Necmettin Erbakan.. 14 years since the death of the founder of the Islamic movement in Turkey

Fourteen years have passed since the passing of former Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan, the founding leader of the National Vision movement and one of the most prominent Islamic political figures in Türkiye’s history.

Erbakan devoted his political life to uniting the ranks of Muslims around the world, and called for the necessity of achieving political, technological, cultural, and economic unity among Islamic countries, believing that this unity is the key to renaissance and progress.

One of his most notable achievements was the establishment of the Group of Eight Developing Islamic Countries, which he presented as a “rescue recipe” for the Turkish and Islamic worlds, with the goal of uniting Muslims under one umbrella in mind.

According to information collected by Anadolu Agency, Necmettin Erbakan was born on October 29, 1926, in Sinop, northern Türkiye.

Because his father worked as the head of the criminal court, Erbakan moved between several cities during his childhood. He began his primary education at the Cumhuriyet School in Kayseri (central), and completed it in the city of Trabzon overlooking the Black Sea (north).

In 1943, he completed his secondary education at Istanbul Boys' High School with distinction, and then joined Istanbul Technical University, where he began his studies directly from the second year due to his excellence. He graduated in 1948 from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, and then began working as a teaching assistant in the Department of Internal Combustion Engines at the same university.

In 1951, he was sent by Istanbul Technical University to Aachen Technical University in Germany to conduct scientific research, which was a turning point in his life.

During his studies in Germany, he prepared three research theses, one of which was for a doctorate, while working at the German Research Center ( DVL ), which specializes in research for the German military, which drew the attention of the German Ministry of Economy to his scientific achievements.

As part of these studies, Erbakan submitted a report on how to reduce fuel consumption in engines, and he also prepared a doctoral thesis on the mathematical explanation of how fuel is burned in diesel engines.

Thanks to these successes, Erbakan was invited to work at the largest engine factory in Germany, the factory responsible for producing Leopard tank engines, where he worked as a chief engineer and conducted advanced research on tank engines.

First local engine after launching heavy industries campaign

Necmettin Erbakan drew his vision for Turkey's heavy industrialization campaign from his experience in Germany, and made this goal a central part of his political project under the umbrella of the "National Vision."

In the face of the prevailing views at the time that claimed that Türkiye was incapable of production, Erbakan decided in 1956, along with a group of his colleagues, to establish the "Gümüş Motor" factory to produce the first domestic engine in Türkiye.

The factory began producing single-cylinder and two-cylinder engines, with a diesel consumption rate lower than their European counterparts, as their consumption did not exceed 5.5 liters per hour.

Later, the majority of the factory shares were transferred to the Sugar Beet Growers and Sugar Mills Association, the factory was renamed "Banjar Motor", and serial production began in March 1960.

From the Federation of Chambers of Commerce to the world of politics

In 1966, Erbakan was appointed head of the Industry Department of the Union of Chambers of Commerce, then became Secretary General of the Union, before being elected to the Board of Directors, and one year later, he won the presidency of the Union.

During this period, he married Nermin Saatçioğlu, and they had three children: Zeynep, Alif, and Mehmet Fatih.

He played an active role in supporting local capital, and sought to promote investment in Anatolia, but the elections for the presidency of the Union of Chambers of Commerce were deemed invalid, and were appealed to the Council of State, which led to his removal from office by a decision of the Ankara Governorate (the capital), which prompted him to enter the political arena.

He was elected as an independent deputy for Konya.

As the parliamentary elections approached on October 12, 1969, Erbakan sought to run for the Justice Party, which was one of the most prominent parties at that time, but he was not accepted on the party's list.

Instead, he decided to run as an independent in Konya, and won a parliamentary seat after receiving enough votes to elect three deputies.

During his parliamentary term for Konya, he faced criticism from some politicians, while some described his success by saying: "One flower does not make spring", to which he replied: "Yes, one flower does not make spring, but every spring begins with a flower".

Founding of the National Order Party

On January 26, 1970, Erbakan, as a deputy for Konya, founded the National Order Party with 17 of his comrades. Since the party's founding, Erbakan has adopted an anti-capitalist and anti-Western policy.

Confronting Zionism was also one of the main themes of his political discourse, and he contributed to highlighting the Palestinian issue in the Turkish political arena, making it a topic for public debate.

As the leader of the National Vision Movement, Erbakan focused on the concept of "morality first, morale first", and sought to inculcate this principle among the youth and members of his party through the activities of the National Order Party.

