Police raid Gülen-inspired schools in Adana despite ministry regulation

The renowned Burç College in Adana was one of the institutions raided by inspectors backed by police forces. (Photo: Cihan)
The renowned Burç College in Adana was one of the institutions raided by inspectors backed by police forces. (Photo: Cihan)


Date posted: August 10, 2015

BİLAL ÖĞÜTÇÜ/ / ADANA

The Adana Police Department early on Thursday coordinated with inspectors from several ministries and other institutions to conduct raids on private schools, dormitories and prep schools established by volunteers inspired by the Gülen movement, despite regulations stating that only the Education Ministry may perform such inspections.

The Adana Governor’s Office called on local branches and directorates of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, as well as the Health Ministry’s Adana provincial directorate, the Ministry of Education and the Social Security Institution (SGK) to prepare groups of inspectors to inspect 16 educational institutions in Adana under the coordination of the Adana Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Bureau (KOM) on Thursday.

Police officers from KOM accompanied inspectors to those institutions by bus from the Adana Police Department despite Education Ministry regulations that permit no inspection of educational institutions by any government body unless coordinated by the ministry.

Today’s Zaman learned on Thursday that police officers also gave the inspectors questionnaires for the administrators and staff of the educational institutions. After the inspections, the reports of these inspectors were collected by the police officers.

When asked by the lawyers of the schools, none of the hundreds of inspectors were able to explain their reasons for inspecting the schools with police. The schools inspired by the Gülen movement, popularly known as the Hizmet movement, including Burç College and Işık prep schools, were also similarly raided by the police along with inspectors in March.

Ahmet Karagöz, head of the Education Personnel Union (Eğitim-Sen) Adana branch, told Today’s Zaman that it is unacceptable to see police officers during an inspection of educational institutions. “There are inspectors in the Education Ministry, and there can be a commission of teachers if there are not sufficient inspectors.” Karagöz said.

Union of Active Educators (Aktif Eğitim-Sen) Adana branch head Ömer Yılmaz also reacted against the inspections coordinated and accompanied by police officers. Yılmaz said that it is the Education Ministry which coordinates inspections when any other state institution or any ministry wants to inspect any educational institution.

‘We did the same thing in February 28 coup era’

Serkan Ulufer, a lawyer for the Işık prep schools, also raided on Thursday, told Today’s Zaman that an inspector from the Ministry of Finance told him during the raids that he shouldn’t bother himself about it, as they did the same kind of inspections of educational institutions in coordination with police during the Feb.28, 1997 coup era. Ulufer said that “unfortunately, those people in the bureaucracy who coordinated inspections on educational institutions [established by conservative people] in Feb.28 are on duty again.”

Underlining the fact that no police officer can enter a private educational institution without a court decision, Ulufer said police officers even pressured inspectors when they couldn’t find anything wrong at the schools, saying, “Why can’t you find anything?”

On Tuesday dozens of inspectors along with at least 300 police officers from KOM units also raided Gülen-inspired schools and prep schools in the central Turkish town of Aksaray.

The raids are part of what is seen as a nationwide crackdown on institutions and individuals sympathetic to the Gülen movement, inspired by the views of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the leadership of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) accused sympathizers of the Gülen movement, especially those in the police force and the judiciary, of orchestrating a graft investigation against him and his inner circle which was revealed on Dec.17, 2013. The Gülen movement denies the charges.

Since the allegations surfaced nearly two years ago, the authorities have escalated raids and shut down or defamed numerous institutions or individuals close to the movement.

Source: Today's Zaman , August 07, 2015


Related News

British Foreign Secretary praises Turkish schools in Afghanistan

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül: “As you know, during the Taliban regime, girls were not allowed to attend school. Turkey has opened schools to educate these lost girls. I visited the opening of this school in Kabul, and 1,500 students will receive an education at that school,” Gül said to Beckett, referring to a February visit to the Afghan Girls High School.

Extradition request for Gülen aims at manipulating public perception

The Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV) — whose honorary chairman is Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen — has stated that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been trying to create the perception that the Hizmet movement is being backed by the US with his recent request for Gülen’s extradition though there is no legal basis for one.

UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing on Gülen and the Hizmet Movement

The UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee is examining the bilateral relationship between the UK and Turkey, focusing on rights and freedoms as well as how Turkish foreign and security policies relate to those of the UK. The inquiry is ongoing.

Concluding statement of the International panel on Mary announced

The international panel, titled “Mary in the Holy Scripture and Qur’an,” which was jointly held by the Journalists and Writers Foundation’s (GYV) Intercultural Dialogue Platform (KADİP), the Tevere Institute and İzmir Intercultural Dialogue Center (İZDİM), was concluded with a statement.

Minister says ‘parallel state’ claims not realistic, cites lack of evidence

Customs and Trade Minister Hayati Yazıcı told reporters on Saturday in the Black Sea town of Rize that there is a lack of evidence to substantiate claims of a “parallel state,” recalling the government’s motto of “one state, one flag, one homeland, one nation.”

Hizmet, Erdoğan and the US

Today, the government resorts to irrational conspiracy theories in an effort to divert public attention from allegations of corruption. As a social movement that successfully promotes Turkey’s values in its schools in about 150 countries around the world, the Hizmet movement’s patriotism cannot be doubted

Latest News

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

University refuses admission to woman jailed over Gülen links

In Case You Missed It

Accused Turkish Cleric Assails President on Anniversary of Coup Attempt in WSJ Interview

Debating the constitution

‘Turkish people not silly to believe slanderous news about Gülen’

Pak-Turk schools replace Turkish principals with Pakistanis

Strategic defamation of Fethullah Gülen: English vs. Turkish

Turkey coup attempt: Number of people detained passes 26,000 amid international concern over crackdown

Diverse community enjoys feast at Turkic American Alliance iftar

Copyright 2023 Hizmet News