Erdogan: We reject Egypt's coup, and its supporters should donate money to the Muslim world's poor

Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that accepting the military coup in Egypt means that people will not be able to speak up in the future if another, similar coup takes place in another country.

Erdogan also confirmed that only the ballot box reveals the true will of the Egyptian people.

In reference to the countries that support the coup, Erdogan said that at a time when some Arab countries are pouring their support on dictatorial regimes, many areas in the Muslim world are in need of Zakat because of the tough economic conditions that Muslim peoples are currently living under.

Speaking of the situation in Syria, he said that the country has seen the death of more than 100,000 Syrians, and the number of refugees who have fled has exceeded millions. “Where is the West with all this going on?” he asked.

Erdogan recalled events from Turkey’s history: “We remember the suffering of our girls who used to stand crying in front of schools and universities that banned them from entry on the grounds that they wore the headscarf.”

“We in the AKP suffered much pain and were subjected to difficulties of different kinds – including exclusion” and domination “by a handful of elitists who seized power without care about the people or their right to power. And now, we are facing a new logic that is being promoted by some – that democracy is not about the ballot boxes; through this logic they want to promote chaos and eradicate the popular will,” Erdogan said.

“We have gone a long way on the path of democracy, and we have to give a lesson to the world on how to implement democracy, which is what we did during the Gezi events (in Taksim in Istanbul),” he added.

Erdogan called on the Turkish people to be alert, as “many are working on planting the seeds of turbulence in our midst. And we have to protect our values with all the strength we have.”

The Turkish premier also said that next March will carry with it the answer to all those who described AKP as dictatorial, as the country will witness free and fair elections and the people will make their decision with all freedom and transparency.

He criticized the Republican People’s Party from the Turkish opposition, saying that it has fallen in the hands of people who can do nothing but fish in troubled waters. He explained that AKP will not leave the waters troubled for others to fish in – but will go to clean ballot boxes to show the true will of the people.