The premiere of the anti-Ottoman Emirati series «Kingdom of Fire», which we wrote about earlier (https://golosislama.com/news.php?id=37496), has exceeded the worst expectations of experts. As it turns out, the denigration of the Ottomans through artistic and cinematic methods has provoked a much livelier reaction than previous verbal attacks. It has even led to threats of war, not only from ordinary moviegoers…
For example, Ibrahim Karagül, the editor-in-chief of the influential pro-government Turkish media outlet Yeni Şafak, wrote an entire article that began with the following words: «…these two princes, terrorist barons, are calling for revenge against us for the ‘conquest’. They are using Islam, Jerusalem and Mecca as bargaining chips. They call it the ‘Kingdom of Fire’. Well, let’s go back to 1517 if necessary. And if you continue these attacks, a new Sultan, Selim the Grim, may appear.
It should be noted that we’re talking about an Emirati series in which the Ottomans are portrayed as savage and cruel invaders of the flourishing and civilized Mamluk Sultanate. When Karagül refers to the «two princes-terrorist barons,» he means that the hereditary princes of the UAE and KSA, Muhammad bin Zayed and Muhammad bin Salman, are behind this attack on Turkey, which is portrayed as the successor to the invaders in need of revenge. He warns that if they continue to portray the Turks as conquerors of the Arabs, they may become so again (the Turkish version of «we can repeat it»).
In this context, it is worth mentioning that Ibrahim Karagül is a figure close to the Turkish establishment and a staunch apologist for the policies of President Erdogan (see their photo). He is a flamboyant person, prone to publicity and exaggeration, but for this very reason he often expresses what is being discussed in the relevant circles.
Of course, at this stage, such series are unlikely to provoke military action by Turkey, which is extremely cautious about using military force outside its borders. However, it is important to understand one important circumstance. Unlike Arab filmmakers who have chosen the Ottomans as targets, «commissioned» by the rulers of the UAE and presumably the KSA, Turkish filmmakers have not yet specifically targeted these rulers, their predecessors, or their states.
But they could easily do so next time… And, just as importantly, find sympathy among Muslims worldwide. Including the Arab world, a significant part of which has serious grievances against these rulers and regimes. And if such cinematic indoctrination becomes systematic, who knows if there will be someone among its consumers whom the regimes of KSA and UAE warn Karagül against?