat upset about Erdogan’s influence among their people?
Saadi Hamdi said there were two options for Arab leaders: to make peace with Erdogan or to deal with him. “Many Arab rulers believe that Erdogan wants to be the new Ottoman emperor. That is why they are trying to unite Erdogan with Israel and the United States. “
According to him, most of the Arab rulers still resist giving too much importance to public opinion. Rather, he said, concerns were growing about the reaction of the wider Muslim world to the current dilemma within the Saudi royal family over formal relations with Israel.
‘The Saudi royal family is the guardian of the mosques in Mecca and Medina. They are more concerned about losing their dignity and acceptance in the wider Islamic world.
Source: BBC
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