Necmettin Erbakan is affectionately known as the Hodja, the teacher. He was the first practicing Muslim to be in high political office in Turkey. He was formerly Deputy Prime Minister at the height of the Cyprus crisis in 1974. He was also Prime Minister in 1996.
It is significantly important to note that Erbakan was never voted out of power or was democratically removed. It was always due to military orchestrations and coups or post-modern coups which forced him out of office.
He did not resist except using legal and democratic means in pursuing his struggle.
The military was particularly hostile to him and his cause. He had to suffer a series of setbacks of his political parties continuously being banned even after various transformations and he himself being barred from active politics for years. He was almost sent to prison by the courts for his politics which was deemed anti-secular but was saved by the fact of his illness. Later on he was pardoned by Turkey's president Abdullah Gul.
It is deserving that we pay tribute to his endeavour to change and transform modern Turkey and world politics.
Necmettin Erbakan spent his life in bringing back Islam to the realm of public space in one of the most extremely harsh anti-Islamic political environments of his time.
May Allah swt be pleased with him
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