By Alon Ben-Meir and *Arbana Xharra
Less than a month ago, in advance of the summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, the Turkish daily Yeni Ã...žafak, which is considered one of the mouthpieces of Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), published an article entitled "A Call for Urgent Action." The same article was also published on the newspaper's website with the more explicit title, "What if an Army of Islam was Formed Against Israel?"
The article openly called on the 57 member states of the OIC to form a joint "Army of Islam" to simultaneously attack Israel from the east, west, north, and south. According to Israel's Shin Bet, the source of the article appears to be the Turkish company SADAT, which among other sinister plots is aiding Hamas with funds and military gear to create a "Palestinian" army to join in the fight against Israel.
The creation of an Army of Islam
The idea of creating an "Army of Islam" to destroy Israel was accompanied by an interactive map providing formation of military forces for a joint Muslim attack on Israel. It also provides details on military forces based in various locations and the role they can play to execute their scheme.
Yeni Ã...žafak further explained that "If the member states of the OIC unite militarily, they will form the world's largest and most comprehensive army. The number of active soldiers would be at least 5,206,100, while the defense budget would reach approximately $175 billion."
This article provided additional details of the scandalous plan, stating that "It is expected that 250,000 soldiers will participate in the first of a possible operation. Land, air and naval bases of member states located in the most critical regions will be used. Joint bases will be constructed in a short period of time" It is possible for 500 tanks and armored vehicles, 100 planes and 500 attack helicopters and 50 ships to mobilize quickly."
Regardless of how absurd and troubling this suicidal plan may seem, Erdogan did not disavow the report. In fact, he has reiterated on several occasions his ambition to resurrect the Ottoman Empire, in which context he wants to create the "Army of Islam."
Resurrecting the Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire he speaks of is the same that committed genocide against more than one million Armenians in the wake of the Ottomans' defeat at the end of World War I. No one should dismiss Erdogan's yet hidden illusion to commit genocide against the Jews in Israel. Erdogan is dangerous because he is insane enough not only to think in these incomprehensible terms, but to act on them on numerous fronts, as he is now doing.
In recent years, Erdogan has been busy establishing military bases in Qatar and Somalia, and most recently reached an agreement with the Sudan to acquire a Sudanese island in the Red Sea to be used as forward military base. Meanwhile, he is throwing his brash and bearish weight on the Caucasus and former Soviet states such as Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, and others to follow his dictates. He has repeatedly threatened to invade Greek islands in the Mediterranean, not to mention his recent incursion into Syria for the express purpose of establishing a permanent presence in the country under the guise of fighting Kurdish terrorism.
Recently, at the commemoration ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the death of Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II at the Yildiz palace in Istanbul, Erdogan stated that "The Republic of Turkey, just like our previous states that are a continuation of one another, is also a continuation of the Ottomans."
Declaring that Europe will be Muslim
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