Gülen extends condolences for death of former deputy PM Arınç’s brother

Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen
Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen


Date posted: February 25, 2016

Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, who inspired the faith-based Hizmet movement, has offered condolences to former Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç, whose elder brother, Yıldıray Arınç, was laid to rest on Tuesday.

In his message Gülen expressed his sympathy to Arınç over the passing of his brother and stated: “When I found out about the sad death of dear Yıldıray Arınç, the brother of distinguished politician and statesman Bülent Arınç who formerly served as a speaker of Parliament and deputy prime minister, I felt very sorry [about the situation]. I extend my condolences to Mr. [Bülent] Arınç and the family and wish that Allah gives them patience [to deal with their loss].”

While deputies, state officials, former ministers and large number of people gathered during the funeral of Yıldıray Arınç in Manisa, there was no representative from the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government present at the funeral.

Manisa Governor Erdoğan Bektaş, İzmir Governor Mustafa Toprak, former AK Party ministers Sadullah Ergin, Hüseyin Çelik, Beşir Atalay and Zeki Ergezen, AK Party Manisa deputies Selçuk Özdağ, İsmail Bilen, Murat Baybatur, Recai Berber and Uğur Aydemir and Cengiz Ergün, the Manisa mayor from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), were present during the funeral.

Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the Parliament Speaker’s Office and the Manisa branch of the Felicity Party (SP) each sent a wreath to the funeral.

There were no messages of condolence or wreaths sent by the AK Party government, the Prime Ministry or the Presidency for Arınç’s loss on Tuesday.
After his statements on a TV show on Jan. 29 criticizing the AK Party government and President President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the government-orchestrated witch hunt against the Gülen movement, Arınç was targeted by pro-government Twitter trolls and dailies.

Former Ministers Ergin and Çelik were also targeted by pro-government and pro-Erdoğan circles after they announced their support for Arınç.

Meanwhile, as part of the witch hunt against the Gülen movement in Manisa, six people — including the former doctor of Arınç, Fahrettin Er — were arrested on Tuesday.

Educational institutions, student dormitories, charities and media outlets established by those inspired by Gülen’s views have been targeted in government-orchestrated operations across Turkey since a major graft scandal was revealed in December 2013, implicating members of the AK Party government and people from the inner circles of Erdoğan.

Without providing any concrete evidence, Erdoğan accused the Gülen movement of plotting to overthrow his government and said that sympathizers of the movement within the police department had fabricated the graft scandal. The Gülen movement strongly denies the accusations.

Source: Today's Zaman , February 24, 2016


Related News

Latin American firms seek Turkey investments at TUSKON meet

A total of 80 businesspeople from 10 Latin American countries met in Turkey’s Kayseri province on Tuesday to discuss investment and trade opportunities with local counterparts in a new “trade bridge” event held by the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON).

Tanzanian students place first in Turkish Olympiad folk dance final

KÜBRA ENGİN, İSTANBUL A group of Tanzanian students won the final round in the 11th International Turkish Olympiad folk dance competition held at the İstanbul Sinan Erdem Sports Complex on Thursday night. Thousands of spectators were thrilled by the performances of foreign students in the folk dance finals as part of the Olympiad, a competition […]

Whistleblower reveals wiretapping conspiracy to libel Hizmet

According to the letter, a special team was established at the Prime Ministry late last year to conduct psychological warfare, including producing disinformation and false evidence to implicate the Hizmet movement in criminal activity.

Police raid business association in Malatya in new government-backed operation

Police teams entered and searched the premises of the Malatya Active Businessmen’s Association (MAKİAD) on Thursday in a new wave of government-led operations targeting institutions deemed to have an affiliation with the Gülen movement — a faith-based initiative inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.

Turning wedding excess into act of charity

The average wedding in the United States costs about $28,400. Ours was $7 — the $2 license, $5 for a Justice of Peace, plus gas for the car we eloped in. This fall we will have been married 66 years, which comes out to about 11 cents a year, if you include the gas.

Woman miscarries twins after arrest, struggles for her life in prison

In yet another example of human tragedies proliferated in the aftermath of the July 15 coup attempt, a Sinop woman lost her twins in jail after she was arrested due to the ByLock mobile application that she says has never downloaded.

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

Turkish authorities unlawfully arrest woman with twin babies over alleged Gülen links

Kimse Yok Mu awarded Medal of Honor in Peru

The International Festival of Language and Culture visits UN, Ban Ki Moon sends a message

Who is Fethullah Gulen?

Mosque-cemevi project halted due to government’s ‘parallel paranoia’

Division at home, cooperation abroad

Communists in Cold War, reactionaries in Feb. 28 coup and Gülenists in Erdoğan era

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News