The US Should Not Extradite Fethullah Gülen, To A Paranoid Turkish Government


Date posted: August 22, 2016

Jon Mark

Turkish president Erdogan is not letting up with his demands to the United States, that it extradite Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen to face charges for a coup against the Turkish leader, which Gulen is accused of influencing.

The coup attempt for which the Turkish government blames Fethullah Gulen, reportedly took place on July 15 against the regime while President Erdogan was vacationing.

Soldiers began to declare the coup and attempted to enforce a new order, for which the president retaliated with the help of loyal members of the military, before enforcing days and weeks of mass arrests of suspects which ranged from soldiers to journalists. It was during this time that Erdogan began to accuse Gulen who lives in the United States of staging the coup.

The Guardian reported on the crushing of the coup attempt and the complications in the relationship between Turkey and the U.S., especially since they are providing the U.S. with a base to conduct airstrikes from in the battle against the Islamic State.

The article says that, according to the Turkish government, those who were rounded up and questioned apparently gave up the name of Fethullah Gulen as the instigator.

“Of course, since the leader of this terrorist organization is residing in the United States, there are question marks in the minds of the people whether there is any U.S. involvement or backing. So America from this point on should really think how they will continue to cooperate with Turkey, which is a strategic ally for them in the region and world.”

Without having to go into the details of the history between Fethullah Gulen and Erdogan, it should be common sense to say that Gulen should not be handed over to a paranoid state, which cannot handle its own affairs.

Fethullah Gulen himself has done what others also have, which is to suggest that Erdogan himself facilitated “the coup” in order for him to introduce his new phase of order over the country, becoming a dictator under NATO protection.

There is also the fact that his attempts to become friendlier with Russian leader Vladimir Putin — which is a completely different stance from what his position has been, and a questionable decision — which throws up a lot of red flags as to what bridges Turkey is willing to burn with the support of a KGB-led Russia.

Erdogan has established certain ultimatums should the U.S. not turn over Fethullah Gulen. And while they can certainly do that if they want to, given the suspicious nature of the situation there, there is no question that Erdogan is willing to do what he has to in order to make the relationship with the U.S. problematic.

As we’ve seen from a distance, the crackdown Erdogan is willing to enforce in his own country over ideas that are against him — of which the Fethullah Gulen movement is surely only one of many; it is easy to see that Erdogan wants his power to cross the ocean in a long reach to enforce his brand of “justice” on American soil.

If the extreme right-wing groups in the United States are willing to have their paranoia of Sharia law being implemented on American soil energized again, this would be the closest similarity to that from afar, should they feel that the U.S. give him up.

While we’re in the realm of paranoia, on the issue of coup attempts; the United States has a long history of staging coups in other countries.

Is it possible this was one against Turkey, with the help of Fethullah Gulen? While people with the endurance to do so can debate that issue, it doesn’t matter. Nor is it possible to ignore Erdogan’s escalating paranoia to think that he should be extradited. Fethullah Gulen’s exile to the U.S. was accepted and should be protected, or the U.S. leaves nothing for those who seek it to be proud of.

Fethullah Gulen’s extradition to Turkey means that Erdogan will get his way, no matter where in the world that is.

 

Source: Inquisitr , August 21, 2016


Related News

Turkey purge victims unable to find jobs, leave country

“It’s a kind of civil death,” Kerem Altiparmak, a human rights lawyer and political science professor at Ankara University told Los Angeles Times on Wednesday when describing how the lives of thousands of people change after the July 15 coup attempt.

Minister: Turkey confiscated $4 bln worth of Gülenist property

Some TL 12 billion (about $4 billion) in property has been transferred to the Treasury as part of an investigation into the Gülen movement, said Minister for Environment and Urbanization Mehmet Özhaseki on Thursday. Immediately after the putsch, the government along with Erdoğan pinned the blame on the Gülen movement without credible evidence.

Fethullah Gülen and the role of nonviolence in a time of terror

Fethullah Gülen is unusual in adding a distinctly Islamic voice to the calls for a non-violent approach to conflict resolution. But how well do Gülen’s teachings on non-violence lead to peaceful transformation on the ground? Is his a static and passive approach bounded by dogma, or are we witnessing an innovative, active and self-aware spirit of transformation which really can lead to a new way of defining Islam in action?

Turkey: A climate of fear; losers in the aftermath of the coup attempt

Turkey at large will lose as Erdoğan chooses the retaliatory path and purges relentlessly, splitting the country into supporters and adversaries. A climate of fear and indignation will envelop not only the many institutions that were hit hard, but Turkey in general, and the Middle East will suffer even further than it is already suffering.

NY Times: 3 Turkish Ministers Resign Amid Corruption Scandal

Three Turkish cabinet ministers resigned Wednesday in an intensifying corruption scandal that has challenged the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and polarized the country.

How It Feels to Be a Dissident in Turkey After the Failed Military Coup

LOUISE CALLAGHAN To plan a speedy political exile from Turkey today, you need two things: a world map and the Wikipedia page on “visa entry requirements for Turkish citizens.” If you get out a highlighter and start cross-referencing the two, you’ll quickly see the bottom half of the map is more accessible than the top. […]

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

Students visiting Turkey bid one another a teary farewell

Accused by Erdogan of plotting a coup, Hizmet movement fears for freedom in Turkey

Questions over corruption and paralysis of politics [in Turkey]

Turkey detainees tortured, raped after failed coup, rights group says

Critics say Turkish government using US mosques to play politics, spy on foes

Gülen issues condolence message for Iraqi victims of ISIL

Turkish government defiant as battle over prep schools rises

Copyright 2023 Hizmet News