A recent retweet by United Arab Emirates' (UAE) Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan bearing accusations against Ottomans during World War I and linking it to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has once again strained ties with Ankara.
The post retweeted by Nahyan was accusing Fahreddin Pasha, an Ottoman military governor of Medina who served from 1916 to 1919, of committing crimes against the local population, including stealing their property and the sacred relics of Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh) tomb. "These are Erdoğan's ancestors and their past with the Arabs," the post said at the end.
Addressing local mukhtars Wednesday in the Presidential Palace Complex in Ankara, Erdoğan harshly criticized the UAE and Nahyan, asking "While Fahreddin Pasha was conducting the defense of Medina, you, the miserable one slandering us, where were your ancestors?"
In May 1916, as the World War I was ongoing with the Ottoman Empire siding with Central Powers, several Arab tribes which were led by Sharif Hussein ibn Ali of Mecca and backed by the British revolted against the Ottoman rule, in which British spy Thomas Edward Lawrence played a major role. However, a significant number of Arab tribes did not join this revolt and continued supporting the Ottomans against the British-led Allied troops advancing in Palestine and Iraq. In addition, there were thousands of Arabs conscripted by Ottomans fighting in the ranks of Ottoman troops.
In order to avoid the destruction of holy relics, Fahreddin Pasha organized a train guarded by 2,000 of his men and transferred the items to Istanbul, which are currently being displayed in the Sacred Relics section of the Topkapı Palace Museum.
Despite hit-and-run attacks by poorly organized Arab troops which caused heavy casualties from both sides and disrupted transport, Ottoman troops largely managed to hold their positions in Hejaz. However, the situation became hopeless when the front in Gaza collapsed under British attacks from Egypt's Sinai in late 1917, while Arab forces managed to cut Ottoman territories two months earlier in July through their raid on Aqaba. Yet, the garrison in Medina led by Fahreddin Pasha withstood the attacks and dire siege conditions until Jan. 10, 1919, continuing their resistance even after the Armistice of Mudros was signed between the Ottomans and Allied powers on Oct. 30, 1918. For his role, Fahreddin Pasha is generally regarded highly in Turkey, honored with nicknames such as "Hero of Medina" or "Defender of Medina."
"The works carried out by Fahreddin Pasha during his defense in Medina which lasted two years and seven months, his determined stance and resistance until the very last moment is really praiseworthy. You unfortunates who are in a state of delirium so much that you shamelessly claim my [Erdoğan's] ancestors had stolen sacred relics from there and brought them to Istanbul. This is not stealing, in fact, this is protecting them from those who came there to invade, to occupy," Erdoğan said, noting that those who accuse Turks and Ottomans in this regard show no efforts for the return of sacred relics that were brought to Western countries.
Erdoğan said that the animosity of some rulers in some Arab countries stems from efforts to cover their own incapability, incompetence or betrayal. "Rulers of some countries who don't know their place, history or diplomatic courtesy, cannot cast their shadow with our brotherhood with Arab peoples. We will not leave the scene to those who denigrate unity of Muslims for the sake of their own personal gains," he noted.
"We know very well what [plans] those who talk against this distinguished figure in our history and his glorious resistance in Medina are plotting today, and with whom, where and how. A time will come when we will explain all of this," he stated.
Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın on Tuesday also slammed the post, describing it as "a propaganda lie that seeks to turn Turks [and] Arabs against one another," while calling it a "shame."
"It was Fahreddin Pasha who bravely defended Madina [sic] against the British plans then. Is attacking President Erdoğan at all costs the new fashion now?" Kalın added.
The UAE has been accused of supporting plots in Turkey against the Turkish government, as well as Ankara's role in the broader region.