An interview he gave in 2002 summarizes his criticisms of the "Refah Partisi" under the leadership of Necmettin Erbakan and his portrayal of the AKP as a moderate party:In the Welfare Party, there were groups demanding sharia rule. Welfare did not represent the local values we are now cultivating. The ideology of the party was partially shaped by alien imports. was referring to the impact of the Islamist ideology of the Iranian Revolution and Arab states on Welfare's ideology. Our vision was at odds with the rest of the party. The despotic rule of Erbakan Hoca made it impossible for us to realize our vision under the rubric of the National View. We believe that modernization and being Muslim complement each other. We accept the modern values of liberalism, human rights, and market economy.