Erdoğan’s scapegoats: the West and Gülen

İHSAN YILMAZ
İHSAN YILMAZ


Date posted: April 30, 2014

İHSAN YILMAZ

 

Last week I wrote that Erdoğan has a “Hobbesian-Machiavellian” state mentality and does not seem to be bound by any natural law, universal standards, human rights, international obligations, ethics or morality.

It seems that for him the only criterion is winning elections and thereby keeping power. He is ready to do whatever it takes to keep power and become more powerful. That is why he insists on saying things that are known to be untrue and comes out with unproven accusations against other people, groups and countries in an attempt at psychological warfare. To this end, he will continue to demonize both the West and Fethullah Gülen, who is portrayed by Erdoğan as a puppet of the West.

He will continue to use anti-Western and anti-Israeli sentiments in his public rallies and also deepen and intensify these sentiments. Responding to the criticisms of the German president, Erdoğan simply said, “He may think that he is still a Christian priest,” knowing very well that his nationalist, conservative 43 percent of the public has all sorts of stereotypical, demonizing images of “crusading Christians” in their minds. He is both using and fortifying these negative sentiments.

As I wrote here last week: “To win the presidential elections, he will continue to polarize society; he will continue to invent some nebulous and abstract enemies to present himself as the victim, and he will continue to imagine a postmodern Western Crusader attacking the bright potential leader of the Muslim world, himself. He will continue to frame the Hizmet movement as a puppet of these dark Western, even Judeo-Christian, forces, since he does not have enough time to fabricate a new enemy with the presidential elections very close. To ‘prove’ his case, he may need a serious clash with the West, and trying to open the Hagia Sophia as a mosque will give him this opportunity. Western reactions to this attempt will be used skillfully and craftily to make his point.”

He already started this game in his talk with PBS’s Charlie Rose. He stated that he will ask for the extradition of Gülen from the US. By mentioning this, he wants his voters to believe that Gülen is a criminal who is protected and supported by the US. Whatever reaction the US authorities give on this extradition issue, it will be used by Erdoğan. He knows very well that there is not a shred of judicial evidence against Gülen and that, despite his pressure, prosecutors have not agreed to write an indictment for Gülen, being aware that a few years later, when democracy and the rule of law return to Turkey, they can be held to account. Nevertheless, he will continue to talk about this issue to “prove” that the West is against him so that voters must unite behind him or any candidate he deems suitable for the presidential race. He can even push for a ridiculous extradition application to be made to the US, and when this is refused, he will use this in his public rallies as evidence to show that the US is working with Gülen to topple his government. As I said, he is not bound by ethics and knows very well that corruption is a fact in Turkey but prefers to present himself as the victim. He has skillfully pushed Western observers into a dilemma: When they speak out against the increasing authoritarianism in the country, he will use this reaction to fabricate a crusade against him and Turkey, but if they do not react, democratic people, groups, forces and institutions in Turkey will be very resentful. The man is a political magician. May God save us and our democracy from him!

 

Source: Todays Zaman , April 30, 2014


Related News

Turkey’s New Anti-Americanism (NY Times Editorial)

The Turks need to be reminded that Mr. Gulen has a legal right to be in the United States, and that the Justice Department would have to go through a rigorous process before deciding whether he could be handed over, especially to a country where due process is increasingly unlikely and torture is reportedly used against detainees.

AK Party VP Sahin: We can only be grateful to Hizmet people

Vice President of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), Mehmet Ali Şahin remarked on the relations between AK Party and the Hizmet Movement (Gulen movement) in an interview*. Şahin said, “Is it possible for us to have any issue with the people performing such activities? We can be only grateful to them. We […]

International panel on Mary was held in Istanbul

An international panel, titled “Mary in the Holy Scripture and Qur’an,” was jointly held by the Journalists and Writers Foundation’s (GYV) Intercultural Dialogue Platform (KADİP), the Tevere Institute and İzmir Intercultural Dialogue Center (İZDİM) at WoW Hotel in Istanbul. The two-day meeting was attended by a number of leading scholars and intellectuals of the field and focused on such topics as “Approaches to Mary,” “Debate on Mary,” “Mary Doctrine and its Historical Development.”

Ekrem Dumanli: Turkey’s witch hunt against the media

Turkey’s leader for almost 12 years, Erdogan contributed to economic successes and democratic reforms during his first and second terms. However, emboldened by consecutive election victories and incompetent opposition parties, he is now leading Turkey toward one-man, one-party rule.

Alevis demand equal citizenship, disappointed with the state

SEVGİ AKARÇEŞME, ABANT/TURKEY At the end of the three-day Abant Platform meeting on Alevi relations with Sunnis, one of the fragile fault lines of Turkish politics, Alevis raised their voices higher, demanding equal citizenship against the backdrop of several past and present disappointments with the state. The pursuit of the end of discrimination both at […]

Gulen admits meeting key figure in Turkey coup plot, dismisses Erdogan’s ‘senseless’ claims

In an exclusive interview with FRANCE 24, Fethullah Gulen admitted meeting a key figure in Turkey’s July 2016 attempted coup. But the Turkish cleric said that a mere visit from one of his followers isn’t proof he orchestrated the failed coup.

Latest News

Erdogan’s Failed Crusade: The World Rejects His War on Hizmet

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?

In Case You Missed It

Turkey – Baby with Down syndrome suffers major health problems in absence of jailed parents

Kimse Yok Mu distributes aid to Syrian refugees

Where does Gülen stand on: democracy, human rights, and minorities?

Hate speech creates new opportunities for Hizmet movement

Erdoğan’s imaginary power struggles

Brazil’s top court denies extradition of [Gulen-linked] Erdogan opponent

Gülen’s lawyers: PM’s only correct statement is that he visited Gülen

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News