Professor Serhat Erkmen: Al-Qaeda not a threat to Turkey

Erkmen has determined that more than 30 operations have been carried out against al-Qaeda in İstanbul, İzmir, Gaziantep, Erzurum, Bursa, Van, Ankara, Konya and Adana in the past five years and that close to 500 people have been arrested. He explained that al-Qaeda members in Turkey come from two sources. Noting that the first group consists of members who trained in Afghanistan and Pakistan after playing a role in the wars in Afghanistan, Chechnya and Bosnia, Erkmen said the second group has its roots in Germany.

Erkmen, who is also an expert with the Middle East Strategic Research Center (ORSAM), is known for his work on Iraq and the Middle East. Noting that Turkish intelligence units closely follow the organization’s activities and carry out coordinated operations as soon as they sense danger, Erkmen said he thinks that radical Islamists, who have always existed in Turkey, are starting to believe that this organization defends their rights. “There have always been a very small minority of groups in Turkey that come from the tradition of jihadism. During one period, some of these people went to both Chechnya and Bosnia. Now perhaps they are going to go to Yemen. But Turkey will not allow itself to become an al-Qaeda base. As is known, the organization is not predominantly Arab. But Turks comprise the smallest group within al-Qaeda. Their biggest problem is language. Al-Qaeda gets its brain power from the Egyptians, its financial power from the Saudi Arabians and muscle power from the Yemenis,” he said.

Erkmen explains the reason why Turkey is immune to al-Qaeda with these words: “Shiism may spread in Turkey, but Salafism won’t. Not only would the state and the state’s security apparatuses prevent this, but the understanding of Islam in Turkey constitutes a natural shield against al-Qaeda. In a sense, the Turkish people are vaccinated against al-Qaeda. The reason for this is because Salafism will never find resonance in Turkish society.”

Noting that although the organization does communicate electronically, it is very keen not to have e-mails sent between its members, Erkmen said: “There is one common e-mail address. Every member knows the password to that address. They use the password to read what’s posted and take action that way. They safeguard themselves by not sending any e-mails to each other.”

He explained that the West’s perception of the organization is that its members are bearded people who slip through borders, but Erkmen explained that “these people travel with laptop bags in their hands and ties around their neck. They are not people who sneak through borders.” Many al-Qaeda militants are professionals such as doctors, engineers and teachers, he said, noting that he doesn’t believe it is a coincidence that the organization’s leadership comprises well-educated individuals. Noting that the organization is one of the most opportunist organizations in the world, Erkmen said he believes it operates in every criminal field, from human trafficking to drug smuggling. For the development of the first cell in a region, money is transferred from the organization’s center. But for the following cells, they are advised to fund themselves and develop their own methods of raising money. Erkmen said this is one of the reasons that banks and jewelry shops are robbed in İstanbul.

‘There are attempts to make Turkey look like an al-Qaeda base’

Erkmen, who believes Turkey has never been al-Qaeda’s first target for attacks, said there are a couple of different terrorist organizations in Iraq. Some forces that want to intensify the chaos in Iraq blame various attacks on the organization as well, Erkmen said, and added: “They may make Turkey look like an al-Qaeda base, but the only incident that could corroborate this was the attack against the US Consulate General in İstanbul in 2008. There has been no other al-Qaeda incident in Turkey. While al-Qaeda did carry out that attack, it is unknown from whom and from whence the order came.”

Different al-Qaeda in Iraq

Al-Qaeda has been able to win supporters by giving the impression that it is harming the US in Iraq, Erkmen said. “There has always been an organization that resists attacks against the Muslim world by the West. It is for this reason that prolonging the Iraqi war is important. A link has been determined between groups that are close to al-Qaeda in Iraq and some groups in Turkey.”

If the US attempts to intervene in Yemen after Iraq, there will be groups in Turkey, as in other Muslim countries, that will take action against it, Erkmen said. “The number of people who go to Yemen from Turkey in that kind of situation could be three or 10. But any figure is very important for a terrorist organization. If it returns from a mission with three people, then it will be easier for it to find supporters.”

He also brought up another alarming point. He noted that many of the terrorist attacks in Iraq are carried out by other forces but are blamed on al-Qaeda.

Al-Qaeda’s center is Germany

Contrary to what is widely believed, Erkmen thinks al-Qaeda’s main center is Germany, with the UK and France being the second and third centers. Underlining that many attacks, including the Sept. 11 attacks, were planned in Germany, Erkmen said Turks constitute one of the biggest groups within al-Qaeda in Germany.

“The reason for this is that Germany cannot monitor religious education. The religious education is more radical in Germany than in Turkey. Germany is aware of this. This organization, which is a widespread movement in the country, has only attempted to bomb the US military base in Germany. For some reason, it has never carried out a single attack in Germany. It is also no coincidence that every attack is linked to the organization’s German arm. It’s clear that terrorism can sometimes be used as a tool in international diplomacy.”

He explained that it was wrong to keep bringing up the theory that Arab militants could be responsible for the attacks that took place in Turkey between Nov. 15 and 20, 2003, and added: “If we don’t accept that there are people in Turkey who could join al-Qaeda, then our guard will be down. We must take measures against this; otherwise, our society’s immunity will weaken.”

Erkmen claimed that al-Qaeda first obtained financing from the US, stating: “The organization used the conditions that the US created to organize the Afghan resistance against the Soviets. Now other people and states are using those conditions against the US.”

Arguing that al-Qaeda has done more damage to the Muslim world than anything else, Erkmen said one of the biggest reasons for Islamophobia in Western societies is the terrorist attacks. He explained that the intellectual structure of Western societies is prone to alienating people and creating enemies and said the phobia of Judaism that prevailed in Europe in the early 20th century is now turning into a phobia of Islam.

Erkmen noted that it was necessary for Muslim countries, the Arab League and the Islamic Development Organization to come together and deal with the al-Qaeda problem. “Muslims are the ones who are killed the most in the group’s attacks, and Muslims are also the ones who suffer the most. Is there any country that is occupied in the West due to al-Qaeda’s activities? No. Muslim intellectuals need to have a strong understanding of this reality as well,” he said.