Who is Fethullah Gülen, why is the Gülen movement currently being targeted by the Turkish government?

Adam Szymański, associate professor with the Institute of Political Science at the University of Warsaw
Adam Szymański, associate professor with the Institute of Political Science at the University of Warsaw


Date posted: May 23, 2016

Q: Recently, Turkey’s most widely circulated newspaper Zaman was taken over by the government. This is primarily because it was sympathetic to the Gulen movement. For the uninitiated, can you explain who Fethullah Gülen is and why the Gülen movement is now considered a terrorist organization by the Turkish government?

Adam Szymański: When it comes to the specificity of Islam in Turkey, we can talk about the presence of different religious orders (tarikats) and more contemporary religious movements (cemaat). They play an important role not only in the religious life of Turks but also in the social, economic and political spheres in Turkey. The Fethullah Gülen movement is one of the best known and influential Turkish religious movements (although the AKP government has tried to limit its influence in recent years in Turkey). As similar movements, it has a leader – Fethullah Gülen, who lives currently in the US. His movement is present in Turkey and in a number of other countries (first of all in Turkic former Soviet republics but also many other countries including Poland). He is involved in achieving a variety of goals and works both religiously and socially. When it comes to activities abroad it is about popularizing Islam and its values, along with Turkish culture and the thoughts of Gülen on such issues as the compatibility of Islam and democracy and promoting interreligious dialogue. This is to be achieved mainly through educational measures (the movement has many secular, usually international schools on different levels in a number of countries) and the organising of special foundations for language and culture courses, excursions, lectures and conferences. As well as cultural events, which are very often in cooperation with other religious communities and churches. The movement also has its own media – newspapers (including Zaman), TV and radio channels active in Turkey and abroad. In Turkey there are a lot of private enterprises and holdings, as well as public institutions including the judiciary and police with movement supporters.

The Fethullah Gülen movement was very important for the AKP in gaining the support of the electorate (Zaman clearly sympathized with the party in the 2007 elections) and later – at the end of the first decade of the 21st century – in diminishing the role of the army in Turkish politics (with the well-known court cases among others against the army officials like Ergenekon or Balyoz, which were only possible thanks to the involvement of the Gülen movement and its supporters).

However, since 2010 the movement and Fethullah Gülen himself have been critical of the authoritarian tendencies in Turkey. It was noticeable during the Gezi Park protests in 2013. The change of the AKP attitude towards the movement occurred at the end of 2013 when the corruption affairs with the possible participation of government officials were revealed by the police and prosecutors connected with the cemaat. It was a kind of critical juncture. The Fethullah Gülen movement began to belong to the increasingly long list of state enemies, according to Erdoğan and the AKP politicians. Different kinds of actions have been directed since then against a so called “parallel state” – various institutions: police whose cadres were exchanged to a large extent, universities, banks and companies connected with the movement (it is already now a kind of insult in Turkey to call somebody “a parallel”). It concerns also the media, including the daily newspaper Zaman, whose chief editors were arrested and which later was taken over by a board of trustees. The Turkish authorities want the US to extradite Fethullah Gülen and define the movement as terrorist organization (together with the ISIS, PKK and the Syrian Kurds from PYD). It is in essence an attempt of the AKP to have implement more measures that can be taken against the movement which became an important opposition force against the government in 2013-14 period.

Excerpted from the interview with Adam Szymański, associate professor with the Institute of Political Science at the University of Warsaw, published on New Europe, 20 May 2016, Friday

Source: Hizmet Movement , May 20, 2016


Related News

Gülen urges Turkey to preserve, advance achievements in democratization

Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has called for the preservation and advancement of the country’s achievements in democratization, describing this as “crucial.” In an interview with The Atlantic magazine, Gülen said Turkey’s ongoing relationship with the European Union is partly to be commended for the level of democratization Turkey has achieved so far.

Renowned Canadian professor lauds Honorable Gulen and Hizmet Movement

Professor Whyte, who is a constitutional jurist and a former advisor to state ministers, spoke on the Hizmet’s activities in his country. He believes the movement is seeking a peaceful world. “Hizmet is a movement that wholeheartedly believes in intercultural dialog, which is the key for peaceful relations among people.

Gülen convinces people that Islam is integral part of global order

SEVGİ AKARÇEŞME, ABANT/TURKEY Professor Hans Köchler from Austria, the president of the International Progress Organization (IPO), has said the European Union’s resistance to Turkey’s membership is not due to its identity or its Islamic culture, as some argue, but mainly for economic reasons. The Abant Platform organized by the Journalists and Writers’ Foundation (GYV) hosted […]

Fethullah Gulen’s Message on the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi

On the 150th birth anniversary of one of world’s greatest leaders and peace advocates, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, I am delighted to join the peace-loving people of India and the world in commemorating the exemplary legacy of Mahatma.

Why is the government freeing bloody murderers?

The government is continuing to act in panic. In the last couple of months, every single step it has taken has somehow been related to the graft probe, and they all are being taken to suffocate the corruption investigation. The government is freeing Ergenekon suspects willingly and on purpose to create an alliance against the so-called “parallel state,” as they call the movement inspired by Fethullah Gülen.

GYV to deliver awards to peace projects

The Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV), which will make a donation of $50,000 to international peace projects developed to prevent conflicts in the world and to present solutions, will hold a ceremony in İstanbul on Friday where 10 peace projects will be given awards.

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

Erdoğan’s accusation that Hizmet organized the coup attempt is noxious and absurd

Ergenekon suspect convicted for insulting Gulen

Pakistan: Islamabad High Court rejects petition by Erdogan’s Maarif Foundation

Kimse Yok Mu provides water to 50,000 people in Pakistan

Kazakh-Turkish high schools win 16 medals in science competition

60-year-old Turkish villager detained after questioning gov’t coup narrative

Erdogan: The Sultan of an illusionary Ottoman Empire

Copyright 2024 Hizmet News