Russian academic and intellectual Rostislav Ribakov praises Turkey’s prominent Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen and the Hizmet Movement as 'peace builders.'
Date posted: April 21, 2015
The prominent academic, who has chaired an important institute in Russia concerning middle eastern affairs for fifteen years, expressed that Fethullah Gülen and the generations he has inspired make important contributions to the world. Ribakov said that the movement plays a key part in teaching youth the codes of morality and ethics, which he described as valuable components of education.
Ribakov also commended Gülen for his achievement in winning the Gandhi, King, Ikeda Prize which emphasizes the message of peace and non-violence, and promotes modern and worldly views.
The Russian academic slammed the allegations against Gülen as mere hearsay aiming to defame the scholar.
Turkey tries to trap Obama with extradition demand [of Mr. Gülen]
But while U.S. agency spokesmen are trying to be cautious in what they say, skepticism about Turkey’s claims that Gulen directed the plot are widespread in Washington. Last week, in comments that likely burned a few ears in Ankara, U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told The Washington Post that he did not believe Turkey had yet offered enough proof to implicate Gulen, who has lived in Pennsylvania’s Poconos region for years.
Brussels, Paris and Berlin
As the Turkish prime minister opted to market the graft probe as a coup attempt against his government and accused the Hizmet movement of masterminding this coup, interest was aroused in the Hizmet movement and its clout.
Erdogan Delivers Ultimatum: Washington Has to Choose Between Gulen and Turkey
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the United States must make a choice between Ankara and a movement led by US-based dissident Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. Ankara has accused Gulen and his followers of playing a key role in the July 15 attempted coup, which claimed lives of over 240 people.
PM Erdoğan widens hostile stance to include more and more groups
Erdoğan has been trying to dodge the damaging impact of the corruption scandals by using Hizmet as a scapegoat. Gülen, an ardent supporter of transparency and accountability in government, was critical of Erdoğan government’s efforts to stall the corruption investigations. Speaking to the BBC on Monday, Gülen said that the massive corruption investigations that have shaken the government cannot be covered up no matter how hard the government tries to derail the probes — not even by blaming the scandal on what the prime minister has called the “parallel state,” a veiled reference to the Hizmet movement inspired by Gülen.
The Erdoğan-Gülen encounter and democracy
It is not normal that the non-political Gülen movement would occupy such a central space in election campaigning; this is why the situation calls for some special scrutiny.
An early prediction about the next elections
Turkey’s future will be determined in the next election. If the AKP government is not able to gain more than 38 percent of the total votes this time, it will directly affect the future of Turkish politics. Erdoğan cannot be the next president, for instance.
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