Turkey Is Building a Geopolitical Alliance Between Sunni and Shiite IslamistsBy Irina Tsukerman April 14, 2020 April 14, 2020Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, photo via Office of the President of RussiaBESA Center Perspectives Paper No. The relative lack of interest in the crime from within Turkey itself reflects Ankara’s willingness to consort with Shiite Islamists to its own advantage. Turkey reportedly uses mosques and cultural centers for recruitment by its intelligence in various European countries and in the US. Turkey has also been facilitating a money-laundering oil-for-gold scheme with Iran to circumvent sanctions since at least 2012. Shiite and Sunni Islamists, despite their different ideologies, have a history of cooperation on both geostrategic and local political levels.

Source: The North Africa Journal April 14, 2020 04:18 UTC