海角大神

At the edge of the crowd in Istanbul鈥檚 Taksim Square, where thousands of flag-waving Turks have rallied every night this week, was a single carpet, just large enough for four or five people to pray shoulder to shoulder.

The carpet faced Mecca 鈥撀爐he traditional direction of prayer for Muslims. But it also faced a sign just a few feet away in Turkey鈥檚 national colors of red and white that reads: 鈥淰igil for Democracy.鈥�

At nightly rallies in squares across the country to honor citizens who surged onto the streets a week ago to thwart a military coup, stopping tanks and disarming soldiers, a powerful new symbolism is meeting politics.

It is a potent blend of images that tug at Turkish hearts by combining nationalism, Islam, and democracy. Most are aimed at further boosting the political fortunes of Turkey鈥檚 charismatic but divisive president, Recep Tayyip Erdo臒an, who is portrayed by acolytes as a divinely protected guardian of democracy.

From the flags and public prayers to full-page newspaper ads, placed by big companies and state entities like Turkish Airlines, thanking Turkey鈥檚 commander-in-chief and proclaiming, 鈥淒emocracy Wins,鈥� Turks are being inundated with images that are shaping their political future as they cope with a national trauma.

Devotees vow to give their lives for Mr. Erdo臒an 鈥撀爋ne young man in Taksim wore a white sheet as a death shroud, with the words, 鈥淚 am ready to die for this.鈥� The crowd chants 鈥淕od is great!鈥� repeatedly, all night.

And there is a universal enemy: Effigies of Fethullah G眉len, the cleric living in exile in Pennsylvania and accused of leading a 鈥渢errorist鈥� movement to bring down Turkey鈥檚 elected government, are strung up and desecrated.

Erdo臒an and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) are seen by many to be converting a moment of national unity 鈥撀燼ll the main political parties condemned the coup 鈥撀爄nto a political one that bolsters their own Islamist-rooted worldview. But the catalyst was a moment of great national distress felt by everyone, including, some say, the president.

鈥淓rdo臒an is certainly using this to galvanize his base鈥�. There is no doubt it will deepen the cult of personality around Erdo臒an,鈥� says Mustafa Akyol, a Turkish analyst and columnist, and author of 鈥淚slam without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty.鈥�

鈥淏ut I think beside him using [it], Erdo臒an is himself deeply affected by this,鈥� says Mr. Akyol. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just, 鈥楬e鈥檚 making these very meticulous evil plans to bring more political support.鈥� He and everybody around Erdo臒an is really thinking that the country is in urgent danger, and you can鈥檛 blame them for thinking like that.鈥�

Shockwaves through nation

鈥淭he people who rightly criticize this should see the incredible thing that created it,鈥� says Akyol, noting that the attempted coup included soldiers shooting at citizens and airstrikes against the parliament building.聽Some 250 people died.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how Americans would feel if Congress was bombed by American jets 鈥撀爄t would really shock the nation and create shockwaves,鈥� adds Akyol. 鈥淭hat is what is happening in Turkey right now.鈥�

Erdo臒an announced that July 15 will become 鈥淢artyr鈥檚 Memorial Day鈥� in Turkey, and said: 鈥淔uture generations will never forget the heroic resistance of July 15th, in the name of democracy.鈥�

On Thursday he said a new three-month state of emergency would strengthen, not harm, democracy in Turkey, though Amnesty International warned that it 鈥渕ust not pave the way for a roll-back in human rights鈥� as tens of thousands of police, soldiers, judges, educators, and others are being investigated for alleged links to the coup-plotters.

The public rallies are a response to Erdo臒an鈥檚 call to remain on the streets, a message renewed at dawn Thursday in a presidential text to all cellphones and addressed to 鈥渟aintly citizens.鈥�

鈥淭o teach the terrorist organization 鈥� a lesson we must continue to seize democracy,鈥� the text read. 鈥淭he tanks are not the owners of the squares.鈥�

Huge demand for flags

So many Turkish flags are being waved, draped on buildings, and attached to car convoys and boat flotillas that the country鈥檚 flag makers report being overwhelmed by the demand.

Each night, state and pro-AKP broadcasters show split-screen live images from half a dozen city squares at a time, giving the impression that the entire population is spontaneously on the streets, celebrating and 鈥渄efending鈥� democracy. And while the celebration has been genuine, it has also been facilitated by days of free public transportation, while food, drink and other services are provided by local municipalities and charity groups.

A banner put up across the offices of state broadcaster TRT in the capital, Ankara 鈥撀爓here soldiers took control and issued statements during the coup 鈥撀爎eads: 鈥淐itizens, alongside our Commander-in-Chief, we became the owners of freedom!鈥�

One television spot shows Erdo臒an, pre-coup, burnishing both his nationalist and religious credentials as he prays at the graves of soldiers who fell in the war against Kurdish militants in southeast Turkey. Few have missed the聽Erdo臒an-as-savior聽message, which has grown more frequent over the last year as Turkey has witnessed more than a dozen suicide bomb attacks.

鈥淚t is only Erdo臒an who can bring hope,鈥� says one citizen about the messaging, as he mocks the nightly rallies. 鈥淎nd it is only Erdo臒an who can bring darkness.鈥�

In his own comments, Erdo臒an has stated repeatedly how he was minutes away from being captured and perhaps killed by coup-plotters who came for him at a holiday resort. And everyone has heard the report that pro-coup fighter pilots had Erdo臒an鈥檚 plane in their gun sights as it flew toward Istanbul, but for unknown reasons didn鈥檛 fire.

'The dog of Satan'

And then there is the 鈥渆nemy.鈥�

Pro-government newspapers have run full front-page 鈥淲anted鈥� posters for Mr. G眉len, the exiled cleric and former Erdo臒an and AKP ally-turned-arch-foe. He is accused of orchestrating the coup attempt through what Turkish prosecutors since 2013 have called the Fethullah G眉len Terrorist Organization (FET脰).

Turkish officials this week officially requested G眉len鈥檚 extradition, and say ties with the US will suffer if he is not handed over. Stories in state-run newspapers describe a number of Turks 鈥渞ushing鈥� to courthouses to change their names from Fethullah.

In a video that emerged Friday, G眉len says the Turkish reaction is 鈥渟tupid right now, they are laughing and acting like they have achieved success, like in a large celebration鈥�. But the world is ridiculing them.鈥�

In case there were any doubt about official rage, the largest single banner that hung this week in Taksim Square 鈥� several stories high, more than twice as wide, and flanked by portraits of Erdo臒an 鈥撀爓as explicit.

鈥淔ET脰 is the dog of Satan,鈥� the banner read. 鈥淲e will hang you and your dogs by their own leashes. With God鈥檚 permission, the flags of democracy will wave in the skies.鈥�

The final line signs off: 鈥淭his is the saint of the nation鈥檚 [Erdo臒an鈥檚] valiant young men.鈥�

鈥淪ome of the things we are seeing in Turkey today is certainly worrying,鈥� says Akyol. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a culture of anger, given a feeling of lynching.鈥� The government should calm down the masses, and this should not be going on and on and on 鈥撀爐hat鈥檚 the danger ahead right now.鈥