Levent Kenez/Stockholm
The Turkey Youth Foundation (TÜGVA), which is funded by the government and run by Bilal Erdogan, a son of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, organized a Wushu Kung Fu (Chinese combat art emphasizing fighting techniques) tournament in the city of Yalova February 16-28 in solidarity with Gaza. As stated in the foundation’s social media posts regarding the tournament, the hope is for every TÜGVA youth participant to emulate Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing.
Abdurrahman Akyüz, co-organizer of the tournament and president of the Turkish Wushu Kung Fu Federation, highlighted that 4,000 athletes participated in categories including children, youths, adults and veteran competitors. He said the event would serve as a reminder of the thousands of children who have lost their lives in Gaza, emphasizing their commitment to new events. “We hope Palestine will be liberated this year and that Jerusalem will be liberated and Zionism eradicated. We say down with Israel, down with Zionism, long live Turkey, long live Palestine,” Akyüz added.
The tournament, broadcast live by the state-run TRT, featured TÜGVA President İbrahim Beşinci, who delivered a speech during the event.
TÜGVA previously took the lead on the first day of 2024 as tens of thousands marched through the streets of Istanbul in protest of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, drawing widespread attention. Reports indicated that Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet), responsible for mosques nationwide, instructed imams in Istanbul to join the protest and encourage their congregations to participate as well. During the rally a number of young participants donned keffiyehs resembling those worn by Abu Ubaida, with faces covered as they marched. Abu Ubaida has gained prominence among circles aligned with Turkish President Erdogan and radical Islamist groups in Turkey, being hailed as a hero.
Nordic Monitor previously published a story highlighting the promotion of Abu Ubaida in Turkey. The Erdogan government and radical Islamist groups openly support Abu Ubaida, celebrating the October 7 attacks by the al-Qassam Brigades against Israeli targets. The campaign includes government officials, advisors and lawmakers praising Abu Ubaida as a hero, with banners featuring his image displayed across Turkey.
The government’s endorsement of such campaigns raises concerns about potential radicalization in Turkey, with fears that law enforcement may not take adequate measures to counteract this trend. The influence of Iran-supported networks, such as the Tevhid Selam group, in promoting the dispatch of Turkish jihadists to support Hamas is also significant. The Erdogan government’s purge of officials investigating radical Islamist groups further complicates efforts to address the issue.
Erdogan describes Hamas as a liberation group engaged in a battle to protect its land and people, rejecting the characterization of it as a terrorist organization.
The government’s increasingly pro-Hamas narrative, voiced by high-ranking officials, has been widely propagated through the extensive media apparatus and the Diyanet, which oversees approximately 80,000 mosques in Turkey and abroad.
Radical groups aligned with the Erdogan government, including the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH), Turkey’s Hizbullah, the Great Eastern Islamic Raiders Front (IBDA/C or IBDA-C) and other Islamist organizations, have organized street demonstrations in front of the Israeli and US embassies and consulates.
Jihadist groups sympathetic to Hamas are also collaborating with the Turkish Ministry of Education to organize seminars on Palestine for middle and high school students. The Beytülmakdis Öncüleri (Pioneers of Jerusalem) association, in partnership with the Jerusalem Research Platform, is conducting educational sessions as part of the “My Palestine” project for thousands of students in schools in several Istanbul districts.
In 2021 TÜGVA organized a summer camp for female high school students with the motto “Jerusalem awaits you.” The girls camp had a special guest, Sümeyye Erdogan, the president’s daughter and the wife of Selçuk Bayraktar, whose family company produces drones used by the Turkish military. Sümeyye participated in several activities, including archery and a tour of the sports track. She took the stage in the evening to cheers and addressed the young people in attendance. With a banner behind her saying “Jerusalem awaits you. Rush to help like Salah ad-Din did,” in reference to a a sultan considered a hero by Muslims who won Jerusalem from the Crusaders in 1187, she also had a surprise for the audience. She called her father on her cell phone and had him address the students, who shouted excitedly when they learned that the president was on the line.
