Gülen’s lawyers refute justice minister’s statement likening Gülen to Iran’s Khomeini

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ claimed on Wednesday that Gülen would have returned to Turkey like Khomeini, who returned to Iran from France in 1979, if the corruption probes in December 2013 had caused the downfall of the AK Party. (Photo: DHA)
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ claimed on Wednesday that Gülen would have returned to Turkey like Khomeini, who returned to Iran from France in 1979, if the corruption probes in December 2013 had caused the downfall of the AK Party. (Photo: DHA)


Date posted: January 28, 2015

Lawyers for Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen have said via Twitter that Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ should have provided proof to back up his statement that Gülen planned to return from the US to Turkey in a similar way to Iran’s revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Reacting to statements by Bozdağ on Wednesday saying Gülen would have returned to Turkey like Khomeini, who returned to Iran from France in 1979, if the corruption probes in December 2013 had caused the downfall of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government, an account run by the Islamic scholar’s lawyers tweeted that the allegations of the justice minister have been denied several times by Gülen himself.

AK Party circles and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have accused the Gülen movement, popularly known as the Hizmet movement, and its sympathizers in the state bureaucracy of planning to overthrow the AK Party government since a huge corruption scandal erupted on Dec. 17, 2013 that implicated key government members, Erdoğan and his family. Erdoğan also accused Gülen of creating turmoil in Turkey and claimed that the Gülen-inspired Hizmet movement is working against the AK Party.

In a confirmation of the existence of a witch hunt by the government, which it has been pursuing against the Gülen movement since December 2013, Bozdağ said in his statement on Wednesday that “new Turkey has stopped that transformation with [the anti-Gülen operations instituted after] Dec. 17, 2013.”

Erdoğan has called the investigation, which led to the resignation of three government ministers and the dismissal of a fourth, a “coup attempt,” and in response he has had thousands of police officers, judges and prosecutors removed from their posts.

Gülen’s lawyers’ tweets also said Bozdağ, as an accuser, is responsible for proving his allegations that Gülen will return like Khomeini. The lawyers noted that the accusations of the AK Party circles against Gülen and the Gülen movement are an attempt to cover up the accusations against the AK Party. “The statement of the minister is irresponsible,” the lawyers wrote.

In a speech on the website www.herkul.org given on June 25, 2008, Islamic scholar Gülen, referring to claims in parts of the media that said “Gülen will return to Turkey like Khomeini [returned to Iran],” said he could not be Khomeini as he was not an Iranian [i.e., does not share the views of Iranians]. “I am a child of this nation. Those who compare me to Khomeini will feel ashamed one day,” he said. Gülen said he would return as Fethullah Gülen when he returns to Turkey.

Source: Today's Zaman , January 28, 2015


Related News

Fethullah Gulen challenges Erdogan, calls for international probe into Turkey coup allegations

Fethullah Gulen calls for international probe into Turkey coup allegations, says will accept findings.

Clash of two Islams in Turkey

Mr. Gulen and the movement which takes his name are rooted in the mystical tradition of Islam and focus on education and social and cultural projects while Mr. Erdogan is an advocate for political Islam and its desire for political power.

Gülen calls for peaceful coexistence, warns about deceit and oppression

Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has called for living together in peace, echoing similar remarks issued by President Abdullah Gül last week against the background of two-week-long anti-government protests in Turkey. “For the love of God, let’s live for a while in a [spirit] of brotherhood,” Gülen said, borrowing a theme from a popular song […]

Erdoğan ‘does not grasp’ separation of powers, MEP says

Andrew Duff, a Liberal Democrat member of the European Parliament, also accused the prime minister, whom he said was “clearly elected democratically,” of not ruling democratically. Duff said the aggravated language that exposes serious rifts between the AK Party and the Gülen movement risks destabilizing Turkey.

Teacher who lost sanity under detention remains jail despite doctors’ reports

Tuğba Y., a teacher who lost her sanity due to alleged torture during weeks of interrogation, was arrested and has been kept in prison since late January despite doctors’ reports showing her deteriorating mental condition.

Police, gov’t inspectors raid Gülen-inspired private, prep schools in Gaziantep

In another instance of a government-orchestrated operation targeting the faith-based Gülen movement, the police along with inspectors from several ministries and institutions conducted raids at eight institutions owned by the Safa Education Institution, which was established by volunteers of the movement in Gaziantep, early on Monday.

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

Abant Platform on Africa

“Time to Help” launched in England

Pulitzer Prize equals five years in prison in Turkey

Fethullah Gulen Condemns Brussels Terrorist Attacks

Turkey blacklists 68 companies including Germany’s Daimler, BASF over Gülen links

Parents seek TL 40,000 in damages for violation of students’ educational rights

South Korean NGO: It’s hard to make sense of what is being done to Kimse Yok Mu

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News