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After the new coalition of Arab states decided to essentially blockade Qatar this month, accusing the tiny nation of terror ties, you probably werent expecting to hear to much support for them. But wonders never cease, theres at least one member of NATO and the western forces fighting ISIS who has come out swinging on behalf of the leadership in Doha. Thats the good news. (For Qatar, anyway.) The perhaps not so great news is that their new defender is someone with a rather sketchy record of late himself. Its none other than the Tyrant of Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and he thinks the treatment Qatar is receiving is inhumane. (CNN)

Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has slammed the isolation of Qatar, likening the diplomatic stranglehold of the small but wealthy peninsula by neighboring Gulf countries to a death sentence.

Erdogans support comes after nine countries including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates severed ties with the oil-rich nation citing its alleged support and financing of terrorism

To isolate a countrys population in every respect is inhumane, the Turkish leader told his ruling Justice and Development Party in a weekly Parliamentary address in Ankara on Tuesday.

Qatar is not the one who supports terrorism, quite the opposite. Along with Turkey, it is the country with the most resolute stance against ISIS which has caused grave damage to our region, Erdogan continued.

For once I wholeheartedly agree with Erdogan. Isolating people in every respect certainly is inhumane. But we might want to pause for a moment and compare who precisely is more isolated the people in the wealthy cities of Qatar who have opened food shipping lanes from Oman and have air supplies coming from Iran? Or is is the political enemies of President Erdogan who are sitting in his prisons in the tens of thousands, frequently with no access to or contact with their families?

Look, Im not here to make the case that Qatar has clean hands in terms of the terrorist underbelly of the world. Theyve been a complicated ally of ours at best, serving many purposes and requiring us to turn a blind eye to many other activities they engage in. At the same time, its just a tad bit hypocritical of countries like Saudi Arabia to be hurling stones at Qatar over terror funding when you consider the enormous glass mansion they live in. If you find any countries in that alliance who have an angel on both shoulders be sure to let me know.

But Turkey is, at this point, essentially a failed democracy. If Erdogan wants to lend a hand to Qatar and it helps keep the peace in the region and our coalition against ISIS intact, I suppose its all for the best. But hearing this accusations coming from their own tyrant makes it ring a bit hollow in my ears.

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Erdogan: Isolating Qatar is inhumane - Hot Air

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday denounced the isolation of Qatar by neighbouring states as a violation of Islamic values and akin to a death penalty imposed in a crisis that has reverberated across the Middle East and beyond.

Erdogans comments marked the strongest intervention yet by a powerful regional ally of Doha eight days after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qatar and applied stringent economic sanctions on it.

Later on Tuesday, the UAE ambassador to the United States, which has an air base in Qatar, said there was no military component to the steps taken against Doha.

Qatar denies accusations that it supports Islamist militants and Shiite Iran, arch regional foe of the Sunni Gulf Arab monarchies.

A very grave mistake is being made in Qatar; isolating a nation in all areas is inhumane and against Islamic values. Its as if a death penalty decision has been taken for Qatar, Erdogan told members of his ruling AK Party in Ankara.

Qatar has shown the most decisive stance against the terrorist organization Islamic State alongside Turkey. Victimizing Qatar through smear campaigns serves no purpose.

The measures against Qatar, a small oil and gas exporter with a population of 2.7 million people, have disrupted imports of food and other materials and caused some foreign banks to scale back business.

The UAE envoy, Yousef Al Otaiba, told reporters in Washington: There is absolutely no military component to anything that we are doing.

I have spoken and seen (U.S. Defense Secretary) General (Jim) Mattis four times in the last week; weve given them our complete assurance that the steps we have taken will not affect in anyway Al Udeid base or any operations supporting or regarding the base, Otaiba said.

Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar is home to more than 11,000 U.S. and coalition forces and an important base for the fight against Islamic State militants in the region.

The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Joseph Dunford, told a Senate hearing that the rift between Qatar and its neighbours was not affecting U.S. military operations.

