Proof of the ‘parallel state’

Prof. Mumtazer Turkone
Prof. Mumtazer Turkone


Date posted: April 28, 2014

MÜMTAZER TÜRKÖNE

The prime minister’s case is similar to that of the “Boy who cried wolf.” It is the famous Aesop’s fable about a boy who deceived villagers a few times but lost his credibility after his lies were discovered.Thus, in the face of a real threat, he was unable to make anyone believe him. Before large crowds of people, the prime minister made big claims. He said he would back up his claims shortly but still cannot prove them after a long time.Referring to a news story that appeared in the pro-government media about unfounded allegations about the police, Bülent Arınç, the second man in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), had said, “A dignified person should not speak without evidence.” Arınç’s words are now being used by opposition parties to criticize the prime minister.

The prime minister did two things to halt graft investigations. He rendered the judiciary and the judicial police completely dysfunctional and thereby blocked the enforcement of court rulings. Second, he created an enemy and used it as a scapegoat. This enemy is referred to as the “parallel state.” The prime minister claims an organization has penetrated the state apparatus and used the powers and authorities it has obtained to accuse the government of corruption. He maintains that the Hizmet movement, which is a civil/religious movement, is this “parallel state.” The prime minister voices this claim with a charming rhetoric and makes the media organizations he controls produce false stories about this “parallel state,” but he cannot produce any evidence to back up his claim.

To defend such a serious claim without proof, one must dispense with all logic. A pro-government media organization recently ran a story titled “Proof of the parallel state.” This story claimed a report prepared by the prosecutor who conducted an investigation into some National Intelligence Organization (MİT) members in 2012 had referred to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as the “prime minister of the time” and that this is proof of the “coup.” The prosecutor’s diligence in correctly identifying the prime minister has become “proof” of the parallel state at the hands of the pro-government media.

The ruling AK Party has been controlling the state apparatus for 12 years. The weakest link in the parallel state rhetoric is that the existence of such a network clearly indicates the ineptitude of the government in dealing with it. The prime minister places the blame of all unlawful events in the country on the parallel state. These events include notorious wiretapped phone conversations and video recordings. Whenever someone criticizes him, the prime minister claims his/her phone conversations were wiretapped or that there are video recordings of him/her. These recordings are reportedly similar to the one which forced former Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal to resign from office. Lately, the prime minister has voiced similar claims about Constitutional Court President Haşim Kılıç and the chief of General Staff. These claims have an ulterior motive. It is very likely that the prime minister is blackmailing Kılıç in response to Kılıç’s criticisms about violations of the rule of law and freedoms. It also follows that there is a problem between the prime minister and the chief of General Staff.

The government shut down YouTube and Twitter in an unlawful manner. It has the power and ability to have access to all wiretappings and private information. It may sound like a great joke to you but shouldn’t the parallel state which is conducting all those illegal recordings be at the disposal of the prime minister? The proof is in the prime minister’s words. For four months, he fought against a “parallel state” specter but couldn’t produce any evidence. On the other hand, it is only he who knows who was wiretapped.

Source: Todays Zaman , April 28, 2014


Related News

Fethullah Gülen: An Islamic sign of hope for an inclusive Europe

Thus Gülen and the initiatives inspired by his teaching challenge the tendency found among some Muslims groups to separatist withdrawal from the wider non-Muslim society. By contrast, they offer a basis for Muslim engagement with the wider society based upon a confident and richly textured Islamic vision.

Tape politics

Someone placed a bugging device to wiretap the prime minister in a room that was being placed under constant surveillance. What is easier than catching the perpetrators behind this? Who entered and left the room should have been recorded. This incident took place in 2011 but as of now, this still remains unresolved and the Hizmet movement is being blamed for it.

Democracy on the rocks in Turkey

Last week’s military coup attempt in Turkey is likely to have a debilitating impact on Turkish democracy. Already, several thousand military officials and bureaucrats have been arrested. Even more perturbing, more than 2,000 judges were removed from their jobs.

The Famous Soccer Player Hiding in Plain Sight in a California Bakery

Most customers do not recognize the fit, well-dressed man walking around Tuts Bakery and Cafe, picking up used cups and dirty dishes. Why would they? And what would he be doing here? Hakan Sukur, 46, is one of Turkey’s most famous athletes, its most celebrated soccer player, a World Cup hero and a veteran of several of Europe’s top leagues. So how did Sukur end up here?

8-year-old cancer patient denied passport due to father’s alleged links to Turkey’s Gülen group

Ahmet Ataç, an eight-year-old kid with stage four bone cancer, has reportedly been denied a passport by Turkish authorities due to the his father’s ongoing imprisonment over alleged links to Turkey’s Gülen group.

Gülen says many would like to be in detained journalists’ shoes

Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has said he believes many people, including he himself, would like to be in the shoes of Zaman daily Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı and Samanyolu Broadcasting Group General Manager Hidayet Karaca, who were detained in a police operation on Sunday, implying that it is an honor for the journalists to be in custody under Turkey’s current circumstances.

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

Hong Kong Anatolia Cultural & Dialogue Centre, Photography Competition 2015

A Permanent Kimse Yok Mu Mission to Be Launched in Jerusalem

‘Hizmet’s solution against radicalism should be announced to world’

Islamic scholar Gülen’s poems turned into songs for international album

TUSKON storm

Erdogan’s Changing Aspirations for Somalia

African village named ‘Turkiye’ to show thanks for humanitarian aid

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News