Land of Private high school declared green space


Date posted: June 16, 2014

ISTANBUL
The İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) recently declared a piece of land on which a private high school had been being built to be a green space, according to representatives from the school who spoke to Today’s Zaman on Sunday.

The high school is a branch of Fatih Koleji, a private institution affiliated with the Hizmet movement inspired by Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen. According to the school representatives, the municipality is also planning to build an underground parking lot and public earthquake evacuation area on the land, which is located in the Karadeniz neighborhood of Gaziosmanpaşa district.

The land had initially been zoned for the construction of a private school in 2004. The Gaziosmanpaşa Municipality applied to the İBB city planning office on June 6th to redesignate the area as a green space, a motion which was accepted by the İBB on Friday.

According to representatives from Fetih Eğitim İşlemeleri (Fetih Educational Operations), the firm that runs Fatih Koleji, the Gaziosmanpaşa Municipality had sold the land in question to the firm in 2009 for TL 5.2 million, the highest bid in the tender. Construction began on the private high school but was halted in April by the municipal authorities.

The redesignation of this particular piece of land has raised suspicions that it is an attempt to punish the Hizmet movement. A former ally of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), the Hizmet movement emerged as a critic of the government after the latter moved to close down university preparatory schools nationwide, a large segment of which are owned and operated by people associated with the movement.

Source: Todays Zaman , June 15, 2014


Related News

Turkish school excels in Nepal

The Turkish school operating in the capital city of Nepal has ranked the second best school among one thousand nationwide. Noted for its academic staff and students’ performance, the school is now establishing a new campus in order to be able to meet the growing demand. Active in the capital city, Kathmandu, of the South […]

Gülen-linked journalist association warns that movement’s support for gov’t can end

Erdoğan and his supporters have cast the corruption probe as a smear campaign devised by Gülen, who exercises broad, if covert, influence in the media and judiciary through his followers. In response, the government has staged an unprecedented purge of the police forces and has moved to increase its control over the judiciary. Yeşil said that all these allegations were unfounded.

Nigeria Turkish College to Host Language, Culture Festival

The Nigeria Turkish International Colleges (NTIC) will play host to Hizmet Movement for the 14th edition of the Festival of Language and Culture tagged “Colours of the World” to promote and showcase notable cultures in Nigeria.

Gülen’s lawyers slam Erdoğan’s ‘slanderous’ unsolved murders remarks

The lawyers of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen have denounced recent statements by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in which he held the Hizmet movement responsible for some unsolved murders in Turkey.

66,000 students relocated after Turkish government shut down 15 universities over coup charges

Turkish government has closed down 15 universities across the country over their alleged links to the Gulen movement since last summer, leading 66,000 students to look for somewhere else to continue their education.

40,000 people reported to authorities for being Gülen followers since July 15

As many as 40,000 people have been reported to the Ankara Police Department for being followers of the Gülen movement since a failed coup attempt on July 15. Although the movement strongly denies having any role in the corruption probe and the coup attempt, the government accuses it of having masterminded both despite the lack of any tangible evidence.

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

U.S. Not Persuaded to Extradite Fethullah Gulen Over Turkey Coup

Starting a witch hunt [against the Hizmet movement]

Çelik admits profiling as daily faces criminal complaint for revelations

U.S. State Department, Citing Security, Suspends [Fulbright] Teaching Program in Turkey

Germany’s dialogue awards find their recipients

The last refuge of losers: deporting a journalist

Law firms press charges against Gülen in favor of al-Qaeda-linked group

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News