This is the man whom Turkey and its president honor—including by rededicating the Hagia Sophia, which had been a museum for nearly a century, into a victory mosque to him last year. Then, Erdoğan proclaimed in a speech:
Of course, the Byzantines never “plotted” against the Turks’ ancestors; quite the opposite—the Turks deceived and then attacked them for no other reason than that they were “infidels” who rejected Islam and, as such, deserved to be slaughtered, raped, and enslaved.
Nor, it’s worth noting, was Constantinople the only kingdom to be so utterly ravaged by Erdoğan’s hero. For example, Muhammad II also slaughtered and ritually beheaded thousands of Christians when his men landed in and captured Otranto, Italy, in 1480, because they refused to convert to Islam. He ordered their archbishop sawn in half.
During last May 29’s celebrations, Erdoğan himself seemingly confirmed his approval of all the many unprovoked atrocities and conquests Muhammad committed. “Do you know,” he boasted, “that Sultan Mehmet [Muhammad II] the Conqueror is not only the conqueror of Constantinople but also the conqueror of Serbia, the Peloponnese, Athens, Wallachia, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina?”
This is true; but can any rational person believe that all of these European nations, all of them hundreds of miles away from Asia Minor (Turkey), had somehow also “grieved” the Turks into attacking and conquering them?
All of this makes clear that Erdoğan, instead of being a modern-day president who is interested in living in peace with his neighbors, sees himself as more of a sultan, dedicated to advancing Islam and humiliating infidels through jihad.
The message could not be clearer: jihadist ideology dominates Turkey, certainly its leadership. Invading and conquering neighboring peoples—not due to any grievances but because they are non-Muslim—with all the attending atrocities, rapes, destruction, and mass slavery, is apparently the ideal, to resume once the sunset of Western power is complete.
From here one can better understand Erdoğan’s recent assertion, “As our ancestors buried Byzantium, let us hope that today, by building our vision for 2053, we also manage to put in the time warp of history the current Byzantines who are plotting against us.”
Of course, the Byzantines never “plotted” against the Turks’ ancestors; quite the opposite—the Turks deceived and then attacked them for no other reason than that they were “infidels” who rejected Islam and, as such, deserved to be slaughtered, raped, and enslaved.
Nor, it’s worth noting, was Constantinople the only kingdom to be so utterly ravaged by Erdoğan’s hero. For example, Muhammad II also slaughtered and ritually beheaded thousands of Christians when his men landed in and captured Otranto, Italy, in 1480, because they refused to convert to Islam. He ordered their archbishop sawn in half.
During last May 29’s celebrations, Erdoğan himself seemingly confirmed his approval of all the many unprovoked atrocities and conquests Muhammad committed. “Do you know,” he boasted, “that Sultan Mehmet [Muhammad II] the Conqueror is not only the conqueror of Constantinople but also the conqueror of Serbia, the Peloponnese, Athens, Wallachia, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina?”
This is true; but can any rational person believe that all of these European nations, all of them hundreds of miles away from Asia Minor (Turkey), had somehow also “grieved” the Turks into attacking and conquering them?
All of this makes clear that Erdoğan, instead of being a modern-day president who is interested in living in peace with his neighbors, sees himself as more of a sultan, dedicated to advancing Islam and humiliating infidels through jihad.
The message could not be clearer: jihadist ideology dominates Turkey, certainly its leadership. Invading and conquering neighboring peoples—not due to any grievances but because they are non-Muslim—with all the attending atrocities, rapes, destruction, and mass slavery, is apparently the ideal, to resume once the sunset of Western power is complete.
