[Event of the Week] Gülen breaks his silence, responds to allegations


Date posted: March 24, 2014

ISTANBUL

Having stayed largely silent in the face of relentless attacks amounting to hate speech by beleaguered Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was incriminated in a massive corruption scandal, Fethullah Gülen spoke to Today’s Zaman and provided his account of how he sees the recent events in Turkey in his first interview with the Turkish media since Dec. 17.

 

The Turkish Islamic scholar, who has inspired a worldwide network active in education, charity and outreach programs, described the large-scale slander, pressure and oppression campaign his Hizmet movement is currently facing as worse than that seen during the military coup regimes witnessed by Turkey. He called on his supporters to remain patient and not to despair.

In an extensive interview that was published in Today’s Zaman as a five-part series last week, Gülen gave his thoughts on the corruption investigations, the upcoming local elections, whether he would support any political party, the slander leveled against him, the voice recordings that have been leaked onto the Internet, the release of convicts from the Ergenekon trial, the settlement process with the country’s Kurds, the rumors of a possible lawsuit against members of the Hizmet movement after the elections, Hizmet’s alleged involvement in an effort to take over the Fenerbahçe sports club, how he sees Turkey leaving the current crisis behind, his possible return to Turkey and other issues many have been wondering about. Gülen said his deep conviction of Islam will not allow him to turn a blind eye to the allegations of corruption, lamenting the fact that Erdoğan’s government has failed to take measures to tackle these allegations despite early warnings from state agencies. As for the wiretapping of phone conversations of unsuspecting citizens, Gülen said the authorities should investigate the illegal recordings, adding he had also been victimized as such. He said he was concerned by the government’s moves in the last few years to cut back on fundamental rights and freedoms in Turkey, accusing the government of not addressing the demands of Alevis, Kurds and Gezi protesters.

Source: Todays Zaman , March 23, 2014


Related News

Gursel Tekin: Gulen’s remarks on the third bridge are valuable

Hüseyin Keleş Republican People’s Party Deputy Chairman Gursel Tekin gave the daily Zaman noteworthy statements on Turkey’s heated agenda. Speaking of the controversies over naming the third bridge as “Yavuz Sultan Selim”, Tekin expressed his support for Fethullah Gulen’s remarks, saying, “Let’s not sacrifice all the bridges to build one. To me, we should not ruin the order […]

Van NGOs: Calling Hizmet movement ‘virus’ and ‘hashhashin’ unnaceptable

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) active in the eastern province of Van said in a press conference that the tension experienced in Turkey recently has ruined the country and that any remarks or behavior against the Hizmet movement will not be tolerated.

Islam’s internal enemies

Caliph Omar, who is renowned for his attention to justice, paid a visit to sacred sites after taking over control of Jerusalem from Governor Sophronius. He visited Masjid al Aqsa and later also wanted to see the Church of Resurrection where, according to Christian belief, Jesus was crucified and prepared for burial. Sophronius, who was walking with Omar, recalled that he performed prayers everywhere he visited and asked him to do the same at the church. Omar rejected the request saying, “If I perform prayer here, Muslims will build a mosque on this very spot.” Instead he found an empty area to the south of the church for prayer, upon which Muslims thereafter erected a mosque named after Omar.

86-year-old man in 11th month of his arrest on coup charges

Ali Osman Karahan, an 86-year-old Turkish man with walking and speaking difficulties has been kept in an Isparta prison for almost 12 months over alleged links to Turkey’s Gülen group, which Turkish authorities accuse of being behind a failed coup attempt in July of last year.

Gulen, Moderate Cleric, Vilified In Turkey

The Turkish government’s war on the Gulen movement has shown no signs of ebbing. Ankara is so determined to crack down on this loose network that its top security council framed it as a terrorist group last week.

Erdoğan’s harsh, xenophobic rhetoric damages fight against Islamophobia

The increasingly punitive and xenophobic discourse adopted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in recent years has done a huge disservice to the fight against Islamophobia, dealing a blow to the decades-long efforts of organizations such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Hizmet movement in international forums.

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

Criticism and risks

Turkish Cleric, Accused in Coup Plot, Calls Crackdown ‘Dark Pages’ in History

O.C. Muslim leaders speak out against extremism

Fethullah Gulen’s Prominence in Indonesia

Turkish headmaster accused of Isis links met Malaysian PM, not fit profile of an Isis operative

Turkey’s post-revolutionary civil war

Kimse Yok Mu offers a hand of compassion to Kyrgyz orphans

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News