World Bulletin / News Desk

The Jewish American Congress has demanded that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan return an award that was given to him in 2004 after accusing him of using "dangerous rhetoric" and "inciting violence against the Jewish people" in an open letter sent to Erdogan on Thursday.

Group president Jack Rosen claimed that Erdogan was "arguably the most virulent anti-Israel leader in the world" after Erdogan accused Israel of committing genocide and "barbarism surpassing Hitler" regarding the recent assaults on the Gaza Strip.

Erdogan, who was given the Profile of Courage award in 2004 for his hard work in seeking a peaceful solution to the Midldle-East conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians, has been the most outspoken critic of Israel's latest bombardment of the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 800 Palestinians since July 7 - most of them civilians - almost of third of whom have been children.

Back in 2004, Rosen had referred to Turkey as "a model of Muslim democracy – one that can have a profound impact helping to spread the concept that nations with a Muslim heritage can adopt modern political values."