Call to pray in Hagia Sophia is one of the reasons for the party’s closure

The political orientations of Erbakan and his comrades attracted the attention of many circles, especially after the coup of March 12, 1971, when the National Order Party was closed in May of the same year, on charges of "violating the principles of secularism."

Among the reasons cited by the court for the party's closure was Erbakan's call in public speeches for prayers to be held in the Hagia Sophia Mosque (then a museum), which was seen as a challenge to the secular order.

After the party was closed, Erbakan did not retreat from his political career, but rather founded the National Salvation Party on October 11, 1972, along with his former comrades.

The party achieved remarkable success in the 1973 elections, winning 48 seats in Parliament, in addition to 3 seats in the Senate, bringing its total number of representatives in Parliament to 51.

Following the elections, Erbakan held negotiations with the then-CHP leader, Bülent Ecevit, which resulted in the formation of a coalition government between the two parties, in which Erbakan served as deputy prime minister.

"Mujahid Erbakan" and his role in the Cyprus operation

During that period, the Cyprus issue escalated to become the main concern of Turkish politicians, and took precedence over all other internal issues.

During this crisis, Erbakan played a prominent role in supporting the military operation carried out by the Turkish army on July 20, 1974, which was known as the "Peace Operation in Cyprus", and because of his firm stance towards the issue, he began to be called in political circles "Mujahid Erbakan".

But soon differences emerged between Erbakan and his government partner, Bülent Ecevit, over the Cyprus file, which led to the collapse of the government coalition between the Republican People's Party and the National Salvation Party on September 17, 1974.

However, the National Salvation Party continued to participate in the coalition governments that were formed later, but the political arena witnessed a state of turmoil, especially with the scandals of the "Government of Eleven", the "Deputies' Market", and the "Konsh Hotel Agreement", which occupied public opinion in 1978.

After the military coup of September 12, 1980, Erbakan and his political movement became among the main targets of the new military regime, as party activities were suspended and many politicians were removed from the political scene.

Prison stage

The "Jerusalem Rally" organized by the National Salvation Party in Konya on September 6, 1980 was one of the reasons on which the military coup based its decision to ban the party.

During this period, Erbakan's political struggle was called "The Cause", which was the basis on which a new generation of politicians in Türkiye were raised, and which later became one of the pillars of political change in the country.

After the coup, Erbakan was detained for a long time in the city of Izmir (west), then he was brought to trial and sentenced to prison, after which he spent 9 months behind bars.

But his release from prison was not the end of the road, as he immediately began planning to establish a new party to complete his political career.

Founding of the Welfare Party

Despite the political ban imposed on him, Erbakan helped found the Welfare Party on July 19, 1983, as an alternative to the dissolved National Salvation Party.

Ahmet Tekdal initially took over the party's presidency, until the political ban on Erbakan was lifted, and he returned strongly to the political scene and was unanimously elected as the president of the Welfare Party during the general conference held on October 11, 1987.

After assuming the leadership of the party, his popularity increased significantly, especially after the Welfare Party succeeded in managing the municipalities it won in the local elections.

At this stage, Erbakan's "National Vision" ideas began to take on a practical character, as the Welfare Party presented a new model for local administration, and achieved remarkable results in the elections of March 27, 1994, winning the mayorship of major municipalities such as Istanbul and Ankara, in addition to many other cities.

Welfare Party becomes the first political force

Erbakan ran in the parliamentary elections on 20 October 1991, and returned to parliament as a deputy for Konya.

But the biggest victory came in the 1995 general election, when the Welfare Party won 21.7 percent of the vote, becoming the first party in Türkiye.

Erbakan re-entered parliament as a deputy for Konya, but President Süleyman Demirel refused to assign him the task of forming a government, prompting the traditional right-wing parties, the True Path Party and the Motherland Party, to form a coalition government that lasted only 3 months before collapsing.

He assumed the position of Prime Minister in the fifty-fourth government.

Finally, President Demirel tasked Necmettin Erbakan with forming the government. He reached an agreement with the True Path Party headed by Tansu Çiller, and was able to form the 54th government, becoming Prime Minister on June 28, 1996.

During his premiership, Erbakan focused on strengthening cooperation between Islamic countries, and worked to establish the D-8 group, which brought together eight emerging Islamic countries, as an initiative to confront the influence of major powers such as the Group of Seven ( G-7 ).

