Levent Kenez/Stockholm
Following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Ankara on September 4, a new chapter began in the once-strained relations between Turkey and Egypt. As Erdogan curtails or limits the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is critical of Sisi, he continues in Turkey to extend support to groups linked to the Brotherhood abroad. This delicate balancing act highlights Turkey’s attempt to improve relations with Egypt while maintaining its ideological and political connections to the broader Muslim Brotherhood movement.
Most recently, on September 12, a delegation from Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) visited Oussama Jammal, secretary-general of the US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO) and a prominent figure associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, during a visit to the United States.
The visit was led by Zafer Sırakaya, the AKP’s deputy chair responsible for foreign affairs, and included Halil Mutlu, the AKP’s US representative and President Erdogan’s cousin, along with Kenan Aslan, the new president of the Union of International Democrats (UID). The UID is a controversial organization that operates as a foreign interest group advocating for the Erdogan government abroad.
Commenting on the visit on X, Sırakaya wrote that they exchanged views on the stance that should be taken against the growing Islamophobia worldwide, particularly addressing Israel’s “genocide” of the Palestinian people. The USCMO did not issue any news releases or statements regarding the visit.
Erdogan utilized the USCMO to reach out to Muslim communities in the United States, and Turkish state-owned companies have also sponsored USCMO events in the past. There has been a close dialogue between Erdogan and Jammal since 2016.
In September 2023 Erdogan welcomed a delegation led by Jammal, who said the visit was intended to congratulate Erdogan on his re-election in May 2023. Jammal stated that Erdogan’s victory was seen as a triumph for the entire Muslim world.
During their meeting Erdogan emphasized the critical need for the global Muslim community, or Ummah, to unite against Islamophobia, intolerance and discrimination, calling for solidarity in addressing these issues. He also sought USCMO’s support in countering anti-Turkey lobbying efforts in the United States and expressed his desire to strengthen relations with the Turkish community in the US.
In December 2023 Turkish media reported that Mahmoud Hussein, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Istanbul, had his Turkish citizenship revoked, which was seen as a signal to the Brotherhood and interpreted as a diplomatic gesture from Turkey to Egypt in advance of Erdogan’s unscheduled visit to Cairo in February 2024.
Following the death of Ibrahim Mounir in November 2022, the “Istanbul Front” of the Muslim Brotherhood had appointed Hussein as the interim leader of the organization.
Amid speculation that Erdogan is prioritizing improved relations with Egypt over support for the Muslim Brotherhood, reassurances to the Brotherhood have emerged in Turkish media. Journalist Onur Erkan reported that Turkish authorities claimed the revocation of Hussein’s citizenship and that of other Brotherhood leaders who had acquired Turkish nationality through property purchases was due to a procedural error. However, it seemed unlikely that such a high-ranking leader would be affected by a mere procedural mistake.
Over the past decade many Muslim Brotherhood figures, including Hamas members, have settled in Turkey, establishing foundations, schools and businesses. The Erdogan government facilitated their rapid approval for residence and immigration, with many later acquiring Turkish citizenship and adopting new identities.
The Turkish government had provided refuge to persecuted Brotherhood-affiliated journalists since the 2013 overthrow of then-Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, who was supported by Turkey. However, in March 2021 Turkish authorities allegedly encouraged three Istanbul-based Egyptian opposition TV stations to soften their critical coverage of Egypt’s government, coinciding with Ankara’s efforts to repair its strained relations with Cairo. One of the stations confirmed receiving this request, and the channels subsequently made indirect if reluctant announcements of compliance, suggesting submission to Turkish influence. Some media outlets even ceased broadcasting.
Nordic Monitor has previously reported that Erdogan remains committed to maintaining his ties with the Muslim Brotherhood despite the rapprochement with Egypt and anticipated financial support from the UAE and Saudi Arabia, both of which view the Brotherhood as a threat.
Erdogan also maintains close ties with the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), an organization affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. He frequently meets with IUMS delegations in Ankara and encourages strong relations between the IUMS and Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet). The IUMS, designated as a terrorist organization by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain in 2018, enjoys political protection, diplomatic support and financial aid from Turkey as well as Qatar.
