Fethullah Gulen: “If the allegations are proved, I agree to return to Turkey”

Islamic Scholar Fethullah Gulen
Islamic Scholar Fethullah Gulen


Date posted: August 11, 2016

Fethullah Gülen

French daily Le Monde published Turkish Islamic Scholar Fethullah Gulen’s op-ed on August 11, 2016. Below is short excerpt from his op-ed. Translation is by Google and slightly edited by HizmetNews.Com

“For seventeen years I have lived secluded in a small village in the USA. Claiming that I could, at 10,000 kilometers away, convince the army to carry out a coup against his government is simply defamation. Moreover, the charge was not taken seriously by world opinion. 

But if some in the military, who say they are supporters of the Hizmet were involved in the coup attempt, I say without any doubt, they are felons who have shaken the unity and the integrity of the country, have betrayed my ideals and have made hundreds of thousands suffer.

If some were under the influence of interventionist culture of the army and preferred to trample the values of Hizmet with this reflex – which I do not think – their sins can not be attributed to all supporters of the movement. May God punish them.

Nobody, including me, is above the law. I wish that all perpetrators, regardless of their affiliation, are sentenced to what they deserve through fair trial.

But since October 2014, the judiciary system is under the tutelage of the political power, the probability of getting a fair trial is almost zero. That is why I called for the creation of an international commission and announced that I would accept its findings.”

Read the op-ed in French.

 

Tags: | | | |


Related News

Pro-gov’t columnist: Turkish state must assassinate Fethullah Gülen

Fatih Tezcan, a pro-government columnist, said in a video that he is sure the Turkish state had embedded a secret agent in the Gülen movement and that now it is time for him to “terminate” Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen. During his 1.08-minute video, Tezcan curses the Gülen movement and the US-based Gülen and says that the murder of Gülen is something desired by the entire Muslim world.

‘A movement like the Hizmet Movement is very important for correcting misconceptions of Islam’

Dr. Lawrence Geraty is a Professor of Archaeology and Old Testament Studies at La Sierra University in Riverside, California. He served as the second President of La Sierra University. He completed his PhD in Syro-Palestinian Archaeology at Harvard University.

Parents of Nigerian-Turkish International College students decry call to close schools

Mr. Abudulahi, a professor, added that the schools were playing very significant role in the development of education in Nigeria and should not be closed. He said that the school was one of the most secured in the country, adding that even in the hit of Boko Haram activities in the North ast, it remained open in Yobe. He further added that so long as the NTIC had operated within the laws of Nigeria, it should be allowed to remain in operation.

Fethullah Gulen denies ties to attempted coup in Turkey

As a wave of violence washed over Turkey, President Erdogan pointed the finger of blame to Fethullah Gulen. In a rare interview with CNN’s

Turkish Gov’t Unveils 16 Ways to Identify Gulenists [as Terrorists]

Turkish authorities have finally come up with a detailed set of measures and criteria to identify suspected Gulenists. After its publication and prime minister’s announcement, critics argued that this presents a perfect textbook of fascism as the government justifies its actions, purges on ludicrous charges devoid of a legal base in universal standards and even country’s current laws.

Greek broadcaster praises contributions of Gülen movement

HASAN HACI, ATHENS The Gülen movement’s contributions to opening Turkey up to the modern world were praised during a one-hour program launched on ERT, Greece’s national broadcaster, on Monday. The program, titled “Değişen Türkiye” (Turkey Changing), featured the opinions of many leading Greek journalists, academics and politicians on the Gülen movement. Fethullah Gülen was described […]

Latest News

Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison

Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney

Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement

ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment

New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

In Case You Missed It

‘Every minister I met in Africa asked for more schools’

Current defamation campaign against Hizmet was part of Ergenekon scheme

We the pious did not feel for the suffering of the Kurds

Lessons from Dec. 17: Who is parallel?

Islam and Peace: Oxymoron or perfect match?

Turkey Carries Out Major NATO Purge

IFLC: Promoting Intercultural Dialogue

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News