What is the main offense that the Cemaat (Hizmet movement) has committed?


Date posted: December 17, 2014

Ahmet Hakan, Hürriyet

Those police officers who carried out the operation are so incompetent… They helped the perception that “Fuat Avni” [a deep throat within the government who is disclosing the government-planned unlawful operations prior to them being put into action] knows everything that even [Deputy Prime Minister] Bülent Arınç does not know to be imprinted on people’s minds and helped many people to ask, “What is the Cemaat’s main offense?”

No search. No raid. But they [police officers] entered the Zaman and STV buildings as if they stormed these places. So they made it appear as if “newspapers and TV stations are being raided by police in Turkey.”

They [police officers] went to the media groups’ buildings to detain [Zaman Editor-in-Chief] Ekrem Dumanlı and [Samanyolu Media Group Chief] Hidayet Karaca, who would have actually gone [to the İstanbul Police Department] to testify had they been called upon to do so.

The background of the operation into the Cemaat which they [the government] have tried to depict as the main source of all evil in the world is so groundless and weak that… Everyone asked the question: “What is the worst offense that the Cemaat, who you demonized for months, committed?”

The operation came just before the anniversary of the Dec. 17 corruption investigation and aimed to change the [country’s] agenda, but [the government] failed [in this]. Because this operation only served to put the Dec. 17 [graft investigation] back on people’s minds.

‘Democracy’ operations target Turkey!

Bedri Baykam, Cumhuriyet

Fuat Avni, whoever he is, turned out to be right again. A police operation that he caused to be delayed for several days was finally conducted. Now he is “heralding” a new wave that will be carried out against the mainstream media.

Of course I am angry with the operations into the Cemaat media organizations; we already know the reason for it. Rest assured that I can never understand those leftists who are cheering because their “enemies” are being targeted unlawfully. How primitive of a way to say “It serves you right!” It is correct that they failed to react to the operations which were launched against Kemalist journalists in the past.

But still, I cannot understand those who are delighted with these operations. How can it be that they are unable to comprehend the fact that their turn will also come? They should immediately go to a psychologist if they are deluding themselves that the operations are seeking “justice.”

So the [opposition Republican People’s Party] CHP’s stance [against the detentions] is totally appropriate. Because no matter what types of mistakes the members of the Cemaat committed in the past, none of them justify this anti-democratic treatment against them. No social democrat can build his or her policies on hate and blood.

Thieves of democracy and freedom!

Hasan Cemal, T24

Bad news came while I was heading for Tbilisi on Sunday: The Dec. 14 operation!

I called Ekrem Dumanlı. He was about to be detained. We had a heart-to-heart talk. I then started to do the only thing that I was able to do: post tweets protesting the incident.

When I returned İstanbul, I visited my colleagues at the Zaman building and told them about the military coup of Sept. 12 [1980], and stated that I have no doubt that their struggle for freedom will make theirs a better newspaper. They listened to me in silence. I reminded them that they are in a luckier situation than us since they continue to publish their newspaper, unlike what happened in our case.

Source: CIHAN , December 16, 2014


Related News

Reactions pour in over Turks’ controversial arrest in Malaysia as UN joins calls against extradition

The UN Human Rights Office for South-East Asia has expressed serious concern about the recent arrests of three Turkish nationals in Malaysia, joining calls on the government to refrain from extradition.

Closing prep schools as a new form of official tyranny

Thanks to the prep school system, with reasonable payments, the children of the “Black Turks” or “Mountain Turks” gain the chance to compete with the children of “White Turks” under equal standards. They, after graduating from good universities, become judges, teachers and academics and act as a catalyst in undermining pathological ways of thinking like labeling people as reactionary.

Journalist Gültaşlı: European institutions are ‘cherry-picking’ imprisoned journalists in Turkey

“It is getting increasingly clear that European institutions are ‘cherry-picking’ the imprisoned journalists in Turkey for whom they want to protest,” wrote journalist Selçuk Gültaşlı, who was Brussels bureau chief for the Turkish Zaman newspaper, on the Brussels-based online news website euobserver.com on Tuesday.

Man campaigning for anti-Gülen protest in US Turkish Communist Party member

A statement on the herkul.org website, which broadcasts weekly speeches of Gülen, said Gülen’s doors are open to everyone. “We are following the path of 13th-century Sufi philosopher and poet Rumi. Our hearts and doors are open to everyone. We have all kinds of tea and refreshments here. Freedom of expression and thought is what we have also been defending unless it contains insult.

Roundhouse Roundup: A Turkish Friendship Dinner

U.S. critics of Gulen claim that an extreme Islamic fundamentalist lies beneath his public statements and that he is someone who wants to bring Sharia law to both Turkey and the U.S. In Turkey, though, his enemies portray him as a Zionist puppet of the CIA and Israel.

Dozen people hold demonstration in front of Zaman to protest corruption coverage

The protestors held up a banner bearing the picture of Islamic Scholar Fethullah Gülen saying that he despises the Taliban and Osama bin Laden. “Pick up your traitorous comrades and your prep schools, and get out of here, go to Israel, the US,” the script at the bottom of the banner said. The protest followed a series of public remarks over the weekend by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who attacked Zaman without mentioning it by name.

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

Erdogan’s Turkey silencing dissent, abusing terrorism charges – HRW report

Accused by Erdogan of plotting a coup, Hizmet movement fears for freedom in Turkey

Kerry Tells Turkish Foreign Minister Coup Accusations Irresponsible

Conference on “Hunger in the world and searching for ways to solve it”

KYM Calls for Papers-International Conference on “Social Media for Good”

GYV’s dialogue center not returned despite court order

Fethullah Gulen’s interview with The Wall Street Journal

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News