Turkey’s Role in NATO Under Scrutiny Amid New Report on Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood Ties

(SeaPRwire) –   FIRST ON FOX: A new study is causing alarm about Turkey’s position in the Middle East, contending that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s leadership has steered the nation from its conventional Western alliances toward stronger involvement with Islamist groups, such as the Muslim Brotherhood.

A report from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, authored by senior fellow Sinan Ciddi and named “Islamist Domination of Turkey: A Forward Base for Muslim Brotherhood-Aligned Jihadism,” states that Turkey maintains connections to Hamas—the group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. that carried out the Oct. 7 massacre—and to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement whose branches have recently been labeled terrorist organizations by the United States. This casts a fresh spotlight on Turkey’s policies as it gets ready to hold a NATO summit.

Ciddi informed Digital that this change indicates a wider shift in Turkey’s perception of threats.

“Turkey has entirely redefined the criteria for identifying a jihadist terrorist organization,” Ciddi stated. “Erdoğan has reconfigured the interpretation of a terrorist entity… groups like Hamas or al-Nusra align with his pan-Islamist worldview.”

A key element of the report is Turkey’s association with Hamas, which the U.S. classifies as a terrorist organization. Despite this, Hamas increased its activities in Turkey after 2011, setting up offices and networks within the country.

“Starting in 2011… Hamas exploited the chance presented by a sympathetic government in Turkey to open offices, conduct recruitment, and raise funds,” Ciddi explained.

U.S. officials have moved against some of these networks. The Treasury Department has identified Hamas-linked people and organizations working in Turkey, a fact Ciddi noted highlights persistent worries.

“The U.S. Treasury has been monitoring and designating Hamas-connected NGOs and individuals within Turkey,” he said.

The study further claims that certain Hamas agents have traveled using documents provided by Turkey and that high-ranking members have been officially welcomed by Erdoğan.

In addition to Hamas, the report characterizes Turkey as a central location for Muslim Brotherhood members from various regions, including Egypt and Yemen, numerous of whom moved there after facing suppression in their native countries.

In several Arab nations, the Muslim Brotherhood has faced bans or limitations for many years.

Egypt banned the group in 2013, charging it with provoking instability and weakening state bodies. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates subsequently classified it as a terrorist organization, calling it a danger to national security, and Bahrain took a comparable position.

Jordan disbanded its local branch this year after arrests that officials claimed were associated with illegal weapons operations.

Certain European nations have also implemented measures aimed at networks associated with the movement.

For instance, Austria has initiated legal proceedings against people and groups it alleges are involved in Brotherhood-related activities as a component of its counter-extremism strategies.

Authorities in these countries contend that the Brotherhood functions through a combination of religious activities, political advocacy, charity groups, and media outlets to sway public sentiment and oppose governmental control.

The report also looks into Turkey’s involvement in Syria, where it supported opposition groups in the civil war, aiding various armed factions, including those that eventually created the Syrian National Army.

“The Syrian National Army… was an assortment of militias that Turkey directly equipped, financed, and coordinated,” he stated.

The report connects Turkish backing to organizations like al-Nusra and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, leading analysts to question if these relationships might make Turkish officials vulnerable to possible U.S. sanctions.

Notwithstanding these issues, other experts indicate that Turkey’s alliance with the United States still serves to check its actions, and the rapport between Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been marked by restored confidence, with Trump commending Erdoğan’s diplomatic efforts in Gaza.

When Trump hailed the Gaza ceasefire agreement in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in October 2025, he gave exceptional recognition to one leader—Erdoğan—whose efforts he acknowledged for assisting in achieving the Gaza ceasefire.

“A guy who’s been a friend of mine for a long time. I don’t know why I like the tough people better than the soft, easy ones,” Trump remarked about Erdoğan at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit in October 2025. “This gentleman from a place called Turkey is one of the most powerful in the world… He’s a tough cookie—but he’s my friend.”

Hişyar Özsoy, a Turkish politician and scholar, characterized the Erdoğan-Trump relationship as “transactional,” observing that Washington frequently depends on Turkey for regional cooperation.

During a policy webinar organized by the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, Turkish scholar Hüseyin Bağcı stressed that Ankara maintains close links to Washington.

“The Turkish state has no desire to confront Israel because the Turkish government enjoys strong relations with the United States of America,” he commented. “You cannot have good relations with America and simultaneously be in dispute with Israel.”

Bağcı also indicated that Turkey has occasionally restrained Islamist elements within its borders.

“Today, do you hear anything about” the Muslim Brotherhood, he asked. “No… because the president said to stop.”

Turkey, having been a NATO member since 1952, continues to be an important ally for the United States, offering logistical support, military assets, and diplomatic influence.

However, Ciddi maintained that Turkey’s present path is growing more misaligned with the alliance’s key objectives.

“There is a documented history… of Turkey substantially compromising the fundamental security interests of the transatlantic alliance,” he asserted.

He referenced U.S. sanctions on Turkish organizations charged with providing dual-use items to Russia, in addition to Ankara’s general approach of sustaining relationships with rival powers.

Regarding Turkey’s stance in tensions with Iran, Ciddi suggested Turkey would probably prefer an enfeebled Iranian government over a total downfall that might lead to a more Western-friendly administration.

“A weakened Iranian regime is Erdoğan’s most secure option,” he said.

Bağcı provided a comparable evaluation of the competition.

“Iran is not an adversary of Turkey, but not exactly a close ally either. Turkey and Iran are two regional rivals,” he noted.

The report proposes possible U.S. policy measures, such as sanctions and heightened oversight of Turkey’s financial system, actions that might redefine the relationship between Washington and Ankara.

Digital made several attempts to contact the Turkish government and the State Department for a statement but got no reply before publication.