Qatar, which imported 80 per cent of its food from bigger Gulf Arab neighbors before the diplomatic shutdown, has been talking to Iran and Turkey to secure food and water.

The worlds second largest helium producer, Qatar has also shut its two helium production plants because of the economic boycott, industry sources told Reuters on Tuesday.

Turkey has maintained good relations with Qatar as well as several of its Gulf Arab neighbours. Turkey and Qatar have both provided support for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and backed rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi also criticized the measures imposed on Qatar, saying in Baghdad on Tuesday they were hurting the emirates people, not its rulers.

SAUDI FOOD SUPPLIES?

Gulf Arab states have issued no public demands to Qatar, but a list that has been circulating includes severing diplomatic ties with Iran, expulsion of all members of the Palestinian Hamas group and the Muslim Brotherhood, the freezing of all bank accounts of Hamas members, ending support for terrorist organizations and ending interference in Egyptian affairs.

Some analysts say demands could also include closing down satellite channel Al Jazeera, or changing its editorial policy.

When asked what, if any, further steps would be taken against Qatar, the UAEs Otaiba said: Weve designated 59 people and 12 entities; its likely that you could see designations of their bank accounts, and perhaps of the banks themselves.

The specific list is being drawn up and the reason it has not been completed and passed on yet is because theres four countries involved, he added. Each country has their own set of lists, their own specifications and so were trying to compile and curate that into one master list and it should be handed over to the United States fairly soon.

Otaiba reiterated the accusations that Qatar was supporting terrorism.

Doha has become a financial, media and ideological hub for extremism. Then it must take decisive action to deal once and for all with its extremist problem, he wrote in an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal published on Monday night.

Saudi Arabias foreign minister, talking to reporters during a news conference in Washington on Tuesday with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, said Riyadh was ready to send food and medical supplies to Qatar.

The minister, Adel al-Jubeir, defended the Arab powers move against Qatar as a boycott, not a blockade, adding: We have allowed the movement of families between the two countries ... so that we dont divide families.

There has been no breakthrough in Kuwaiti efforts to mediate in the crisis, but a U.S. official in the region said Kuwait was continuing with what is seen as a slow, painstaking, deliberate process focused inside the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The parties are still defining what it is they want out of this confrontation ... Its difficult to conduct negotiations if you dont really know what everybody wants.

INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdulrahman al-Thani said on Monday that Doha still had no clue why Arab states had cut ties. He denied Doha supported groups like the Muslim Brotherhood that its neighbors oppose, or had warm ties with their enemy Iran.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Erdogan would discuss the Gulf rift in a telephone call with U.S. President Donald Trump in coming days.

Turkey approved plans last week to deploy more troops to a military base it has established in Qatar under a 2014 agreement with the Gulf Arab state. The move was seen as support by regional power and NATO member Turkey to Doha.

In Moscow, the Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabias King Salman discussed the crisis in a phone call on Tuesday. The Kremlin said the dispute was not helping to unite efforts to try to find a Syria settlement or fight terrorism.

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Turkey's Erdogan denounces isolation of Qatar, says it violates Islamic values - The Globe and Mail

(ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, JUNE 13 - The Ataturk cultural center, one of the symbols of Taksim square in Istanbul, will be demolished and replaced with ''more beautiful artwork'', Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during Iftar - the evening meal that breaks fasting during the holy month of Ramadan - hosting the cultural and sports community.

The building, ''absolutely ugly'' according to Erdogan, has hosted concerts and cultural events since the 1970s but has been closed for the past decade as it awaited a renovation project.

In 2013 it became an icon of Gezi Park protests, when it was occupied by demonstrators who covered it with flags and banners to protest against Erdogan.

The Turkish president claimed the project is ready, without elaborating. In the past, an idea to turn the structure into a mosque had sparked strong protests.

