Egyptian Journalist Ibrahim Eissa Blasts Conventional Concept of the Islamic Caliphate: The Ottomans Were Occupiers Who Oppressed Our Peoples

Egyptian journalist and TV host Ibrahim Eissa said that "the notion of the Caliphate is a commodity, which is shaped and sold by the merchants of illusion," such as Ayman Al-Zawahiri, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, and Turkish President Erdoğan. "Egypt and all the Arab countries and peoples were occupied, under the rule of a Caliphate, which was an occupier itself," he said. "The Ottoman Caliphate had occupied our countries and oppressed our peoples." Eissa made these remarks during his show on Al-Hurra TV on April 15.

Ibrahim Eissa: "Let's talk about the people who sell illusions. The notion of the caliphate is a commodity, which is shaped and sold by the merchants of illusion – people like Abul A'la Al-Maududi, like Hassan Al-Banna and his [Muslim] Brotherhood, like Ayman Al-Zawahiri and Al-Baghdadi, and like Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Each and every one of them has his own 'caliphate,' his own ambitions, his own [notion of] authority, and a strong desire to eliminate people's awareness – all for the sake of the caliphate. 'The dream of the caliphate,' 'masters of the world,' 'control of the world,' 'we are coming for you, oh world'... Let's watch this video."

On screen: "The End of the Caliphate."

Speaker: "When they brought in Kemal Ataturk, the Caliphate was destroyed. The late Sultan Abdul Hamid II stood firm, like a rock, and refused to let the Jews have a state in Palestine. They plotted against him, until they toppled him and brought in that secular man."

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Ibrahim Eissa: "Have you ever considered that under the Ottoman caliph, about whom you are so upset, Egypt was occupied? That France was occupying Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia? That Italy was occupying Libya? That France was occupying parts of Syria and Lebanon? And Iraq whatever... Have you considered this, or don't you care? All of this was in the days of Ottoman rule... Egypt and all the Arab countries and peoples were occupied, under the rule of a Caliphate, which was an occupier itself. The Ottoman Caliphate had occupied our countries, and oppressed our peoples."