Erdogan is not a hero.
Yes, he’s the best Turkey has to offer at the moment and is infinitely better than the alternative, and should be supported against that alternative. And his good policies should be praised and encouraged.
And if you know me well, you’d know I’ve defended him against a lot of misplaced criticism in the past and celebrated his victories over the Kemalists and in crushing the military and helping Turkey recover economically.
But he is not a hero and should not be idealised as one by the Muslim World.
A hero doesn’t watch 100,000 Muslims killed in northern Syria, a few kilometers away from Turkish airbases and the barracks of the second largest NATO army, and not directly come to the aid of the oppressed as barrel bombs fall on their heads.
A hero doesn’t enable Turkish businesses to maintain growing billion-dollar trade relations with Israel, which continue today and will only grow further as relations will be normalised soon with the Netanyahu government.
If that is a hero to you, your standards are low and you should not speak in the political affairs of the Muslim World.
When are we going to learn balance and give political issues the careful and objective deliberation they require?
The man has good and bad, but he’s no hero and should not be treated as one.
Lift the standards and expectations.
The Muslim Independent 