Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and many Justice and Development Party (AK Party) members are talking about an operation to be launched against the Hizmet community after March 30.
There are even some AK Party deputies who are preparing lists of members of the community to be arrested. Under normal conditions, we would ask them if they are aware of what they are talking about and if it is possible for an operation to be launched against a civil society organization under the prime minister’s orders. But such questions have already lost meaning, as the government staged a coup after Dec. 17 and suspended the Constitution. We all know that Erdoğan and his Cabinet are working to intimidate and divide the community; they are opportunistically carrying out a black propaganda campaign against the community. But there is one thing they are forgetting: Fethullah Gülen‘s stance on corruption and anti-democratic practices has never changed. He is saying today the same thing he said yesterday. Osman Şimşek, the editor of herkul.org, which broadcasts and publishes Gülen’s speeches, recently published a letter that Gülen sent to Erdoğan in May 2006. In the letter, Gülen warns the prime minister that his government had begun to deviate from its democratic line.
The government canceled the passports of all public servants purged with a decree and imposed travel restrictions on them and their spouses. Visiting scholars were ordered to return to Turkey. Academic freedom has been significantly restricted. In short, the entire educational system of Turkey has been crushed by the crackdown following the coup-attempt.
Turkey tries to trap Obama with extradition demand [of Mr. Gülen]
But while U.S. agency spokesmen are trying to be cautious in what they say, skepticism about Turkey’s claims that Gulen directed the plot are widespread in Washington. Last week, in comments that likely burned a few ears in Ankara, U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told The Washington Post that he did not believe Turkey had yet offered enough proof to implicate Gulen, who has lived in Pennsylvania’s Poconos region for years.
Mysterious visitors to holdings
Reports of certain visitors paying “unexpected” visits to various Turkish holdings and company headquarters are currently being spread in economy circles. As these guests are connected or close in some way or other to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), their visits can hardly be perceived as routine. These influential people are not making their visits for a cup of coffee. They send a short and clear message to the chairman of the executive board or to the general director, asking them to make a statement criticizing the Hizmet movement.
‘Well, you were saying Hizmet is a religious movement?’
The Hizmet movement is considered a civil society organization, an indispensable element in democratic societies. In democracies, elections truly matter. The will of voters is indisputably important. However, there is also another power, called public opinion. They influence the parties and administrations.
Turkmen Alevite Association and Kimse Yok Mu distribute aid to 1840 families in Ramadan
Özdemir Özdemir, president of Turkmen Alevite Association, thanked Kimse Yok Mu and expressed that Ramadan is an important time for Alevite-Sunni brotherhood. Two organizations worked together, showing a good example of solidarity and brotherhood. The Alevite association identified 1840 needy families in Ankara and distributed food packages, which were supported by Kimse Yok Mu.
The Erdoğan-Did-It Conspiracy
While on its face, the notion that elements in the Turkish military loyal to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan deliberately launched a “fake coup” to justify a crackdown on Erdoğan’s enemies sounds farfetched, the belief is taking hold not only among Turkey’s staunch secularist minority and followers of Pennsylvania-based cleric Fethullah Gülen, but also among those who know the Turkish military well.
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Unbelievably corrupt!
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