Dialogue advocacy group ‘disturbed’ by Erdoğan’s harassment of Hizmet
Date posted: April 30, 2014
NEW YORK
The Alliance for Shared Values (AFSV), an advocacy body that serves as a voice for organizations affiliated with the Hizmet movement in the US, has said it is “deeply disturbed” by what it called Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s “politically motivated attempts” to crack down on law-abiding citizens.The group was protesting Erdoğan’s remarks about the Hizmet movement during an interview with Charlie Rose on PBS late on Monday, in which Erdoğan said his administrations seeks extradition of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen to Turkey.The AFSV said the demand for extradition of Gülen without any charges is a clear indication of political persecution and harassment. “Such manipulative tactics are common practices in autocratic regimes, not in a democratic country that respects the rule of law,” the group said.The statement noted that Gülen is a “proud Turkish national and a law-abiding US resident” who has devoted his life to democracy, human rights and freedoms.
It added that Gülen and Hizmet participants should be recognized for their service to society and for fostering dialogue and understanding between Turkey and the world. Instead, it said, the Turkish government “shamefully uses false pretense to oppress and harass its own citizens, both within and outside Turkey.”
The statement noted that Erdoğan and his supporters have failed to provide any evidence to justify their accusations despite a months-long defamation campaign and that any evidence introduced in the future will be scrutinized as possibly fabricated.
“While we remain concerned about Erdoğan attempting to take undue advantage of Turkey’s strategic relationship with the US, we place our trust in the US tradition of democracy and the rule of law, and believe that Erdoğan’s move will ultimately be seen as yet another alarming attempt by his government to suppress the freedom of their citizens and silence their critics,” the AFSV highlighted.
“Unfortunately,” the statement concluded, “his actions will only achieve one thing: They will continue to polarize Turkey and isolate the Turkish people from their democratic allies around the world.”
Gülen’s global schools are English-language schools run by Muslim Turks in places where it would be very difficult for American or British teachers to work, both politically and financially.
‘Hizmet is really something that demonstrates what’s universal about Islam.’
People who identify with the Hizmet Movement really have influenced the way I view it, in that I can see that it’s gonna have a lasting impact, because Hizmet is really something that demonstrates what’s universal about Islam, for the members of the Hizmet Movement, that there are universal values that you find in other faith traditions as well.
Erdogan may keep winning, but it wont’ do Turkey any good
I don’t believe Ankara is ever really going to stray from its partnership with the U.S., because Turkey simply cannot afford it. The coup — failed though it was — has left the formerly expanding Turkish economy gasping. Credit-rating agencies have lowered the nation’s stock, and the purging of coup conspirators, both real and imagined, has left tens of thousands of crucial private- and public-sector positions empty. Economic growth, meanwhile, is expected to dip.
Fethullah Gulen and Gulen Movement discussed in New York
A special conversation on Fethullah Gulen and the Gulen Movementby Peace Islands Institute was held at NY Turkish Cultural Center on April 9. The professor of Political Science and Public Administration, analyst and columnist Prof. Dogu Ergil was the guest speaker of the event hosted by Peace Islands Institute President Zafer Akin. In his opening speech, […]
US avoids commenting on Gülen’s extradition
US State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters at a press briefing on Wednesday that the US will not comment on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s expectation for Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen to be extradited from the US, where he now lives.
The US Should Not Extradite Fethullah Gülen, To A Paranoid Turkish Government
It should be common sense to say that Gulen should not be handed over to a paranoid state, which cannot handle its own affairs. Fethullah Gulen himself has done what others also have, which is to suggest that Erdogan himself facilitated “the coup” in order for him to introduce his new phase of order over the country, becoming a dictator under NATO protection.
Latest News
Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison
Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney
Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement
ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment
New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement
European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests
ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases
Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade
Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet
In Case You Missed It
TURKEY: Fethullah Gulen profile
Social and Philosophical Aspects of Fethullah Gulen’s Teachings
American pastor jailed over Gülen links asks Trump to fight for his release
Kimse Yok Mu provides eid meat for needy Thais
Hate speech and its impact on the movement (1)
European court rules Asya-like seizure of bank unfair
