Erdoğan's former allies in a row over whether political Islam is dead
Former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu disagreed with former President Abdullah Gül's comment that political Islam had collapsed, saying that this was a "parroted concept." Davutoğlu's response came after Gül's public declaration of support for former deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan's new party in the making, an alternative to Davutoğlu's Future Party.
Duvar English
Former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and former President Abdullah Gül altercated over the latter's comments that political Islam had collapsed.
"There has been debate over the collapse of political Islam. It's true, it's happening everywhere in the world," Gül had said to the daily Karar.
In that same interview, Gül had publicly declared support for the party that former Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan is expected to form, offering an alternative to Davutoğlu's Future Party for the conservative voter base.
"I trust and admire Mister Ali's character, education, background and political rhetoric," Gül had said in the interview.
The idea that political Islam is dead is a "parroted concept" because leaders from other faiths don't have their religion tied directly to their politics, Davutoğlu said to students at Bilkent University.
"Why don't we call [U.S. President] Trump a political Christian, or [Israeli Prime Minister] Netanyahu a political Jew? We should question that. I find that this is a parroted concept," Davutoğlu said about Gül's comment.