Has Turkey arrested Christian to exchange for Fethullah Gülen?


Date posted: December 15, 2016

Eliana Benador

Turkey’s Erdogan regime has arrested an American pastor whom they could use in a possible exchange for the Turkish Muslim cleric they want to extradite from the United States.

The Muslim Fethullah Gülen is accused by the Erdogan regime to be the mastermind behind the latest failed-military-coup intending to depose the president.

Pastor Brunson and his wife, Norine, were detained on October 7, under Interior Ministry deportation orders.

However, his wife was released on October 19 and received an extended permit to remain in the country.

Norine Brunson overlooking Izmir’s Harmandanli Detention Centre, where her husband is detained. Photo: World Watch Monitor

Norine Brunson overlooking Izmir’s Harmandanli Detention Centre, where her husband is detained. Photo: World Watch Monitor

Meanwhile, the pastor was transferred overnight on 8 Dec. to a counter-terrorism center, before being brought before an Izmir court for interrogation.

64 days after his arrest on October 7, on December 9, a Turkish judge sent Rev. Andrew Brunson to prison at the Harmandali Detention Centre on the northern edge of Izmir.

Brunson’s lawyer has confirmed that the court document released at the hearing charged her US client with “membership in an armed terrorist organization”. The judge specifically mentioned allegations that the pastor had links with the Fethullah Gulen movement, which is accused by Ankara of instigating a failed military coup against the Turkish government on 15 July.

Fethullah Gülen

In September 2016, Turkey requested U.S. authorities to detain the Turkish Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses Fethullah Gülen of masterminding a failed coup that killed at least 271 people in July this year, according to the state Anadolu news agency.

Mr. Gülen emphatically denies any wrongdoing and maintains that he is opposed to violence.

In fact, he assures that charges against him are part of a political vendetta that started in 2013 after his supporters started investigating and publishing corruption allegations against Turkish politicians close to the president.

After the so-called coup, Erdogan’s rage was such, that he promoted incarcerations of ten thousand troops, maintaining them in concentration camps, with almost no food or water, and the thousands of men being systematically raped.

turkish-soldiers

Initially, no human rights organization decried the crimes against humanity committed by the Erdogan regime at that point.

Finally,  Amnesty International alerted that there was “credible evidence Turkish police are holding detainees, denying them food, water, and medical treatment and in worst cases, severely beaten and tortured.

During months, many of the 10,000 detainees have been kept locked up in horses’ stables and sports halls – some hogtied in horrific stress positions, according to human rights campaigners.

Credible sources report that Turkish troops imprisoned after the failed military coup are being raped, starved and left without water for days.

Up until now, we don’t know what has been the final fate of those Turkish men.

Conclusion

While Muslims are unconditionally welcome with open arms in the West, where they never intend to adopt local mores, exactly the opposite happens to Christians in the world of Islam.

Surely, the Brunson couple has lived in Turkey for roughly 20 years, but did not stop authorities from accusing Reverend Brunson of aiding and abetting terrorism.

For his part, Gülen maintains he and his movement are not for violence.  It could be true.

But, don’t all Muslims say Islam is the religion of peace?

All Muslims, that is, except their terrorists. Indeed, the religion of peace.

Always remember, the 19 terrorists who prepared and trained for the massacres of 9/11, ALL were “moderate” until the left their homes to fulfill their macaber mission.

Whom you choose to believe, is at your own risk.

The bottom line may be that with Brunson, now Turks have a good piece to exchange for Fethullah Gülen, should they not receive him before President Obama finishes his term.

Nothing dealing with Islam is unplanned.  The sooner Westerners and Americans, in particular, realize that the better it will be.

Source: ELIANA BENADOR , December 15, 2016


Related News

Judge says judiciary still under tutelage, implies gov’t responsible

Even the simplest court decisions are subject to discussion and the trust in the judiciary has been badly damaged. Everyone, including the judiciary and executive bodies, should put forward documents and evidence related to the claims [of the existence of a parallel state],” Constitutional Court President Haşim Kılıç stated.

Government media runs riot in smear campaign against Hizmet

A news article in Daily Sabah, the new, English-language member of the government’s media lineup, claimed on Monday that the police are ratcheting up measures to patch holes in their security network in order to prevent leaks by Gülenists, a derogatory term used to describe the Hizmet movement.

Ten thoughts on the [Erdogan] way of trolling

I’ve been writing about Turkey for more than a decade now. It’s a beautiful country, rich in history, and a complex society but, boy, in recent years their trolling has left a lot to be desired. It’s not just the internet trolls who have fallen far behind but also Turkish diplomats and even senior aides to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Gulen Movement, civilian governments and the AK Party

The Gulen movement’s understanding of politics and the political process differentiate it from the military and bureaucratic elite. Its main political objective is to transform society by raising the moral consciousness of individuals. By raising moral consciousness, the movement hopes to cleanse the bureaucracy of widespread corruption, increase the efficiency and transparency of state institutions, reinvigorate public work ethic to serve the people in order to enhance the legitimacy of the state, and create opportunity spaces for marginalized sectors of the Anatolian population.

Turkish Cultural Center Maine honors Governor LePage

Turkish Cultural Center Maine honors Governor LePage at its first friendship dinner. Speakers point to business and education ties and potential [between Turkey and State of Maine] as the governor and two others receive awards. Several state legislators who attended the dinner have gone on one of the three trips the Turkish Cultural Center has organized for lawmakers to visit Turkey. There also are educational ties between Maine and Turkey.

Fethullah Gulen calls on Muslims to help Hurricane Sandy victims

HizmetNews.COM  November  6, 2012 Fethullah Gulen, the honorary president of the Peace Islands Institute, has joined the relief efforts by donating $2000 to Helping Hands Relief Foundation for Hurricane Sandy victims. He wishes to express his deepest condolences to those who lost loved ones and sends his prayers for fast recovery to everyone who is affected. […]

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

Ahmet Şık’s book and Ergenekon’s media campaign (1)

Turkey’s ‘terrorists’ active in India. But who are they really?

Gülen’s lawyer files lawsuit over unlawful police probe into Hizmet

Love is A Verb – forthcoming documentary on the Gülen Movement

Turkish charity delivers sacrificial meat to 30,000 families in Philippines

The Gülen Movement: a modern expression of Turkish Islam – Interview with Hakan Yavuz

Dialogue Eurasia Institute Opens in Kazakhstan

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News