Indonesian students in Turkey at risk of Gulen purge


Date posted: August 2, 2016

Tama Salim

Some 300 Indonesian students in Turkey are seen at risk of losing their education stipends as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan tightens his grip on national security following the failed coup attempt in mid-July.

The government says it will have to come up with a way to safeguard their education, as their scholarships are funded by the Turkey Pacific Countries Social and Economic Solidarity Association (PASİAD), an NGO Ankara has linked to the failed putsch.

The PASİAD has been linked to US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, accused by his political opponent Erdoğan of orchestrating the July 15 coup attempt that resulted in the death of at least 246 people in Turkey.

Security has been tightened in Ankara to forestall any future attempts to overthrow Erdoğan, and Indonesian students have been questioned by local authorities, officials say.

Ministries were now teaming up to brainstorm ideas to ensure students would not fall victim to Turkish efforts to root out political dissidents, said Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, the Foreign Ministry’s director for the protection of Indonesian nationals and entities abroad.

“Our ambassador in Turkey received instructions from the Foreign Minister to take anticipatory steps [in response to] President Erdoğan pointing his finger directly at Gülen as the coup’s mastermind,” Iqbal told reporters on Monday.

He said steps had been taken to raise awareness about the post-coup situation, whether directly or through the local Indonesian Students Association (PPI), and urged the stipend receivers to drop any contact with PASİAD or other parties with political links to Gülen.

The Indonesian Embassy in Ankara has routinely set up events with the PPI urging Indonesians to refrain from any suspicious activities and has informed students that Gülen has been a target of the Turkish government over the past year.

The ministry has even offered the ambassadorial residences at the embassy in Ankara and the consulate general in Istanbul as temporary safe-houses for students to find reprieve from the Turkish government’s measures.

“Our Indonesian friends are innocent; they have no background or the political motivation [to act on behalf of Gülen]. It is pure coincidence that their scholarships were funded by that foundation — there is no ideological link between them and their benefactors,” Iqbal explained.

The government’s response comes on the back of a move by Erdoğan to sweep the entire country in the hope of uprooting the movement that allegedly aimed to remove him from the presidency.

On July 23, Erdoğan ordered the closures of thousands of private schools in Turkey in his first decree while imposing a state of emergency after the failed coup. Soon after, he urged other countries to shut down schools affiliated with Gülen, including Indonesia.

A few days later, the Turkish Embassy in Jakarta uploaded a statement, expressing hope that the Indonesian government would support Ankara’s fight against the “terrorist organization” led by Gülen.

Responding to the pressure from Turkey, Jakarta has shrugged off the possibility of closing any schools, asking Ankara to respect the prevailing laws in Indonesia and reiterating the importance of upholding sovereignty.

Iqbal too underlined the government’s commitment to stay out of Turkish domestic politics, saying it was a “gesture of respect” for the Erdoğan government.

“I hope it will have no effect [on the safety of our Indonesian nationals there],” he said.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker Charles Honoris said there was no need for the government to heed Erdoğan’s call to close down nine Gülen-affiliated schools in Indonesia, dismissing the Turkish President’s advances as “paranoia.”

The lawmaker, who is on the House of Representatives’ Commission I overseeing foreign affairs, called Turkey’s “call for solidarity” scare tactics and an emotional reaction by Erdoğan at a time when his political position was on the line.

“There’s no need to respond; this is mere paranoia on Erdoğan’s part. According to my observations, what happened in Turkey was something very personal and life-threatening for him,” Charles told the The Jakarta Post.

 

Source: Tje Jacarta Post , August 2, 2016


Related News

Gülen calls on followers to adapt to PM’s teaching center closures

“If they close your homes, you should open dorms. If they close your dorms, you will open new homes. If they close your schools, you will respond by opening a university. And when they close your university, you should open ten schools. You should never stop marching,” Gülen said in a video that was posted at Herkül.org, a website close to the movement.

Afghan minister praises Turkish schools, calls for more to be built

The Afghan education minister has hailed Turkish schools for their efforts to bring up a bright, new generation in the Afghan nation, calling on Turkish entrepreneurs to open more schools in the country’s provinces.

If whoever touched Gülen was doomed, we would have been ashes by now

“If whoever touches him is screwed, it should have been me who would have gotten screwed first; I should have been in ashes by now because I have published the harshest material against Gülen. I have published the most derogatory books against him.”

Pro-gov’t columnist claims Obama could be Gülen’s White House ‘imam’

Mehmet Barlas, a columnist from the pro-government Sabah daily who is known as a staunch supporter of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, claimed in his column on Wednesday that US President Barack Obama could be an “imam” of the faith-based Gülen movement in Washington.

[Part 3] Gülen says gov’t cut back on rights and freedoms in Turkey

Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, who has inspired the popular civic and social movement called Hizmet, has said he is concerned with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government’s moves seen over the last couple of years to cut back on fundamental rights and freedoms in Turkey.

The Battle For Turkey’s Soul

It is ironic and tragic that at a time when the world is in dire need of a liberal-moderate Islamic movement in its fight against Wahhabi-Salafi inspired global Islamic terrorism, the Erdogan regime is bent upon destroying the Gulen movement by labelling it as “terrorist”.

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

Dismissed top editor of Zaman: We made a mistake by not objecting to the imprisonment of journalists

A Voice from Africa: Is This Erdogan’s Play For Autocratic Power In Turkey?

285 Turkish teachers and families risk forcible deportation and persecution in Pakistan

Turkish cabinet member Bayraktar: Turkish schools abroad will be appreciated better in the future

Threat to destroy the Hizmet Movement a hate crime

Lawyer: Female journalist traumatized by abuse, torture at Turkish police station

Gülen says talk of raid against Zaman aims to intimidate

Copyright 2024 Hizmet News