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

East Indian Activist Supports Inter-cultural Dialog and Gulen Movement

Swami Agnivesh, 72, a Hindu social activist best known for his work against bonded labor said on a recent visit to Istanbul that he believed in intercultural dialog and Fethullah Gulen’s liberal ideas. Agnives said he was impressed with the Fethullah Gulen Movement’s work to find fellowship between cultures. Agnives came to know Fethullah Gulen through the […]

Forget about the gentleman living in Pennsylvania, US tells Ankara

Turkey should stop discussing “the gentlemen in Pennsylvania” and instead focus on other important issues as a NATO ally, the U.S. State Department said, regarding U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.

Wife of ‘Gülen school manager’ detained in Tbilisi asks for protection

The family of Mustafa Emre Çabuk, a manager at the Private Demirel College who was detained in Tbilisi on Turkey’s request, is asking for protection from Georgia’s State Security Service, after receiving several threats on social media with Turkish names.

Academic freedom at universities under growing threat

Süleyman Yaşar, a former columnist at the Sabah daily who has a broad vision regarding the economic policy of the current government, was fired from the outlet for not criticizing the Hizmet movement [the faith-based organization inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen]

Turkey’s Main Opposition Party Reiterates In Report July 15 Was ‘Controlled’ Coup Attempt

A report drafted by Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) on a failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15, 2016 has repeated an earlier claim made by the party’s leader suggesting that the coup attempt was a “controlled” one and that there were some Turkish authorities who knew about the coup plans but did not take any measures to prevent it.

It is unfair, unjust and politically motivated to incriminate the Gulen Movement

As a reader of Gulen’s thinking and a keen observer of the movement, I am convinced that they are aware of the viability of multiple approaches to resolve our global issues as well as the locally troubling scenarios. So to accuse and incriminate a movement that is based on the Islamic notion of hizmet (service) of a coup to topple a civilian rule is unfair, unjust and politically motivated for all practical reasons.

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

Gov’t pins hope on division in Turkey as Erdoğan resorts to hateful speech

Heightened anxieties in Kosovo after arrest of ‘Gulenist educator’

Book Review: A Hizmet Approach to Rooting out Violent Extremism

‘If I had the power, I would let Turks take charge of our schools’

Turkey Coup Attempt: Who is Fethullah Gülen, The Cleric Being Accused Of Orchestrating The Turmoil?

A cami and cemevi together

International Women’s Day Message from Fethullah Gülen

Copyright 2024 Hizmet News