Bismillah,

I have relatives who are Turkish or live in Turkey. And if you get the chance to talk to them, they often come off proud and patriotic, much like the Texans; always full of zeal. In fact, Texans display their flag anywhere and everywhere; and love to tell you their logo, ‘The Lone Star State’. They have even attempted to become an independent country by their seceding attempts from the USA. Anyways, I was always skeptical of Turkish people with their sometimes high sense of superiority until I read an article by Raeesa Patel in SISTERS Magazine where she wrote “…A Muslim’s Heritage. In a hadith we learn that our Prophet (sallallahu aleihi wassalam) once gave glad tidings to his companions by saying “You will conquer Constantinople. Its commander will be the best, and its army will be the best.” (Ahmad) https://goo.gl/THi7JV

It was then that I understood where the Turkish zeal was coming from, at last. The greatness of its people was long predicted by our beloved Prophet (SAW). And it is that same zeal and sense of patriotism they recently displayed when their leader called upon them to save their country from assailants. Most Turkish politicians generally seem so motivational when you listen to them even if you don’t understand what they are saying. You sense their great public speaking skills in the way they talk and carry their speech. The way the crowd cheers and roars at their words of exhortation. To digress more, Author Sheima Summer also recently shared her experience in Turkey http://goo.gl/uzwyEu . As for me, I was working from home in the afternoon around 2 p.m. on that particular Friday when my younger brother called to tell me the awful news, subhanAllah. He really follows the news. I immediately called my husband who came from work early that day, and we tuned into the news together. Then, we reached our relatives in Turkey via skype. Unfortunately, they were sleeping at the time and didn’t know what was happening because it was so late there. The militants had shut down the media and several bridges to ensure that their plans to overthrow Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government went as planned. We silently prayed for Turkey. I went on social media and requested duas (prayers) from my friends and they kept us in their prayers. No one wanted to relive the Arab Springs again. No one wanted another Egypt with a puppet regime, so we implored our Lord as we kept watching Turkish News (at least the ones that weren’t shut down). We stopped watching CNN because they were reporting misleading information. No surprise there.

Nothing happens except only by the will of Allah. Alhamdullilah, as the brave and patriotic Turkish people descended upon the streets to take their country back, Allah saved this nation. The power and control shifted rather quickly. I’m still amazed at their courage. Their president asked them to do a difficult thing; put their lives on the line for the sake of their faith and country. And they responded in great numbers because Only Allah should be feared. This was a great historical moment of ‘Power by the People’.

Since the coup, several things have taken place in Turkey:

- The mutineers have been apprehended and Fethullah Gülen, a former ally of Erdoğan is believed to be behind the failed coup with FETÔ (Gülenist Terror Organisation (Fetullahçı Terör Örgütü)); a terrorist organization he’s alleged to be the head of;

- The defendant Fethullah Gülen lives in the USA, Pennsylvania to be exact. Turkish expats are still protesting in front of his house;

- Turkey has demanded Fethullah Gülen’s extradition but the USA is stalling or waiting for more proof. If the USA doesn’t comply, Turkey will no longer release to them anymore high profile and wanted criminals like in the past;

- The word ‘Democracy’ has been adopted and used a lot as a new slogan in Turkey for all to know. The people marched. Mobilization campaigns were held around the country to show a united front. The President and the Prime Minister made appearances all around the country to speak at massive events;

- Free transportation was awarded to the residents of Turkey as a token of gratitude;

- People were in the streets as vigilante for nearly three weeks because they were told not to let their guards down. Now, their democratic demonstration has been relocated to Yenikapi; a huge park by the water. A military tactic in my opinion, since it’s next to a harbor. The assailants came by plane and landed in a stadium. A typical thing for resistances (attack by air, land, or sea). So I think the President is trying to have people watch an invasion by sea too;

- There were jannaazah (funeral) services for over 217 dead people. The Prime Minister visited several injured in the hospital;

- A new General has been appointed and the review of several security footages took place. The coup was supposed to start at 3 p.m. but it started early. Their plan was made public due to the data collected through their paper notes. It also revealed the names of military officials they were going to appoint in each state, the curfew times, the WhatsApp exchanges between the mutineers and their leaders;

- These helped as evidence and the piecing of the coup background better. Thousands of people have been arrested as a result. Some had fled to neighboring countries but they were caught and repatriated to Turkey;

- According to the news, one dollar bills were found in the pockets of all the mutineers and footage of a General of the Pentagon meeting 1 hour before the coup in a Turkish military base appeared. Whether American politicians and the CIA are behind it, we don’t know. All we know is that an attempt on a leading and strong Muslim nation which has recently paid off his debt occurred;

- It’s said that Gullen gave names of some pentagon officers he’s worked with.

I don’t particularly care much for Erdoğan. He has been accused of being Authoritarian. That being said, a military government is not the solution because of power corrupt people, especially the military. I have seen it in my own country which went through several coups led by the military. It’s sad and the consequences are dire. A military army is the strength of a country and it’s also its weakness.

I pray that Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) grant Jannat al-Firdaws to the martyrs who lost their lives during this calamitous event. Ameen. Muslim nations and Muslims around the world supported Turkey and will take an example from its people to stand up for themselves going forward. Not that they haven’t in the past, but this is a new unprecedented record set by a Muslim nation masha’Allah. Let’s continue to pray for every ummati out there insha’Allah.

Bio: Papatia Feauxzar is a West African Author living in Dallas, Texas with her son and husband. She also holds a Master degree in Accounting with a concentration in Personal Finance. She now works from home alhamdullilah. Visit her at www.djarabikitabs.com .