“This person, who came to power through a coup, shows up and gives instructions to Interpol. A step has been taken with an order to Interpol to seek the chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, Youssef al-Qaradawi, with a red notice. What kind of act is this?” Erdoğan asked during an address at the 5th Religion Council hosted by Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate, adding: “Science cannot be subservient to politics; but politics can be subservient to science.”
Interpol issued a red notice for Qaradawi last week upon the request of Egypt’s coup regime. According to Interpol’s website, the notice on the 88-year-old Egypt-born cleric was issued on charges of "incitement and assistance to commit intentional murder, helping prisoners to escape, arson, vandalism and theft."
The leaders of Egypt’s banned Muslim Brotherhood, who were asked to leave Qatar in September after pressure from other Gulf Arab countries, relocated to Turkey, following a welcoming statement by President Erdoğan, according to reports circulating in Turkish media.
Ankara is one of the most vocal critics of the Egyptian administration, which came to power after the military toppled former President Mohammed Morsi, a politician from the Muslim Brotherhood, last summer. President Erdoğan has been taking every opportunity to criticize Egypt’s former military leader and current President Sisi.
Turkey’s refusal to accept Morsi’s ouster prompted the new Egyptian leadership to cut ties with Turkey and expel the Turkish ambassador from Cairo. Ankara responded in kind, declaring Egypt’s ambassador to Turkey persona non grata.
Foreign Ministry officials tried to mend ties with Egypt recently through a meeting in New York on the sidelines of a United Nations summit in October. But the planned meeting between the Turkish foreign minister and his Egyptian counterpart was canceled by the Egyptian side after Erdoğan’s highly critical remarks about Sisi at the UN General Assembly.
