Gülen movement discussed at EP in light of recent political developments in Turkey

İhsan Yılmaz and Özcan Keleş answered questions about the Gülen movement in a panel organized by the Intercultural Dialogue Platform in Brussels. (Photo: Today's Zaman, Ümit Vürel)
İhsan Yılmaz and Özcan Keleş answered questions about the Gülen movement in a panel organized by the Intercultural Dialogue Platform in Brussels. (Photo: Today's Zaman, Ümit Vürel)


Date posted: February 4, 2015

METE ÖZTÜRK / BRUSSELS

A panel discussion was organized by the Brussels-based Intercultural Dialogue Platform in the European Parliament (EP) to give information about the faith-based Gülen movement, also known as the Hizmet movement, especially within the framework of recent developments in Turkish politics.

The panel discussion, titled “Hizmet movement: Inspiration, Mentality, Importance and Discussion,” was meant to be moderated by the vice president of the EP, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, but he could not attend the event due to the loss of a relative and instead sent a written message to the panel. In his message, he said that the relationship between the Gülen movement and the Turkish government would be an important topic touched on in the progress report on Turkey to be published by the EP in October.

Speaking at the event, Özcan Keleş, the chairperson of the London-based Dialogue Society, said the Gülen movement is a faith-inspired movement but remains religiously neutral in its activity.

He stressed that the movement is open to all kinds of religions and ideologies, and is not involved in the propagation of Islam.

İhsan Yılmaz from Fatih University explained why the Gülen movement, which had been a supporter of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government, has recently parted ways with the government.

Yılmaz said that as the Gülen movement embraces democratic values and supports Turkey’s accession to the EU, the movement supported the AK Party when the party had been committed to democratic reforms and prioritized accession to the EU.

He then argued that when the AK Party started to feel more confident about its rule, its attitude regarding democracy and Turkey’s EU membership candidacy shifted, and thus the Gülen movement’s perception of the AK Party changed.

According to Yılmaz, the turning point was the year 2011, when the AK Party emerged victorious for a third time in general elections and saw declining opposition from other parties.

“First off, due to a lack of vision on the part of the opposition, the AK Party increased its votes to 50 percent [in the 2011 general election] though it was in its third term. With the conclusion of the Ergenekon and Balyoz (Sledgehammer) coup cases [the government’s] fear of a coup d’état was allayed. Finally, with amendments to the Constitution, there was no concern [of the government] that party would face a closure trial,” said Yılmaz.

Yılmaz said as the AK Party became more convinced of its power, it adopted new Islamist policies.

He also stressed the Gülen movement did not endorse President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s desire for social engineering.

“The Hizmet [movement], as a representative of civil Islam, contended that using state power to educate people to be better Muslims would pave way to hypocrisy [in society],” Yılmaz said, adding that the president utilizes state resources to create model citizens based on his wishes.

Responding to allegations leveled by some circles who claim that the Gülen movement is an opponent of the settlement process launched to resolve the decades-old Kurdish issue, Yılmaz said: “The Hizmet movement supports the bringing of the Kurdish issue to a solution. The movement favors Kurds’ entitlement to equal citizenship. It wants to have Kurds use their language in public and private spaces. It does support education in Kurdish language and also supports establishment of public schools that offer education in Kurdish,” said Yılmaz.

Erdoğan launched a campaign against the Gülen movement after a corruption investigation implicating people in his inner circle went public with a wave of detentions on Dec. 17, 2013. Erdoğan blamed the investigation on police officers, judges and prosecutors who he claimed were linked with the movement, branding the operations a “coup attempt.”

The corruption investigation has since been stalled, as prosecutors overseeing the case were removed from their posts and thousands of police officers, judges and prosecutors were reassigned or removed from their jobs as part of Erdoğan’s fight against an alleged “parallel structure” with the state.

Source: Today's Zaman , February 04, 2015


Related News

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.

Gulen factor in Turkey’s turmoil

Gulen Movement is a unique case of global social innovation based on the sanctity of education and inter-faith dialogue in a number of respects.

Fear Grows in Turkey as Crackdown on Gulen Followers Continues

The Turkish authorities are continuing their crackdown on followers of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is being blamed for a failed military coup attempt. With tens of thousands of people arrested, opposition parties are starting to voice concern that the crackdown is turning into a witch hunt.

Gov’t pins hope on division in Turkey as Erdoğan resorts to hateful speech

In an attempt to divert pressure from public opinion from him, Erdoğan is waging a war against the Hizmet (Service) movement, which has openly called on the government to clamp down on the wrongdoers and clean politics of dirt.

Turkish PM: State of emergency will continue until Gülen movement completely wiped out

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said in Ankara on Thursday that the state of emergency which was declared following a failed coup attempt in July of last year will continue until the faith-based Gülen movement, which the government accuses of being behind the coup attempt, is completely wiped out from state institutions.

Will Erdoğan succeed in wresting away the reins of religion from civilian hands?

I am going to talk about a situation similar to the process by which the tools of production become state possessions. These are concepts far removed not only from Western culture but from socialist ideologies as well.

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

Civil war in Mali did not discourage the Turkish school teachers

Powerful but reclusive Turkish cleric (BBC Interviews Fethullah Gulen)

Turkish experts and doctors seek asylum in Greece

Turkish Deputy PM Ali Babacan visits Turkish, Japanese schools in Sendai

Afghan Turk schools gained great success at university exam

Turkey Is No Longer a Reliable Ally

Erdogan vs the Gulen movement

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News