Erdoğan’s fight against education in Africa

İhsan Yılmaz
İhsan Yılmaz


Date posted: January 30, 2015

İHSAN YILMAZ

Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited a few African nations, among them Somalia and Ethiopia. When looking at his media mouthpieces’ coverage of the trip and his declarations, it seems the primary reason of his trip was to “tell” the African nations to close schools that were established by civil society groups and private companies affiliated with the Hizmet movement. He told them that the staff of these schools are foreign agents and, similar to what they did in Turkey, they could stage a coup in these African nations! Erdoğan’s solution was simple: Close the schools and the Turkish state will open new ones.

A Nigerian daily has responded to Erdoğan and wrote that Erdoğan thinks the Africans are stupid just because their countries are developing. This is exactly what we in Turkey have also been saying about Erdoğan’s funny maneuver. Hizmet exists in more than 160 countries, and in most of them it has fully functioning schools. In many of these, the schools have been operating for more than 20 years. And in almost all these countries where the schools exist, the children of the countries’ elite attend these schools.

The rulers and elite of these countries not only closely monitor and scrutinize these schools through their intelligence organs and the help that they get from their international intelligence partners, they also have a sort of insider knowledge about these schools and their staff through their own children. I have visited about 50 countries and have observed these schools, have met with staff, parents and the elite, including people from the media, the bureaucracy, business and politics, and have never heard of the ridiculous accusation that these teachers are spies or that they are preparing to stage a coup.

Erdoğan is so furious and insecure about the allegations of corruption he is facing in Turkey, he is not even aware that he is directly insulting the intellect and intelligence agencies of these nations. He is simply telling them that they are so stupid that they do not even know what is going on in their country and that he is the only one on Earth who knows the secrets of these schools. He is indirectly telling African leaders that they do not read The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Guardian, the Independent, etc., and never listen to the BBC or peruse its website, so they have not heard about his illegal, illegitimate fight and personal grudge against the Hizmet movement just because it does not support his corruption, does not obey him fully, does not make its media his mouthpiece, does not encourage people to accept his dictatorial tendencies, objects to his full control of the judiciary and the imprisonment of journalists. He does not even know that the elite of these countries are more educated, wise and multilingual than him. Their countries may be developing or underdeveloped for a variety of reasons, but these elite have received the best education in their countries and in the prestigious Western universities, speak English, French, etc., read books and listen to their advisers, international critics, etc., unlike Erdoğan, who does not possess any of these qualities.

Erdoğan is using the full credibility, prestige and power of Turkey, the Turkish nation and the Turkish state for his personal fight. These African leaders, who are polite and diplomatic, unlike Erdoğan, do not tell him off, but there are all sorts of signs that they are upset with Erdoğan’s immature attitude and will only pay lip service to his “wise” advice. If Erdoğan wants to open new schools in Africa, there is no ban on that. He can use the Turkish state’s money to do that, or he can ask his extremely rich sons, friends and relatives, who now command billions of US dollars, to open new schools in Africa. He can encourage other civil society actors to open new institutions in Africa, if he is sincere about education in Africa. But it seems that he is only preoccupied with closing down the already established, well running and successful schools just because he wants revenge.

He is so alone in this cruel fight that only a few politicians in his party support his statements against the Hizmet schools in Africa.

Source: Today's Zaman , January 30, 2015


Related News

Chief General Eduardo Año: We don’t consider Gulen movement a terror group

Armed Forces chief General Eduardo Año has confirmed that the movement linked to Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen is not labeled as a terror group. Interviewed by reporters in Malacañang, Año said organizations in the Philippines linked to the Gulen movement have been helping people.

To escape punishment, punish them all

The Turkish prime minister has decided that if he continues to be angry and vengeful, his power will be cemented. In his latest address in Parliament, he pushed his angry discourse to higher — or lower — levels, to make clear that he will not forgive and he will punish. Since he has chosen the Hizmet movement as the enemy, all he wants to do is inflict harm, regardless of on who or what.

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.

Twitter users protest plan to close prep schools in Turkey

Turkish Twitter users are in an uproar over a report that the government has drafted a law which would close thousands of private preparatory education centres (known as “dershanes”) across the country. The schools are reportedly a point of tension between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government and the Gülen movement that runs many of the schools.

Turkish schools behind Turkey’s soft power in Middle East

2 May 2012 / MİNHAC ÇELİK, İSTANBUL Marco Padovan, Italian businessman and a member of the Turkish-Italian Trade and Cooperation Association, said during a round table meeting held in İstanbul on Wednesday that Turkish schools play a crucial role in the increase of Turkey’s soft power in the Middle East and North Africa. Speaking during […]

Turkey’s anti-Gulen campaign: Strengthening militants and jihadists

The dilemma for the Pakistani government is stark. Turkish prime minister Binali Yildirim has warned that Turkey would be at war with any country that cooperates or aids the Gulen movement. Yet closing down schools that prepare their students for a modern society and economy is something Pakistan’s deeply troubled education sector can ill afford.

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

GYV President Mustafa Yeşil answers questions about the Gulen movement

Erdogan drags Turkey toward totalitarianism

We’ll kiss the hands of those who tell us our shortcomings

Jihad Turk on Fethullah Gulen and Hizmet Movement

Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticizes Cabinet ruling on Kimse Yok Mu

Erdoğan’s AKP runs out of steam, then what?

US Human Rights Report: Tens of thousands jailed in Turkey with little clarity on charges

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News