Ottoman sultan's descendants eye politics

Nilhan Osmanoğlu, a great granddaughter of the Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II, says her family may make a foray into politics. The 29-year-old granddaughter of the Ottoman Empire's 34th ruler told a panel about her ancestors that they chose a family member to represent them in politics although she did not give any further details.

Osmanoğlu, who runs an e-commerce site where she sells books, dresses, fezzes and other Ottoman-related accessories was speaking at an Istanbul event on Kösem Sultan, a powerful female figure in the Ottoman court as consort and later wife of Sultan Ahmed I in the 17th century.

The young Ottoman, whose family spread across the world after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century, said the descendants of Abdülhamid II threw their full support behind President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. "He feels politically isolated and in one of our meetings, I told the president he was luckier than my grandfather because he had the support of his nation. The nation endorsed the president on July 15 (the day of a foiled coup attempt)," she said. The young Ottoman said Turkey was mobilized against terrorism and everyone had a responsibility to "shoulder the burden." "It is not about belonging to a party. We have to stand united so that the state will prevail. We told the president in our latest meeting that our family will never quit supporting him and a family member will join politics. I can't give you a name now but we will support the president," she said. Osmanoğlu did not hint whether they would join the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) or form a new political party. President Erdoğan is one of the founders of the AK Party and served as prime minister previously.

She also defended Turkey's proactive Middle East policy. "We are branded 'reactionary' for embracing the Middle East," said Osmanoğlu, whose parents lived in Damascus until the 1970s before returning to Turkey. "During the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid we embraced the Middle East so that Muslims would be united," she said.

Osmanoğlu said the sectarian strife in the region fueled larger conflicts and said Turkey's enemies turned to "puppets" for "backstabbing." "In the end, Turkey will win this fight and those making Turkey an enemy are doomed to defeat," she said.