Turkey's 'Muslim God, Erdogan: The Sun of the Age

"...Apparently, Erdogan and his followers believe that he is not just the "supreme leader" who cannot be criticized; there is an even more worrying side of literal worship to Erdogan among his pious supporters.

...As Turkish columnist Mustafa Akyol reminded readers in a recent article, a government deputy declared in 2011 that "even touching Erdogan is a form of worship," and in 2014 another government deputy proclaimed that Erdogan "carries all the attributes of Allah in himself.

Akyol writes that a recent book, "Recep Tayyip Erdogan: The Sun of the Age," proudly refers to the president as "an idol for our youth," which would sound bizarre, if not heretical, to the average Islamist. "Such views, heretical from a traditional Islamic perspective, were criticized and ridiculed by Erdogan's opponents, but he conspicuously said nothing," Akyol comments.

Erdogan, who has never hidden his appreciation for praise and rigid intolerance of criticism, may be happy for being portrayed as "The Sun of the Age," or by being associated with Allah. He probably believes that he possesses near-holy qualities gifted to him by Allah for the advancement of Islam as a political ideology, both in Turkey and in the former Ottoman lands"