Has Erdogan’s regime turned against the Muslim Brotherhood? Details
Turkish authorities have arrested the wife of the fugitive Muslim Brotherhood member Hisham Abdullah in Turkey, confirming Ankara’s new decisions regarding the group’s elements on its territory, in the context of its rapprochement with Egypt.
Hisham Abdullah posted a series of posts on his account on the (X) website, saying, “His wife Ghada Najib was arrested from their home for political reasons, and he complained about the harsh and humiliating treatment of Turkish authorities towards his wife, considering that Turkey betrayed him and his family after granting them asylum.”
Meanwhile, media reports, cited by the Middle East Online website, indicated that Ghada Najib’s arrest, of Syrian origin, came because she did not comply with instructions to stop incitement against the Egyptian leadership and security agencies on social media platforms. She and her husband were sentenced in Egypt in 2016 to five years in prison in the case known as “Brotherhood Media.”
In 2018, Turkish authorities arrested Hisham Abdullah because his name was included in Interpol’s list as a terrorist, before he was released following intervention by leaders from the Muslim Brotherhood.
Ghada Najib married Hisham Abdullah on March 13, 1999, and they were living in the El Omraniya district of Giza Governorate before they fled to Turkey after the June 30, 2013 revolution.
According to observers, it is possible that Najib’s detention is a prelude to her deportation to Egypt. After Turkey’s recent statements and attempts to reconcile with Egypt, opening a new page in relations, Muslim Brotherhood leaders fear the consequences of reconciliation and the possible extradition of some of their members to Cairo.
Days after the official announcement of the resumption of relations between Egypt and Turkey and the elevation of their diplomatic relations to the ambassadorial level, Turkey imposed new restrictions on the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood and its members residing in Turkish territories.
Turkish authorities launched a wide-ranging campaign of raids on Brotherhood members residing in the country and detained those who did not have any identification, residence, or nationality documents. Some were asked to leave the country.
Sources confirmed that Turkish authorities have imposed strict restrictions on Brotherhood members and have instructed them not to publish any derogatory news or posts criticizing the Egyptian regime or President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Violators of these instructions are threatened with immediate deportation and expulsion from the country.
Many of those affiliated with the Brotherhood and their sympathizers residing in Turkey are facing a crisis due to the lack of identification documents, especially after the expiration of their Egyptian passports, and their inability to obtain identification papers and residency permits in Turkey.
This problem has resulted in many cases where they cannot prove their newborns’ registration or marriage certificates. They also cannot move to other countries for asylum or rent housing or deal with banks and government agencies.
Turkish authorities had previously refused to grant citizenship to Wadgy Ghoneim, the Egyptian Brotherhood preacher listed on Egypt’s terrorism lists.
At the same time, Turkish authorities have rejected citizenship for about 12 other Brotherhood members, and they have begun to study the possibility of revoking the citizenship of Nasr al-Din Ghazlani and Magdy Salem, both of whom were previously designated as terrorists by the U.S. Treasury Department for their ties to Al-Qaeda.