February 28th stage and the post-modern coup

The government of Necmettin Erbakan, formed in alliance with the True Path Party headed by Tansu Çiller, became the focus of political controversy, with accusations of "threatening the system".

On 24 January 1997, the Chief Prosecutor of the Court of Cassation issued an official warning to the Welfare Party, because members of the party appeared during Erbakan's visit to Kayseri, wearing uniforms and military caps.

After an intense media campaign that lasted for several days, the military intervention took place, later known as the "post-modern February 28 coup," in which the military imposed restrictions on the government without resorting to direct military force.

It was later revealed that Erbakan, who had returned from the National Security Council meeting that day nervous and sad, had planned to deliver a speech to the nation, but decided to cancel the broadcast after the meeting.

His resignation from the presidency of the government

On May 27, 1997, the Chief Prosecutor of the Court of Cassation, Ural Savas, filed a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court demanding the final dissolution of the Welfare Party.

On June 30, 1997, Necmettin Erbakan submitted his resignation to President Süleyman Demirel, in accordance with the coalition agreement, which was supposed to transfer the presidency of the government to the True Path Party led by Tansu Çiller.

But Demirel did not assign Ciller to form the new government, but rather gave this task to the leader of the Motherland Party, Mesut Yilmaz, who formed the 55th government.

Then, on January 16, 1998, the Constitutional Court issued a decision to dissolve the Welfare Party and ban six of its leaders, including Necmettin Erbakan, from politics for five years.

On the decision, Erbakan commented at the time, saying: “This decision is only a small point in the course of history. This decision cannot affect the Welfare Party or its principles one iota. On the contrary, the only thing that will result from this decision is that the Welfare Party will come to power alone in the future. It is quite clear that this issue will grow and expand more than ever.”

The Virtue Party was founded before the Welfare Party was banned.

The members of the Welfare Party did not wait for the decision to ban it, so they took the initiative on December 17, 1997 to establish the Virtue Party, which was the fourth party representing the National Vision movement, and Rajai Kutan assumed the presidency of the party.

The Virtue Party's general conference on May 14, 2000 witnessed competition between two wings within the party, one known as the "traditional" wing led by Recai Kutan, and the other as the "renewalist" wing led by Abdullah Gul, with each wing gaining the support of its supporters.

Meanwhile, the Chief Prosecutor of the Court of Cassation, Veral Savas, filed a lawsuit to ban the Virtue Party as well, and it was dissolved on 22 June 2001 by a decision of the Constitutional Court, based on evidence presented by Chief Prosecutor Sabih Kanadoğlu, who was appointed to the position after Ahmet Necdet Sezer became President of the Republic.

Following the ban, Necmettin Erbakan commented on the matter, saying: “We have lost our horse, but our path is still open.”

Only one month later, Erbakan's followers founded the Felicity Party, the fifth party to represent the National Vision movement.

In contrast, a group of politicians who broke away from the National Vision movement, led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Abdullah Gul, founded the Justice and Development Party, which won the early elections in 2002 and was able to establish a government alone, while the Felicity Party was unable to pass the electoral threshold and entered political isolation.

His return to the political arena and his leadership of the Felicity Party

After his five-year ban from politics ended, Erbakan returned to the leadership of the Felicity Party in May 2003, when he was elected party chairman.

But on January 30, 2004, Erbakan was forced to resign from the party's presidency and give up his membership, after being sentenced to prison in the case known in the media as the "missing trillion lira case", which related to financial irregularities in the Welfare Party's accounts.

Due to his health condition, his request to postpone the execution of the sentence was accepted, and during the retrial the Ankara 9th Criminal Court upheld Erbakan's prison sentence of two years and four months, but decided that he would serve his sentence at home under house arrest.

On August 19, 2008, then-President Abdullah Gul issued a special pardon for Erbakan due to his "permanent health condition," which lifted his house arrest.

Death of Necmettin Erbakan

On 17 October 2010, Erbakan was re-elected as the chairman of the Felicity Party during an extraordinary party congress.

A few months later, on the 14th anniversary of the post-modern coup (the February 28 coup), Erbakan passed away on February 27, 2011, due to respiratory failure and heart failure.

His body was transferred to its final resting place on March 1, 2011, after a solemn funeral prayer held at the Fatih Mosque in Istanbul, in accordance with his will in which he requested that no official funeral be held for him.

Source: Anadolu Agency