Gülen says paying price for not supporting Erdoğan’s desire for presidential system


Date posted: September 9, 2016

In an interview with Politico magazine, Muslim scholar Fethullah Gülen, who is accused of masterminding Turkey’s foiled coup among other things, said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan targeted him and the Hizmet movement when he declined to support Erdoğan’s ambition for an executive presidency.

“Mr Erdoğan put pressure on me and Hizmet sympathizers to publicly support his idea of a presidential system. He increased the pressure by supporting government-funded alternatives to Hizmet institutions and then began threatening to close them down,” Gülen stated in a written interview with Nahal Toosi, which was published on Friday. According to Gülen, Hizmet sympathizers are paying a heavy price for their independence. Yet, he says he does not have any regrets.

The Turkish cleric, who has been in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999 as a result of political pressure in Turkey, denied accusations of “having a dark agenda” and said that if anyone following his teachings has been involved in any illegal activity, it means a “betrayal” of his peaceful teachings.

According to Gülen, by means of a relentless witch-hunt in the absence of rule of law, the Erdoğan government is trying to force Hizmet movement supporters into violence. However, Gülen said he is confident that they will continue to remain peaceful. According to Gülen, there is nobody in Turkey to stop Erdoğan’s “uninhibited ambitions.”

In response to a question on Turkey’s request for his extradition from the US, Gülen stated his belief that the US would not abandon its tradition of rule of law just to please Erdoğan.

The full text of the original interview can be found in this link.

Source: Turkish Minute , September 9, 2016


Related News

Scholars: Misconceptions of Islam still abound

SEVGI AKARÇEŞME, İSTANBUL The subject of misconceptions of Islam dominated the debates at the international conference organized by the Foundation of Journalists and Authors (GYV) and Fatih University in İstanbul today. The event, titled “The Practice of Coexistence in Islamic Civilization and Contemporary Interpretations,” started on Friday with the participation of international scholars and leading […]

A Genocide in the Making – Genocidal action stage by stage by the Turkish government against the Hizmet movement

Dr Ismail Sezgin, Director of Centre for Hizmet Studies is questioning if a genocide is in the making in Turkey, exploring the development of a genocidal action stage by stage by the Turkish government against the Hizmet movement.

AK Party promises more despotism if it wins big in local polls

Since the Dec. 17 corruption and bribery probe, Prime Minister Erdoğan has threatened to order an “operation” against certain civil society organizations and business groups that have voiced demands for the prime minister and his government to be held accountable in the face of alleged irregularities.

Turkish imam spy affair in Germany extends across Europe

The Federal Prosecutors Office (GBA) said in a statement no arrests were made in the raids in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and Rhineland-Pfalz, which aimed to collect evidence into imams conducting alleged espionage against supporters of the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen.

Ceremony canceled after Gülen’s relative wins short film contest

The award ceremony of a short film contest organized by the Ministry of Education has been canceled after the contest was won by Seleme Gülen, a relative of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, whose ideas inspired the faith-based Hizmet movement.

Father Alexei on Fethullah Gulen and Hizmet Movement

Father Alexei Smith served as an elected member of the Council of Priests of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for six years, and currently is a member of the Spirituality Commission of the Archdiocese. He served as president of the Interreligious Council of Southern California for five years. In 2007, he awarded the prestigious Religious Leadership Award of the Valley Interfaith Council.

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

AKP winning perception war !

A Muslim Cleric That America Should Support

Fighting poverty, ignorance and disunity in Ghana; the TUDEC experience

Erdogan’s endless legitimacy crisis

NTA Tuesday Live on Turkish Hizmet Movement in Nigerian

Dialogue and Friendship Dinner Unites Multi-Cultural, Faith Groups

Turkey Faces Its Iran 1979 Moment

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News