According to Husain Haqqani, the former Pakistani ambassador to Washington, Erdogan's actions and political thinking resembles Pakistan's military dictator between 1978 and 1988, Zia ul-Haq.

Much like Zia, the Turkish President too is pushing for the Islamisation of Turkey while pumping government money and depositing it into Islamic schools.

The government has been accused of being intolerant and has dealt with critics in a severe way, causing several watch-dogs to question its functioning.

Opponents in the country are also worried about the significant rise of Imam Hatip religious schools. Erdogan has attended one such schools and has roots in political Islam.

Critics have blamed Erdogan for trying to undo the work of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey.

Ataturk believed that the country should be free of religious teachings.

Last year, Turkey also scraped Darwin's Theory of Evolution and replaced it with 'Jihad'.

When quizzed about the theory's exclusion, Turkey's education minister Ismet Yilmaz said that it is above the students' level and not directly relevant, prompting sharp criticism from the opposition.

Stating that the real meaning of Jihad is 'loving your nation', Yilmaz told reporters: "It is also our duty to fix what has been perceived as wrong. This is why the Islamic law class and basic fundamental religion lectures will include jihad."

However, contrary to Yilmaz's statement, jihad has had a serious effect globally.

Though it translates to 'holy war', many scholars have stated that jihad also refers to personal, spiritual struggle against sin, but militants have chosen another explanation, a more bloody option of waging war against enemies of Islam, thus giving rise to several Islamist terror groups.

Under Erdogan, Turkey has witnessed turbulent times as the President has closed newspapers, crushed protests and threatened foreign nations of consequences.

However, the one thing that separates Turkey from Pakistan is its military. While Pakistan's radical Islamisation is driven by the military itself, in Turkey it has come from an elected leader.

According to reports, during a rally at Kahramanmaras, he brought a young girl who was dressed in army costume on stage and told her she would be honoured if she died a martyr. Apparently, terrorists use the same line to brainwash impressionable minds.

Image: Screengrab from YouTube