Cübbeli Ahmet Hoca, a prominent and often controversial Turkish preacher, has publicly prayed for the electoral victory of Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar in a video that has gained significant attention online. The video was posted directly to the preacher's official Twitter account, making his intervention in the politics of Northern Cyprus explicit.
In the clip, the preacher, whose real name is Ahmet Mahmut Ünlü, leads a fervent prayer calling for God to ensure Tatar’s success. "Grant Ersin Tatar Beyefendi victory in these elections, O Lord. Amen!" he begins. "Turn the hearts and minds of the nation towards him, O Lord. Amen!"
Source: X
The prayer frames the election in stark, nationalist terms, portraying a loss for Tatar as a catastrophic event for Turkish Cypriots and Turkey. Cübbeli Ahmet Hoca asks God to "teach the voters in Cyprus about the calamities and disasters that will befall them in the future" should they make the wrong choice. He calls for divine intervention to deliver the "necessary information for them to choose correctly."
The rhetoric escalates as he prays against what he describes as the "danger of completely losing Cyprus under the guise of an agreement with the Greeks (Greek Cypriots)." He calls on God to "destroy the traitors to the homeland, both here and there," and to thwart those who "make deals with the infidels behind closed doors."
The preacher explicitly prays for the downfall of Tatar's opponents, asking God to "annihilate their means, nullify their power, and render their reputations worthless."
He concludes by reiterating his support for the incumbent leader, praying, "Make those who are loyal to their homeland, their nation, and their religion victorious, O Lord. Amen! Especially, make our President Ersin Tatar victorious again, O Lord. Amen!"
The video underscores the deep-seated interest of conservative and nationalist circles in mainland Turkey in the political direction of the Turkish Cypriot community. Ersin Tatar is a strong advocate for a two-state solution on the island, a policy heavily backed by Ankara. Cübbeli's public prayer adds a powerful religious and nationalist dimension to the electoral landscape, highlighting the perceived stakes of the election well beyond the shores of Cyprus.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons