Erdoğan vows to strip Gülen sympatizers off Turkish citizenship


Date posted: October 17, 2016

Reiterating his threats against sympathizers of the grassroots Gülen movement who are fleeing the oppression in Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said they can become citizens of countries to which they flee while once again vowing to revoke their citizenship.

Speaking in his Black Sea hometown of Rize on Saturday, Erdoğan repeated his unsubstantiated accusations against the Gülen movement, calling its sympathizers “terrorists.” Erdoğan urged these people under persecution to become citizens of the countries in which they are living, saying that “they will not be considered citizens of this country.”

“We have entered their lairs. They run, we are told to chase them. Are they running? Let them become citizens of the places to which they flee. They will no longer be citizens of this country,” Erdoğan said as part of his relentless witch-hunt against the Gülen movement.

Calling Muslim scholar Fethullah Gülen, who inspires the movement, which has established schools around the world, a coward, Erdoğan asked Gülen return to Turkey to stand trial. Turkey’s increasingly oppressive president argued that the Gülen movement is a terrorist organization just like the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP-C).

Despite unanswered questions as to who provided intelligence on the coup to the president and the government, and when, Erdoğan has been accusing Gülen of masterminding the coup since day one. An Erdoğan-led purge was initiated immediately after the failed coup of July 15 and has cost over 100,000 people their freedom, jobs and basic rights. More than 32,000 have been arrested in Turkey, including judges, prosecutors, academics and journalists.

Source: Turkish Minute , October 15, 2016

Tags: | | | | |


Related News

The Hizmet Movement: ‘Terrorist’ or Terrorised?

In the end, when analysing this most recent coup attempt, and judging the Hizmet movement or Fethullah Gulen’s involvement comes down to the simple fact that Hizmet activity revolves around education, charity and dialogue, and underpinning all of its work are love, compassion, equality and positive engagement. Essentially, this is epitomised in the fact that the turkish word ‘Hizmet’ literally means ‘service’.

What was the ‘postmodern coup’ about?

Şahin Alpay,  Sunday March 4, 2012 In the summer of 1996, a coalition government was formed in Turkey between the Islamist Welfare Party (RP) led by Mr. Necmettin Erbakan and the center-right True Path Party (DYP) led by Mrs. Tansu Çiller, who had declared herself to be the foremost opponent of the RP. This coalition […]

Is the Gulen Movement a Threat to the Turkish Government?

Hakan Yesilova The Turkish press has been dominantly occupied with the coup and violence in Egypt and Syria, and one more issue that has erupted, as if out of no where, is a so-called rift between the government and the Gulen Movement (GM), an influential faith-inspired educational movement. The story goes that some influential circles […]

Ergenekon opinion lists subversive plans for coup d’état

A lead prosecutor involved in the trial of the Ergenekon terrorist organization listed in his final opinion of the case several plots by the terrorist group to spark chaos in society so as to lay the groundwork for a military coup. One such plan was the Action Plan to Fight Reactionaryism, which detailed a military campaign to destroy the image of the ruling AK Party and the faith-based Gulen movement in the eyes of the public.

Gülen’s lawyer likens hate campaign against his client to Nazi era

Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen’s attorney Nurullah Albayrak said the smear campaign targeting his client to marginalize him has peaked, stressing that the hate speech Gülen has been subjected to for months is comparable to Nazi era discriminatory practices.

Independent deputy says there may be an attempt to pin political murders on Gülen movement

İlhan İşbilen, an independent deputy for İzmir, has said some sections of society are part of a “dirty scenario” that aims to make sure the Gülen movement, a faith-based grassroots social initiative, is uttered in the same breath as extrajudicial political killings.

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

Can resurrecting the caliphate solve Muslims’ problems?

Gulen followers encourage education, awareness

Alevis voice unease over lack of promised rights at Abant meeting

‘Fethullah Gulen Might Return to Turkey on This Condition’

Turkish Cultural Center reaches out to Syracuse community to share its unique culture

Kerry: Turkish President’s Insinuation of US Role in Attempted Coup is ‘Harmful to Our Bilateral Relations’

The fate of prosecutors

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News