Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Biography & Religio-Political Contribution: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is the President of Turkiye and the founder of the AK Party. Emerging from the ranks of Erbakan’s Millî Görüş, he dismantled Turkiye's draconian secular constraints, restored the religious rights of Turkish Muslims, and famously returned the Hagia Sophia to its status as a mosque. 

Impact on the Ummah: Erdoğan has repositioned Turkey as a vocal defender of Muslim causes globally, from Palestine to Kashmir. He gave the Ummah a powerful political voice against Western hypocrisy and provided a successful model of state-led economic progress coupled with cultural Islamic resurgence. 

Connection with Jamaat-e-Islami: Erdoğan’s political roots share an ideological affinity with Jamaat-e-Islami. Successive JI leaders, including Syed Munawar Hasan and Sirajul Haq, have held highly supportive meetings with him. JI Pakistan views Erdoğan as a contemporary leader who embodies the political assertiveness of the Ummah and consistently supports his government against Western-backed subversions.