Cem Foundation President Prof. Izzettin Dogan gave noteworthy statements to the daily BUGUN concerning the recent issues ranging from Fethullah Gulen‘s remarks “Let’s not sacrifice all the bridges to build one. Mosques and cemevis should be side by side” to ongoing heated debates. Highlights from his statements are as follows:

Gulen earned sympathy among Alevis

It was Fethullah Gulen who had initially proposed the mosque-cemevi project. We finalized it with an additional a soup kitchen. It’s been 25-30 years since we brought up the proposal, in cooperation with our Sunni friends. Fethullah Gulen has voiced strong support for establishing cemevis over the recent years. Gulen said: “They are all Muslims. Only God can judge whether they are right or wrong.” His courage to state these earned him sympathy among Alevis. People like honesty not hypocrisy. They like those speaking the Qur’an.

A wise man attitude

Only a wise man like Gulen can utter the words “Let’s not sacrifice all the bridges to build one”, regarding the controversies surrounding the name “Yavuz Sultan Selim.” Gulen took a right and fruitful stance on the issue. He is an exceptional intellectual who can identify the conspiracies against Alevis and Sunnis. We had talked about the issue before he left for the US. Mosques and cemevis should be side by side. This is what the true interpretation of the Qur’an requires. It is not at the discretion of the state. The state should back the establishment of cemevis. However, it currently fails to even designate the land.

Source: [in Turkish] Bugun, 22 June, 2013. English translation is retrieved from HizmetMovement.Com