A religious group that has backed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan challenged his government on Tuesday over corruption, favoritism and failures of oversight, extending criticism of his administration into the religious and business circles that form part of his support base.
The Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi Foundation, affiliated with the Erenköy religious community, published a declaration titled “We reject social decay,” demanding accountability for corruption across government, business and civil society.
The Erenköy community follows the Naqshbandi Sufi tradition, a form of Islamic practice centered on spiritual teaching, and operates education and aid programs through foundations in Turkey and abroad.
The foundation blamed an investment fund crisis in Turkey on failed supervision, tolerance of wrongdoing and favoritism, insisting that confidence could not be restored until those responsible answered for their actions.
It demanded accountability for bribery and corruption across public institutions, municipalities, property development, business and civil society, regardless of who was responsible.
“Those who stay silent on corruption, favoritism and violations of others’ rights lose the right to speak of morality,” the foundation said.
Its criticism extended to schools, television programming and online gambling, with demands for broadcast restrictions, a ban on gambling advertisements and greater access to addiction treatment.
The declaration also praised Turkey’s progress over the past 25 years, warning that personal greed and irresponsibility should not undermine those gains.
The demand for accountability extended responsibility to those governing Turkey, making the declaration a challenge from a community close to Erdoğan.
The statement received support from Mahmut Asmalı, chairman of the high advisory council of the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association (MÜSİAD), a business organization that has backed Erdoğan’s government.
Asmalı shared the declaration on X with the words, “I fully agree and would put my signature to it.”
The foundation endorsed Erdoğan ahead of the 2018 presidential election, presenting support for his administration as a duty to the Muslim community.
Erdoğan also prayed alongside the community’s leader, Osman Nuri Topbaş, at an İstanbul mosque in February 2023.
The foundation has enjoyed tax exemption since a cabinet decision in 2011 and permission to collect donations without prior authorization since 2013.
The fund crisis erupted in mid-September when some investment funds, which pool money to buy shares and other assets, could not meet requests from investors to withdraw their savings.
The Capital Markets Board (SPK), Turkey’s securities regulator, ordered the liquidation of 131 funds managed by seven companies, requiring their assets to be sold to repay investors.
Those funds had 455,758 individual investors, a figure that does not represent the number still awaiting repayment.
Opposition politicians have questioned whether investors with political connections received advance warning and withdrew money before other investors found themselves unable to recover their savings.
The scandal has reached Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), with former family minister Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya leaving AKP leadership posts in September after allegations that she and her husband profited from share transactions before the crisis.
The party confirmed last week that Kaya was no longer a member, although both she and her husband have denied wrongdoing.
The AKP has also sued journalists and an opposition spokesman over their coverage and criticism of the scandal.
Erdoğan on Monday announced that interim repayments of up to 1 million lira ($20,000) would begin this month after parliament passes legislation governing fund liquidation.
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