NEW DELHI: Dar al-Iftaa, Egypt’s highest Islamic authority on Saturday warned against watching the popular Turkish television series such as Diriliş: Ertuğrul, or Resurrection: Ertuğrul and “Valley of the Wolves.”
In a statement issued, Global Fatwa Index accused Turkey of trying to create an “area of influence” for itself in the Middle East using its soft power, according to Yeni Şafak English.
“They (Erdogan and his followers) 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. They hide the fact that their main drive in these colonial campaigns is what Erdogan reaps from material and political gains,” the statement stressed.
It added that “the Turkish president and his followers are not immune from using religious discourse in general, and fatwa in particular, as a cover for their military operations, just like terrorist groups and organizations.”
The “Resurrection: Ertugrul” and other Turkish dramas are highly popular in Muslim-majority countries across the globe including Latin America and Asia.
Concerned about the impact on its population, Dubai-based, Saudi-owned MBC Group (Middle East Broadcasting Centre) has taken off air the Turkish dramas from its biggest TV networks in 2018.
Still, the series going strong despite bans.
Set in 13th century Anatolia (modern-day Turkey), Diriliş: Ertuğrul, or Resurrection: Ertuğrul is based on stories of the Muslim Oghuz Turks, fighting Byzantine, invading Mongols and the Crusaders.
Other historical blockbusters include “Magnificent Century”-based on the life of Sultan Suleiman, the 10th Ottoman Sultan and his wife.