Radical jihadist groups in Turkey, emboldened by President Erdogan’s Islamist rule, are now openly challenging him, demanding action against Israel and the restoration of a global Islamic caliphate.
NORDIC MONITOR -- On July 27, Hizb ut-Tahrir — a banned, terrorist-designated pan-Islamist movement — staged a rally in Ankara through its front group, Köklü Değişim. Protesters, including factions linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS recruiter Halis Bayancuk, defied a police ban to march near government institutions, chanting “Israel must be wiped out” and calling for Turkish troops to enter Gaza.
Other groups included Siyer Vakfı and Kurana Nebevi Davet Derneği. Although police blocked access to the presidential palace, they allowed protests outside the Israeli and US embassies. Hizb ut-Tahrir leader Mahmut Kar demanded Erdogan cut all ties with Israel, close NATO and US bases, expel Israeli diplomats, and strip citizenship from dual nationals who served in the Israeli army.
Rejecting the two-state solution, the group insists all of Israel should be “Muslim Palestine.” Its growing influence — despite being banned since 2004 — reflects years of tolerance under Erdogan. Once a marginal underground group, Hizb ut-Tahrir now operates openly through Köklü Değişim Medya, founded in Ankara in 2016.