Levent Kenez/Stockholm
The fall of the Assad regime in Syria on Sunday after 54 years in power has reinvigorated supporters of Turkey’s ruling party, who, after years of facing harsh criticism over the government’s Syria policies and the influx of millions of refugees, have now begun to rally behind President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, portraying him as the architect of the Assad regime’s downfall.
Islamist family foundations linked to Erdogan have started spreading this narrative, targeting youth with propaganda in a tone reminiscent of jihadist rhetoric. This campaign seeks to reframe Erdogan’s controversial Syria policies as a strategic success and a defining moment in his leadership.
The Turkey Youth Foundation (TÜGVA), a government-funded organization, has been at the forefront of this propagandistic campaign. In a recent post on the social media platform X, TÜGVA celebrated the collapse of the Syrian regime, sharing an image of Syrian refugees in Turkey holding Erdogan posters during a demonstration. The post read: “When history remembers you, everyone will acknowledge your greatness, O mighty leader, conqueror of Syria, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.”
Additionally, members of TÜGVA’s leadership have shared photos from the headquarters of the Syrian National Army, a group financed and supported by Turkey. In these images, posters of Erdogan can be seen prominently displayed on the walls.
Another post from TÜGVA’s Istanbul branch included an image of a man stepping on a toppled statue of Hafez al-Assad, who was the ruler of Syria from 1971 until his death in 2000 and father of now-ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The caption read: “We will bring down the tyrants in Hama, Homs, Aleppo and Damascus — victory is near!” Among Turkish Islamists, images of destroyed statues are often interpreted as subliminal references to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the secular founder of the Republic of Turkey, reflecting their opposition to his legacy and a deeper ideological message in these celebrations.
TÜGVA’s chairman, İbrahim Beşinci, who is frequently included in the state delegations on President Erdogan’s official overseas visits, also contributed to the celebratory rhetoric. In a message posted on his social media accounts, Beşinci wrote:
“Our president stood firmly against the oppression in Syria for 13 years. He paid a price but never backed down. During this time, we all witnessed his steadfastness and his defense of human dignity. He is a leader who does not consent to tyranny, a voice not only for these lands but for all of humanity. He has gone down in history.” He added, “And by the grace of God, we have witnessed the liberation of Aleppo and Damascus; may we also witness the liberation of Gaza.”
Beşinci’s statements, like others from TÜGVA, align closely with Erdogan’s narrative, positioning him as a global leader in the fight against oppression and a savior figure in the Islamic world.
Another foundation under the control of the Erdogan family, Ensar, also posted online, “Blessed be the victory of Damascus.”
Members of foundations also shared messages in Arabic that read “Men Sabera, Zafara” (He who is patient, will triumph). They posted these alongside a speech given by Erdogan in which he congratulated the Syrian people following a cabinet meeting on Monday.
TÜGVA had been conducting propaganda efforts related to Israel that were prior to the fall of the regime in Syria. The foundation 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, attracting widespread attention. Reports indicated that Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate, 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, spokesperson for the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, with their faces covered as they marched. Abu Ubaida has gained prominence among circles aligned with radical Islamist groups in Turkey and is hailed as a hero.
In 2021, leaked photos from TÜGVA’s confidential archives revealed the foundation’s jihadist-style boot camps aimed at young people in Turkey and the Turkish diaspora in Europe and the US. The photos showed young men posing under jihadist banners, attending lectures by clerics and making a hand gesture with one finger pointing upwards, associated with jihadists from groups like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
The images were stored in a folder labeled “Action Camp,” comprising 12 photos intended for internal use and shared with TÜGVA’s board of directors, indicating that the activities were approved by the foundation’s top management.
One of the clerics invited to the TÜGVA camp was Nurettin (or Nureddin) Yıldız, a jihadist and antisemitic Turkish cleric known for advocating armed jihad. Yıldız characterizes democracy as a system for infidels, claiming it can only serve as a tool of deception to attain power. He is also the person who radicalized the young jihadist police officer responsible for the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov in December 2016. Despite his involvement as an accessory to murder, the government shielded him from prosecution.
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 one evening to a cheering crowd and addressed the young people in attendance with a banner behind her saying “Jerusalem Awaits You. Rush to help like Salah ad-Din did,” a reference to 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.
Meanwhile during a meeting with his party’s provincial leaders on December 10, President Erdogan indirectly targeted Israel, warning that those working towards the division of Syria would find themselves opposed by Turkey.
Erdogan emphasized Turkey’s long-standing support for the Syrian people, both within its borders and along its borders, stating that Turkey had “protected, shielded and safeguarded” them. He noted, “As I said yesterday, we did this not with complaints, but with pleasure. My Lord allowed us to pass the test of brotherhood with honor during a difficult period that tested our humanity and our Islam.”
He continued, “There were those who sought to poison this process with hate speech and to defile Turkey’s unique hospitality with racist vandalism. But our people acted with foresight and wisdom, and thankfully, they did not fall for the fascist mentality’s game.”
Erdogan firmly declared, “Let it be known, from this point on, we cannot allow Syria to be divided again. We will never accept the country’s land becoming a battlefield once more. We cannot accept any steps or provocations that hinder the return of the Syrian people to their homes. Any attack on the freedom of the Syrian people, the stability of the new Syrian government or the territorial integrity of ancient Syria will find us standing together with the Syrian people.”
He added, “We will not stand by and watch as others, emboldened by the powers they align with, their fanatical beliefs, perverse ideologies and diseased fantasies, turn our region into [a place of] blood and fire. The lessons we have learned from what is happening in Syria, the ongoing tragedy in Palestine and the war in the north tell us that we must act this way.”
