Turkey’s Islamist movement and the Palestinian cause: the 1980 ‘Liberation of Jerusalem’ demonstration and the 1997 ‘Jerusalem Night’ as case studies

Abstract

The city of Jerusalem and the Palestine cause have been internalized by Islamist movements throughout the world as a pan-Islamic issue. Turkey’s Islamist movement, or the National Outlook Movement as it is known, has similarly appropriated Jerusalem as a cause to be defended against what it sees as Israeli encroachments. On two occasions in 1980 and 1997, the National Salvation Party and the Welfare Party, representing the Islamist movement, organized political demonstrations or events to highlight the significance of Jerusalem for the Muslim community and used it as an excuse to demand the introduction of Islamic law in an ardently secular country. These endeavours resulted in a backlash from the military, toppling the governments in power due to political instability and a purported threat to the secular nature of the regime.