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The Turkish government called a Berlin police raid on a mosque in the German capital Islamophobic and racist. Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, wrote on Twitter on Friday that the “ugly action” violated the sanctity of the house of God and also the principle of religious freedom in the German constitution.
Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay asked the Berlin prosecutor and the police to apologize to the Muslim community. The president of the Religious Office of Turkey, Ali Erbas, accused the German authorities of having a “hateful attitude” towards Muslims.
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Berlin police raided the Mevlana mosque in Kreuzberg on Wednesday on suspicion of fraud with emergency assistance from Corona. Ankara’s sharp criticism of the actions of the Berlin authorities speaks to the Turkish government’s claim to be the protector of Turks and other Muslims in Europe, and to the attempt to keep its own conservative supporters happy.
Ambiguity about Corona’s help
According to the Attorney General’s Office, three suspects are said to have requested unjustified state emergency aid from the crown, and in at least one case the Mevlana mosque account was used. The damage caused by the alleged fraud is, therefore, 70,000 euros. 150 police officers and five other directorates participated in the raid on the mosque.
A board member of the mosque association had requested 14,000 euros in emergency aid, “Tagesspiegel” learned from security circles. The association is considered non-profit, but Corona’s emergency aid is only intended for merchants and only if they have suffered financial losses. In contrast, the mosque’s board of directors said it rejected the accusation of fraud. During the morning prayer, the policemen broke into the church and opened a door and the donation box.
Erdogan always breaks the fence arguments
The Turkish government adds fuel to the fire and denounces the Berlin case as an attack on Islam. The head of the Religious Office, Erbas, said that no pretext justifies the “discriminatory and disrespectful” treatment of Muslims. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry criticized that it was unforgivable that German policemen had entered the mosque’s prayer hall with their boots on. The police intervened in the capital of a country “that wants to give other conferences on freedom of expression and religion.”
Erdogan often accuses the West of Islamophobia. A few days ago he attacked the plans of French President Emmanuel Macron, who wants to combat Islamic “separatism” in France and foreign influence on French Muslims. Macron wanted “to settle old scores with Islam and Muslims,” Erdogan said. There are politicians who are upset by the “rise of Islam” and who are looking for excuses “to attack our religion,” added the Turkish president.
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Critics accuse Erdogan of constantly breaking new arguments to satisfy his own voters and his right-wing nationalist partners. These tactics also serve the president to divert attention from the crisis in the Turkish economy.
At least in the short term, Erdogan is successful with this. According to a survey by the Metropoll Institute, his approval rating rose from just under 48 to more than 52 percent between August and September, when tensions with Greece escalated in the Mediterranean. Although the course of the lira and economic development fell sharply, Erdogan benefited from his “adventures in foreign policy,” US economic expert Steve Hanke commented after the Metropoll survey.
