Turkey trains hundreds of imams by means of ‘spy imam’ challenge

Since 2023, Pakistani spy company Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) started sending imams to “Spy Imam” challenge run by Turkish authorities with the goal of utilizing these covert spies in opposition to Hindu and “non-Muslim” Indians dwelling in a number of western nations, together with america, Canada, France, Germany, Sweden and the UK.

In line with media experiences, Turkey, by means of its essential intelligence company Milli İstihbarat Teşkilatı (MIT) the international ministry’s covert unit, the Intelligence and Analysis Directorate, generally known as İstihbarat ve Güvenlik İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü in Turkish and the federal government’s Non secular Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) are collectively working program of enlisting imams on this ‘Spy Imam’ challenge from Turkey in addition to few different Muslim nations, together with Pakistan, who have been deployed to serve overseas as belongings to assemble data and acquire intelligence in host international locations.

These candidates are chosen from a pool of people with both twin nationality or citizenship of a international nation. They don’t essentially must be of Turkish origin, though most have a Turkish background. Candidates have to be underneath 25 years of age, single and proficient within the Turkish language. They endure coaching in spiritual colleges in Turkey as a part of the Worldwide Seminary Program (Uluslararası Ilahiyat Programı – UIP), which is absolutely funded by the Turkish authorities.

As of the current day, 1,081 college students have graduated from this system, and there are presently 462 college students from 13 international locations enrolled in it. The breakdown of graduates exhibits that almost all got here from Germany (578 graduates/180 presently enrolled), adopted by France (232 graduates/198 enrolled). The Netherlands ranked third (65 graduates/24 enrolled), adopted by Belgium, Austria, Australia, Norway, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Japan, Canada, the UK and the US.

In line with Diyanet President Erbaş, roughly 500 college students who graduated from this program have been recruited by the Diyanet, and plenty of of them are presently serving overseas. This corresponds to round 50 % of all graduates who have been chosen for employment on the Diyanet. Erbaş described the UIP as “a multifaceted initiative aimed toward nurturing a various human useful resource pool”, indicating that candidates have been recruited not solely by the Diyanet but additionally by different authorities businesses.

In line with counterterrorism skilled and senior journalist Abdullah Bozkurt, who resides in exile since Recep Tayyip Erdogan started crackdown on unbiased media, candidates chosen for such missions endure cautious vetting by a authorities interagency committee after their names are put ahead by the Diyanet. They’re knowledgeable that these missions are in full compliance with Turkey’s nationwide safety pursuits and are a part of a technique to globally defend Islam in opposition to its enemies, primarily within the West.

This system, initially focusing on Europe and North America as a result of giant Turkish Muslim diaspora communities in these areas, has lately been expanded to incorporate international locations in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The final coordination assembly for this secret program befell on the sidelines of the tenth Abroad Non secular Providers Convention, held on the five-star Dedeman resort within the conservative province of Konya from November 27 to 29, 2023. The convention was attended by roughly 250 embassy advisors, attachés and coordinators serving overseas in addition to brokers from the intelligence company.

Bozkurt additional stated, within the final decade, sure Western European international locations have applied measures to cut back the presence of imams despatched by Turkey, following revelations that some imams have been engaged in espionage for the Turkish authorities. These imams have been reported to have dispatched intelligence experiences to headquarters in Turkey on critics within the Turkish expatriate neighborhood.

Beginning in January 2024, France halted the observe of accepting Turkish imams who’re on the payroll of the Turkish authorities. In the identical month, Germany additionally introduced its intention to switch imams despatched by Turkey with domestically educated clergy. In 2018 Austria declared its plans to close down Turkish mosques and expel at the least 40 imams as a part of a crackdown on political Islam, alluding to Turkey’s ruling Justice and Growth Get together (AKP), which has its roots in political Islam.

Nevertheless, the federal government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already initiated its plan B to circumvent such bans and restrictions. In recent times, the Diyanet has been cultivating a brand new technology of imams chosen from overseas to serve Turkey’s nationwide safety pursuits.

In February 2017, German police raided the houses of 4 imams alleged to have spied on the opposition for the Turkish authorities. The police motion was a part of an investigation into what paperwork obtained by Deutsche Welle (DW) present to be a broader Turkish effort to gather data throughout Europe on supporters of the spiritual motion Ankara blames for final July’s failed coup try.

The raids focused the houses of 4 Turkish imams affiliated with the Turkish-Islamic Union for Non secular Affairs (DITIB), Germany’s largest Islamic umbrella group with over 900 mosques tied to the Turkish authorities’s Directorate of Faith, or Diyanet.

Turkish spy imams with diplomatic passport

All imams of Turkish origin who’re educated on the “Spy Imam” challenge are stationed abroad with diplomatic passports, offered by the International Ministry after their choice by the interagency fee, granting Turkish imams diplomatic immunity whereas serving overseas.

In line with Turkish journalist Abdullah Bozkurt, Turkey’s Diyanet boasts a considerable finances and employs roughly 140,000 individuals in Turkey and overseas, overseeing round 90,000 mosques. Its finances for 2024, at 91.8 billion Turkish Lira (TL), noticed a staggering enhance of 151 % over the earlier 12 months, which stood at 36.5 billion Lira.

This finances surpasses the budgets of six ministries: Inside, International Affairs, Vitality and Pure Sources, Tradition and Tourism, Trade, and Know-how and Commerce. The projected finances for the Diyanet in 2025 is TL 113.9 billion, and for 2026, TL 131.1 billion.

Diyanet closed 2023 with expenditures exceeding TL 50 billion, TL 14 billion greater than its preliminary allocation.

Conversion fee of TL with 1 US greenback is 32.40.

Bozkut stated, within the final decade, the Erdogan authorities has considerably expanded its spying operations overseas, with a number of authorities businesses actively recruiting brokers, belongings and informants from twin residents or international nationals to assemble intelligence and acquire data. The target is to achieve leverage for the Erdogan authorities in discussions with its counterparts, affect the insurance policies of host governments, create proxies for mobilization to realize political targets and suppress opposition teams in Turkish expatriate communities.

Covert operation of Pakistani ISI’s spy imams

In 2011, a Pakistani spy imam named Colonel Sultan Amir Tarar, code named “Colonel Imam”- generally known as a legendary spy in Pakistan who was virtually a godfather for the Afghan Taliban underneath Mullah Umar’s management – was kidnapped by a faction of Pakistani Taliban aligned with Al Qaeda. One other former spy, Khalid Khawaja, who accompanied him on a visit to the Waziristan space, was brutally murdered by kidnappers early on.

In line with media experiences, Mullah Umar and Haqqani Community chief Siraj Haqqani, two of the perfect buddies of Pakistani ISI, tried their finest to rescue “Colonel Imam” however failed.

In line with a reputable supply, on completion of their coaching at Turkish intelligence run coaching facilities, spy imams of Pakistani ISI are deployed underneath quite a few covers to a number of international locations on this planet whereas lots of them additionally efficiently enter India utilizing passports of a 3rd nation underneath the garb of Tablighi Jamaat members. These spy imams meet ISI’s belongings inside India with numerous assignments whereas a bit of the spy imams are additionally concerned in dealing in counterfeit India foreign money, that are being unfold by means of ISI’s belongings contained in the nation.