Turkish president approves closure of schools run by Erdogan rival


Date posted: March 13, 2014

ANKARA

(Reuters) – Turkish President Abdullah Gul approved on Wednesday a law closing private preparatory schools, many of which are a source of income and influence for an Islamic cleric accused by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan of seeking to topple him.

The move highlights Gul’s solidarity with Erdogan as the prime minister battles a corruption scandal he says has been orchestrated by the cleric, Fethullah Gulen, whose “Hizmet” (Service) network wields influence in the police and judiciary.

Education is central to the mission of Gulen’s movement. Millions of students prepare at the cram centres for entrance examinations to win limited spots at state high schools and universities.

Tensions between Erdogan and the U.S.-based cleric, formerly allies, have been simmering for years but boiled over when the graft scandal erupted in December with the detention of three ministers’ sons and businessmen close to the prime minister.

The scandal, which Erdogan has cast as a plot to oust him by a “parallel state” of Gulen’s followers, came weeks after the government moved to shut down the prep schools, worsening the public row with the cleric’s followers.

Parliament voted earlier this month to close the schools by September 1, 2015 but the move was subject to the approval of Gul, a figure seen by many in Turkey as having been closer to the Gulen movement than the prime minister.

Erdogan, currently campaigning around the country for municipal elections on March 30, has responded to the corruption scandal by reassigning thousands of police officers and hundreds of judges and prosecutors in what his aides have described as a bid to cleanse the judiciary of Gulen’s influence.

Gulen’s followers say they are the victims of a witch hunt.

Source: Reuters , March 13, 2014


Related News

Logistics companies seized over Gülen links sold in fast-track auction

Turkey’s Savings Deposit Insurance Fund announced it has sold Sürat Kargo and Sürat Lojistik, private logistics companies that had been transferred to the TMSF due to their alleged affiliation with the Gülen movement. Numerous private companies were transferred to TMSF due to their alleged links to the Gülen movement before and after a failed coup in 2016.

The Guardian view on the week in Turkey: coup – and counter-coup?

Now, with the European convention on human rights suspended and a six-month state of emergency that allows President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to rule without parliament – although thousands still turn out nightly in his support – some are beginning to wonder if the cure has turned out to be little better than the original threat.

London-Based Turkish Academic To Run 10,000 Meters To Raise Fund For Purge Victims In Turkey

İsmail Sezgin, a London-based Turkish academic has tweeted on Tuesday that he will run a total of 10,000 meters in support of the families hit by an ongoing purge by the Turkish government. Releasing a statement on moneygiving.com, Sezgin said that he aims at raising a fund of 10 thousand pounds to help purge-victim families in Turkey.

‘I don’t have a home right now’: Turkish NBA player Enes Kanter talks activism, basketball

“I don’t have a home right now,” Kanter told CBC News Network’s Steve Niles on Tuesday. “If I was anywhere else besides in America, besides Canada, yes, I believe my life could be in danger because I get death threats almost every day [from] Erdogan’s goons.

Gülen-inspired schools lead in university entrance exam results

Students from schools inspired by the faith-based Gülen movement, popularly known as the Hizmet movement, were the top scorers in a number of categories in this year’s Undergraduate Placement Examination (LYS), according to an announcement on the website of the Student Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM)

Coup and Countercoup in Turkey

The coup was doomed to fail from the beginning. To say it was amateurish would be insulting to all amateurs. Assuming there were some sympathizers of Gülen within the armed forces, the sheer size of the post-coup dismissals make absolutely no sense.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Erdoğan after one-man rule: CHP leader

Hate Speech is Undermining Turkey’s Fragile Democracy

5 children abandoned in front of prison as mother detained

Alevi leader Kenanoğlu: Discrimination against Alevis increased in 2013

US lawmaker says Gülen should not be extradited, calls his movement strongest element against radical Islamists

Fethullah Gulen Statement Accepting the 2015 Gandhi King Ikeda Peace Award

Cops vs. robbers [in Turkey]

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News