Erdoğan visits religious sect İsmailağa

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Ahmet Ustaosmanoğlu, the son of the religious leader of the İsmailağa congregation Mahmut Ustaosmanoğlu, and Hasan Kılıç, the heir of Mahmut Ustaosmanoğlu.
Thursday, 16 January 2020 15:03

The congregation released photos but did not comment on the content of the visit. The congregation already stated that the visit had a sincere atmosphere. In the photos, Erdoğan seemed to show deference.

Erdoğan asked the congregation to give recommendations against the new political party movement headed by Ahmet Davutoğlu and Ali Babacan, it was reported.

The İsmailağa congregation is known to be an AKP supporter. In fact, the congregation supported AKP during the local election in 2019 and the general election in 2015. It further supported the referendum on the constitutional amendments proposed by AKP in 2010.

The İsmailağa congregation is one of the religious sects that is recognized by the upper-echelons of the state. Indeed, the congregation was invited to state events as a part of the dignitaries. The congregation is a branch of Nakşibendi order.