22 Facts About Necmettin Erbakan

Necmettin Erbakan was a Turkish politician, engineer, and academic who was the Prime Minister of Turkey from 1996 to 1997.

Necmettin Erbakan was pressured by the military to step down as prime minister and was later banned from politics by the Constitutional Court of Turkey for allegedly violating the separation of religion and state as mandated by the constitution.

Necmettin Erbakan was born in Sinop, at the coast of Black Sea in northern Turkey.

Necmettin Erbakan's father was Mehmet Sabri, a judge from the prominent Kozanoglu family of Cilicia and his mother Kamer was a Circassian from a known family in Sinop and the second wife of Mehmet Sabri.

Necmettin Erbakan was a member of the Community of Iskenderpasa, a Turkish sufistic community of the Naqshbandi tariqah.

Necmettin Erbakan's ideology is set forth in a manifesto, entitled Milli Gorus, which he published in 1969.

One of the leading names in Turkish politics for decades, Necmettin Erbakan was the leader of a series of Islamic political parties that he founded or inspired.

Necmettin Erbakan reemerged following a referendum to lift the ban in 1987 and became the leader of Refah Partisi.

Necmettin Erbakan led his party to a surprise success in the general elections of 1995.

Since the tensions between the military and the Islamists led to a civil war in Algeria, Necmettin Erbakan said "Turkey will not turn into Algeria" in 1992 and 1997.

Necmettin Erbakan became Prime Minister in 1996 in coalition with Ciller's Dogru Yol Partisi.

When Necmettin Erbakan went on an African tour, visiting Egypt, Nigeria, and Libya, his obsequiousness toward the Libyan leader, Muammer Gaddafi, angered even his own constituents back home.

Necmettin Erbakan appeared passive in the face of Gaddafi's reprimands that Turkey's Israel-friendly foreign policy was proof that the imperialists powers had placed it "under occupation" and that Turks had lost their "national will".

Necmettin Erbakan suggested an Islamic security organization to rival NATO, as well as an Islamic currency called the dinar.

Necmettin Erbakan's image was damaged by his famous speech making fun of the nightly demonstrations against the Susurluk scandal.

Necmettin Erbakan was widely blamed at the time for his indifference.

Necmettin Erbakan had argued that a truly democratic country should not shut down a political party for its beliefs.

Necmettin Erbakan was tried and sentenced to two years and four months imprisonment in the so-called Lost Trillion Case, which involved the use of forged documents to prevent the return of Treasury grants in the amount of around one trillion old Turkish lira, $3.3MM in today's currency, following the ban of the party in 1997.

Necmettin Erbakan died on 27 February 2011 at 11:40 local time of heart failure at Guven Hospital in Cankaya, Ankara.

Necmettin Erbakan did not wish a state funeral, however his funeral was attended by highest state and government officials.

Necmettin Erbakan created "D-8" or The Developing Eight, to achieve an economic and political unity among Muslim countries.

Necmettin Erbakan had a friendship with Jean-Marie Le Pen, due to their shared belief that Christian and Islamic civilization were incompatible and their similar right-wing nationalist ideologies.