Erdoğan: Rise of a Political Powerhouse

By Abdullahi Yusuf

For over two decades, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has shaped Türkiye in his image: pious yet pragmatic, assertive yet polarising, and deeply rooted in a vision of a “Great and Powerful Türkiye.” From Istanbul’s crowded streets to the war zones of Gaza and Damascus, Erdoğan has become a symbol of strength for many Muslims around the world and a thorn in the side of Western critics.

His journey from a modest upbringing to Türkiye’s most dominant post-Ottoman leader is as remarkable as it is controversial. For supporters, Erdoğan embodies the aspirations of a Muslim-majority nation reclaiming its Islamic identity and regional influence. For opponents, he is an autocrat who has eroded Türkiye’s secular foundations and democratic institutions.

Erdoğan was born in 1954 in Rize on the Black Sea coast but raised in the working-class neighbourhood of Kasimpasa, Istanbul. He often recalls his humble beginnings: selling sesame buns and lemonade as a child to help his family make ends meet. A talented footballer in his youth, Erdoğan’s trajectory shifted towards faith-based activism during his studies at an Islamic vocational school.

His political career began in earnest in the 1990s when he was elected mayor of Istanbul under the Welfare Party. At a time when the city was plagued by pollution, water shortages, and traffic chaos, Erdoğan’s administration won praise for pragmatic governance and social policies catering to Türkiye’s religiously conservative citizens long marginalised by the rigid secular elite.

But his growing Islamic rhetoric clashed with the country’s staunchly secular establishment. In 1997, Erdoğan was jailed for reciting a nationalist-Islamic poem, a moment he would later describe as “a turning point” in his political awakening.

In 2001, Erdoğan and his allies founded the Justice and Development Party (AKP). By 2003, the AKP had swept to power, riding a wave of public anger over corruption and a devastating financial crisis.

The early years of AKP rule saw extraordinary economic growth. Poverty rates declined, Türkiye became a hub for foreign investment, and vast infrastructure projects transformed the country’s landscape. Erdoğan’s government also relaxed restrictions on Islamic expression, most notably lifting bans on the hijab in universities and public institutions.

This era won Erdoğan admiration both at home and abroad. For many religiously conservative Turks, he was a leader who restored dignity to their faith after decades of being treated as second-class citizens under Kemalist secularism.

The failed coup attempt of July 2016 was a watershed moment. Erdoğan survived an assault on his government that saw bombs dropped on parliament and nearly unseated him. His response an unprecedented purge of state institutions, media, and academia sparked international concern but solidified his hold on power.

In 2018, a referendum transitioned Türkiye from a parliamentary to a presidential system, granting Erdoğan sweeping new powers.

Beyond Türkiye’s borders, Erdoğan has cultivated an image as a defender of Muslim causes. He has been one of the most vocal critics of Israel’s actions in Gaza, with his government recently severing trade ties over the latest round of violence.

In 2020, Erdoğan oversaw the controversial reversion of Hagia Sophia from a museum back into a mosque, drawing global attention. For his supporters, it was a bold reclaiming of Türkiye’s Islamic heritage; for critics, it symbolised creeping Islamisation and nationalist posturing. Türkiye under Erdoğan has also expanded its reach across the Muslim world, providing humanitarian aid to Syria, Somalia, and other countries, and positioning itself as an indispensable regional power.

As Erdoğan navigates his third decade at the helm, he remains an enigma. Economic woes including runaway inflation and a plunging lira have eroded some of his domestic support. Yet his base of conservative voters remains fiercely loyal, inspired by his emphasis on Islamic values, strong families, and Türkiye’s independence from Western tutelage.

Internationally, Erdoğan is both admired and feared: a Muslim leader who has dared to challenge NATO allies while positioning Türkiye as a mediator in conflicts from Ukraine to the Middle East.

At 70, Erdoğan shows no signs of retreating from the political stage. Whether history will remember him as a reformer who revived Türkiye’s Islamic soul, one thing is clear: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has changed Türkiye and the Muslim world in ways few leaders of his era can match.

Editor’s Note: This feature is part of our series examining influential Muslim leaders shaping contemporary geopolitics and faith in the 21st century. 

Credits: Reuters/BBC/TheMuslim500

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