Scholarly views in the aftermath of the coup attempt: A responsible government would rather support the Hizmet Movement


Date posted: August 8, 2016

Dr. Paul Parker, Elmhurst College: As I look at the way the government in Turkey today has responded to the Hizmet Movement specifically, I’m disappointed. Frankly, I’m disappointed. And I’m surprised, too. I had not expected it.

What I would like to see is a return to greater democracy. We don’t want to see a country punishing its political dissidence. We want to see a country giving its political dissidence a platform because in democracies when we have disagreements, it makes democracy stronger. But there has to be freedom to disagree without being thrown in jail, without being maligned in the newspaper or on television.

When the Hizmet Movement or Hocaefendi are mentioned specifically by governmentally influenced press in Turkey, it harms Turkey. Yes, it harms Hocaefendi, but not nearly as much as it harms Turkey. Turkey is hurting itself today when it limits political discussion, when it maligns its political adversaries, when it uses political tools and economic tools to harm social services and educational institutions in Turkey. I don’t think this harm will last. I think the harm will pass away. But it’s a shame that it’s going on now.

Dr. Frances Hassencahl, Old Dominion University: As you’re going on the road to democracy, you start to see conspiracies and you also want to blame other people for your shortcomings or the things that you wish may have worked out differently. And, in some respects, I’m seeing this happening… and this has happened in our politics, this happens in other people’s politics too… the kind of scapegoating, blaming, trying to deck responsibility for bad decisions that you’d made…

People have to remember that the Gulen Movement is basically a civil society movement.

Dr. Muhammad Elahee, Quinnipiac University: It is so sad that in Turkey, from where Hizmet Movement originated, that the government is accusing Hizmet Movement of creating problems, of being spies of other countries. It is very unfortunate. There is a saying that, if you do good work you earn true enemies and false friends. And I think that is what happened with Hizmet Movement in Turkey.

Unfortunately, as I was mentioning a few minutes ago, in most Muslim countries we do not find any movement that provides service to the people; that promotes education; that promotes interfaith dialogue; that helps people in distress… Hizmet Movement was filling that gap. But I don’t know why Turkish government is perceiving Hizmet as a threat to their political goals. It is something that is completely inexplicable to me. And I think Turkish government is making a big mistake.

Rabbi Lawrence Seidman, California: It’s easy, apparently, in Turkey to stir up conspiracy theories. People seem to like conspiracy theories.

But I cannot understand how a responsible leader of a country criticizes Hizmet because everything I see are things the country should have.

If I think about the US analogy, if we had more support and better schools, if we had more opportunities for poor people to get out of their slum conditions and go to universities, if we had more opportunities and places to respond to natural disasters, these are all good things…

And I would think a responsible government would support all those things. I think there’s a fear… when we hear that the government of Turkey is expressing negative opinions about these, I can only think that there is not a future of democracy. The drive is to have a less educated electorate, a less sophisticated population, fewer educated people coming from minority groups—from the Kurdish population, from the other minorities—and that’s bad for the country and bad for the world.

So, I hope those things are wrong, and I hope those things stop and we can have a country where everybody can contribute to society in the best way possible.

 


Related News

Turkey Regulator Demands Bank Asya Information Before Sukuks (1)

Turkey’s Capital Markets Board has asked to be informed of future issues, Cengiz Onder, head of investor relations at Bank Asya, said in a phone interview today from Istanbul. An official at the board, asking not to be named under government policy, said it’s seeking further documentation from Bank Asya before sales can resume, without giving further comment.

In Turkey, how Germany’s president became ‘Germany’s imam’

The Gulen movement is primarily a civil society organization, consisting of thousands of teachers, academics, journalists, businessmen and charitable workers. A political attack against their legitimate services and institutions would be disastrous for rule of law and societal peace, both of which have already been seriously compromised in Turkey.

Flynn’s Turkish [and Erdogan] Connection

The curious thing about the Flynn-Turkey connection is that it was a very badly-kept secret. Details of Flynn’s connection to a firm that worked on behalf of the Turkish government were known at least by mid-November, and there were hints that something fishy was going before that when he began singing Erdogan’s praises and demanding Gulen’s extradition.

Report exposes death from torture of Turkish teacher in police custody

A new report from the Stockholm Center for Freedom (SCF) titled “Tortured to Death” exposes the case of 42-year-old history teacher Gökhan Açıkkollu. The report details every day he was kept in custody, where he was repeatedly beaten. The government documents, medical reports, independent opinions and witness statements obtained by SCF show his death was not due to natural causes.

Erdogan’s war on education: The exodus of Turkey’s teachers

They were happy when Greek police caught them. “They treated us very well,” Hakan says. “Zehra told us she felt safer spending [several nights] in jail than [she did] in Turkey. She said: ‘The Greek police are keeping us safe from the Turks.'”

Targeted by Erdoğan, Turkish schools earn praise, offer success abroad

Turkish schools established by educational volunteers affiliated with a movement inspired by teachings of Turkish scholar Fethullah Gülen receive widespread praise due to the quality of education they provide internationally, but for months they have been targeted by the Turkish president.

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

Yet another woman detained due to Gülen links shortly after delivery

Former Filipino deputy: Great that we have Kimse Yok Mu

My husband is being tortured and I am worried about his life

Rumi Forum bestows Peace and Dialogue Awards

Defamation campaign against Hizmet condemned by CSOs from across country

Liberian Turkish Light International School Organizes Math Competition

Gulen Charter Schools Myth

Copyright 2023 Hizmet News