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Turkey: Erdogan, Ataturk Center in Taksim to be demolished - ANSAmed

President Recep Tayyip Erdoan made remarkable statements during an Iftar gathering among Justice and Development Party (AK Party) members in the Turkish capital Ankara. He said;

I want to clearly say that we disapprove of the sanctions on Qatar speaking against the move by Qatars gulf neighbours which had cut diplomatic ties and placed sanctions on Qatar by blocking its land border, aviation and maritime routes.

Turkey and Erdogan a close ally of the gulf states is known to take much care into the security and stability of the region, as such he said;

These developments, coming at a time when we need solidarity and cooperation more than ever, are no good for any country in the region.

He called on the ruling AK Party members to provide support on the path of justice. Erdogan known for His beautiful recitation of the Holy Quran quoted verse 10 of Surah Hujurat to encourage unity over division.

The believers are nothing else than brothers (in Islamic religion). So make reconciliation between your brothers, and fear Allah, that you may receive mercy.

Erdogan pleaded with humanity to the Muslim world and otherwise;

We should not allow new pains to be felt or for the people of the region to feel a heavy burden

In a measured criticism towards the key players in the region who have laid an embargo on the small country, he warned;

Dont be cruel to the oppressed, or you will be punished slowly. Referring to the 249th verse of Surah Baqarah:

How many a small company has overcome a large company by permission of Allah. And Allah is with the patient.

Qatar is a small country. You cant say; If you do this, then we will do this. In an effort to encourage mercy towards the charitable nation.

Erdogan, Turkey, AK Party and Qatar are known for their concerns towards the Palestinian cause, Syrian plight and many other issues concerning the wider Muslim community across the globe.

Since this speech, AK Party in the Turkish Parliament swiftly ratified a bill to allow Turkish troops to be deployed in Qatar. Turkey and Qatar insist that this deployment is for the regional security and stability of the region, not an escalation towards the nations that have placed the embargo on Qatar. Turkey and Qatar have insisted on dialogue, Kuwait another state in the Gulf Co-operation Council has also called for dialogue to resolve this crisis.

Qatar and Saudi Foreign Ministers have insisted that this issue can only be resolved in a GCC setup.

Despite this speech and swift ratification of deployment of Turkish troops in Qatar, Turkey maintains the current presidency of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) in which; Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Turkey among other Muslim countries are members. A Turkish Airport Operator, TAV has recently inked a deal to operate three Saudi Airports, asserting Turkeys stance as a mediator.

Erdogan has asked for this dispute to be resolved by the end of Ramdan. We ask Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu) to bring about unity, brotherliness, stability, security and victory to the Ummah of Muhammadh (Sall Allahu Alyhi Wa Sallam) in a way that pleases Allah (Jalla Jalaluhu).

Video Source: Yeni Safak

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[Video] Erdogan encourages unity over division amidst #GCCCrisis in Ramadan - Islam21c

The Qatari police have detained five members of a Turkish family who are linked to the Glen movement while the family was on their way to South Africa, yenihamle.com news website reported on Monday.

The detained individuals are members of the Bayndr family, businessman father Muhammed, mother Fadime and daughters Eslem, Kbra and Feyza.

The members of the Turkish family were detained while they were at a Qatari airport waiting for a connecting flight to South Africa.

This is not the first time a foreign country has detained or deported people over their links to the Glen movement as part of the Turkish governments witch-hunt against movement followers.

In May Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Georgia and Myanmar handed over academics, businessmen and school principals upon the Turkish governments request despite the fact that some of those victims already had refugee status with the UN.

Turkey survived a military coup attempt on July 15 that killed over 240 people and wounded more than a thousand others. After the putsch, the government along with President Recep Tayyip Erdoan accused the Glen movement of masterminding the attempt.

The movement and Fethullah Glen, a US-based Islamic scholar whose views inspired the movement, strongly denies any involvement.

President Erdoan earlier called on foreign governments to punish Glen followers in their own countries.

This article originally appeared in Turkish Minute on June 12.

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Turkish family detained in Qatar as Erdogan steps up crackdown on Gulenists abroad - Turkey Purge