Pakistan falls in love with Turkish TV series promoting Erdogan’s caliphate

Most of the Pakistanis these days are going crazy over the Turkish drama series Dirilis Ertugrul (Resurrection Ertugrul).

While it isn’t uncommon for a dubbed Turkish serial to gain huge popularity in Pakistan, this series is being described as a ‘halal for the eyeballs.’

Not just the common man but also the country’s Prime Minister Imran Khan is hooked on the series after ordering national broadcaster PTV to broadcast it in the month of Ramadan.

“Prime Minister Imran Khan shares his views over PTV telecast of famous Turkish drama serial Diriliş: Ertuğrul; it will make our youth learn about Islamic history and ethics,” said Pakistan PM’s office in April.
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Prime Minister Imran Khan shares his views over PTV telecast of famous Turkish drama serial Diriliş: Ertuğrul; it will make our youth learn about Islamic history and ethics <a href="https://t.co/pymAPbJFLr">pic.twitter.com/pymAPbJFLr</a></p>
— Prime Minister's Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/PakPMO/status/1253766993955696643?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Well, there must be something special in it for Khan to promote, maybe a personal recommendation from his good old friend Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey.

That’s not a worry.

What really is worrisome though is that the series has invited criticism from many for promoting incidents of radicalism from the past.

Dirilis Ertugrul is based on stories of the 12th century Muslim Oghuz Turk, Ertugrul, whose son was the founder of the Ottoman Empire.

Earlier this year, the Global Fatwa Index (GFI) of Egypt’s Dar al-Iftaa, the country’s highest Islamic authority and one of the Muslim world’s oldest, had warned viewers to stay away from watching this series by issuing a fatwa (religious edict) saying it was a part of Erdogan’s plan to revive the Ottoman Empire.

The Index, as reported by the Egyptian media, said that Erdogan and his supporters "export to the people and nations the idea that they are the leaders of the caliphate, responsible for supporting Muslims worldwide and being their salvation from oppression and injustice, while also seeking to implement Islamic law.”

It added: “They hide the fact that their main drive in these colonial campaigns is what Erdogan reaps from material and political gains.”

The GFI statement also said that the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “would not stop his dream of expressing all power politically or religiously, even through cultural and artistic works.”

Like followers of their Kaptaan (captain) Imran Khan, many cricketers of Pakistan are now promoting the series on social media.

Just the way Khan would have wanted them to.

“Watching the Turkish series Diriliş: Ertuğrul I’m just overwhelmed by their achievements and victories that came as a result of their faith in ALLAH and the empire of justice which they were able to establish as a result of. May we be like that once again,” tweeted former skipper Shahid Afridi.
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Watching the Turkish series Diriliş: Ertuğrul I’m just overwhelmed by their achievements and victories that came as a result of their faith in ALLAH and the empire of justice which they were able to establish as a result of.May we be like that once again. <a href="https://t.co/Dc3YZomEG7">pic.twitter.com/Dc3YZomEG7</a></p>
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/SAfridiOfficial/status/1111897636267876353?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2019</a></blockquote>
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There are many scholars, writers, and educated Pakistanis who want their country and its Prime Minister to focus on the present though.

“In praising the show and ordering Pakistan’s national broadcaster to dub it into Urdu, Prime Minister Khan unwittingly became, if not the show's executive producer, certainly something close. Is Pakistan South Asian Muslim? Or is it based in Arab roots as some leaders have pushed? Or is it closer to Turkish culture in origin,” questioned Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan in a column on the channel’s <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/analysis-ertugrul-lure-turkish-dramas-pa.kistan-200514072503067.htm">website</a> a few days ago.

Pakistan seems to be rebelling against its own geography and culture..