‘Who do you like most, Erdoğan or Gülen?’ Turkish teacher asks primary school students


Date posted: September 28, 2016

A religious culture and moral knowledge teacher at İskenderun’s Mithat Paşa Primary School has asked students about their preference between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, parents complain.

“Who likes FETÖ and who likes Recep Tayyip Erdoğan?” the teacher known by initials M.A. has asked 4th grade students, in the latest of growing divisive language flared up by the government in the recent past.

Evrensel daily quoted parents as saying that students aging between 9 to 10, become cold of religious culture courses and prefer not to attend in classes amid similar incidents.

The school primary Berivan Kuyubaşıoğlu confirmed the report saying: “Our teacher has overly gone into details. We have sent him a written warning.”

The teacher was also reported to have asked students if they support AK Party, CHP or HDP, during last week’s class.

The Education Ministry distributed “Attempt to invade Turkey with coup” brochures at all state schools across Turkey at the beginning of this education season. Some 19 million students also watched a video of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reciting the Turkish national anthem along with footage from the night of July 15, when an abortive coup took place in Turkey.

The government accuses Gülen of masterminding the coup attempt, calling him FETÖ [Fethullahist terrorist organization] leader. The latter denies any involvement calling on government to provide evidence.


Related News

Turkish PM: State of emergency will continue until Gülen movement completely wiped out

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said in Ankara on Thursday that the state of emergency which was declared following a failed coup attempt in July of last year will continue until the faith-based Gülen movement, which the government accuses of being behind the coup attempt, is completely wiped out from state institutions.

PM threatens business, media and civic groups amid corruption woes

In several veiled references to the Hizmet movement, inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen who has been critical of the government for trying to derail the corruption investigation, the prime minister claimed that the operation was orchestrated by “gangs” and a “parallel state.”

Halki, pope, patriarch and Gülen

The way Turkey’s chief political Islamist and new president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has approached the reopening of the Halki seminary, a school that had trained Eastern Orthodox clergy for the Patriarchate for more than a century until it was forcibly shut down in 1971, represents a fundamental flaw in the thinking of so-called Islamists, who place more emphasis on symbolism than substance and like very much to employ divisive and hateful discourse as opposed to reaching out and embracing different faiths and cultures.

Gülen Speaks to Süddeutsche Zeitung daily, warns of on-going witch hunt against Hizmet

“The impression is that Turkey is moving away from a state of democratic, secular and social values and turning into a single party, and even further, a one man state,” noted Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, who lives in self-exposed exile in the US, echoing widely expressed criticism of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the current government.

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.

Pro-gov’t media continues smear campaign against Hizmet movement

In order to defame the Hizmet movement, A Haber — a member of the government-designed “pool media,” created through funds raised by various businessmen to protect the government’s interests — has described a Felicity Party (SP) election campaign conducted by women in the province of Hatay as “black propaganda” against the Justice and Development Party (AK Party).

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

Gulen says he is certain Erdogan behind failed Turkey coup

Why does Fethullah Gülen matter to the world?

Today’s Zaman praised for quality coverage on 6th anniversary

EP discusses transparency call for Hizmet

Turkish deputy PM says Fethullah Gülen is supra-political, conscience of 75 million people in Turkey

A Match Made in Hell: The Budding Bromance of Trump and Erdogan

Teacher tortured to death by Turkish police found innocent, reinstated to job

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News