Minister Çelik supports Gülen’s call for Alevi-Sunni brotherhood

Labor and Social Security Minister Faruk Çelik
Labor and Social Security Minister Faruk Çelik


Date posted: July 5, 2013

Labor and Social Security Minister Faruk Çelik has supported the call “Let the mosque and the cemevi be side by side,” by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.

During an interview with Cihan news agency said that he knows well how Gülen thinks of the Alevi issue in Turkey, “I know Gülen is in a struggle for taking precautions beforehand, by telling the possible problems that may occur in the future,” Minister Çelik stated. He continued his remarks backing Gülen’s call for Alevi-Sunni brotherhood as such: “Imagine a place where everyone is at peace. All different religious sects have found a place for themselves. That is why I found (Gülen’s call) extremely applicable. Are not we all Muslims? Yes, we are. So, I believe that it is (that being the mosque and cemevi side-by-side) something desired and longed for.”

Minister Faruk Çelik also said that they started the Alevi workshops with sincere intentions, and completed the process with a 7-8- month workshop. “First of all, everyone (Alevi or Sunni) needs to get rid of biases. The communication channels or dialogue channels should be also varied,” he indicated.

“I have received very important letters from Gülen during that time,” Çelik added, saying his advice related to the issue really intends to prevent more troubles.

In response to a question in connection with the naming İstanbul’s third bridge after the Ottoman Sultan, Yavuz Sultan Selim, who is held responsible by Alevis for the deaths of tens of thousands of Alevis in the early 16th century, Çelik said, “I can tell you very clearly that there is no malicious intention. Yavuz Sultan Selim has an important role in our history. Bringing 500-years-incidents back today would be a wrong approach.”

Source: [in Turkish] Cihan, 03 July, 2013. English translation is retrieved from HizmetMovement.Com


Related News

Gülen-linked GYV brings message of peace, dialogue to polarized Turkey

The 20th anniversary of the traditional annual dinner hosted by the Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV), whose honorary chairman is Fethullah Gülen, was held on Tuesday in İstanbul, with a message focusing on peace, solidarity and dialogue against the backdrop of a highly politicized climate that has recently divided and polarized Turkish society. “Let’s emphasize […]

Police wait at hospital to detain cancer patient

An anonymous Twitter account aiming to share human rights violations in Turkey announced on Saturday that police in Ankara were waiting at a hospital to detain a woman who is undergoing chemotherapy.

Plot against Gülen movement put into action based on lies, false confessions

An alleged secret plot against members of the faith-based Gülen movement — inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, which became public last year, is being put into action step by step based on questionable testimonies obtained from secret witnesses, informants and anonymous complainants leading to criminal prosecutions apparently orchestrated by political authorities.

Turkish Airlines discriminates against critical newspapers on planes

THY significantly slashed its number of subscriptions to the aforementioned newspapers following an open disagreement between the government — which had made a decision to shut down prep schools — and the dailies, which held a critical editorial stance against the move. The numbers of these newspapers were lowered in THY’s private “Commercially Important Persons” lounge.

Reports of en masse wiretappings denied by prosecutors

Pro-government newspaper reports claiming thousands of people were wiretapped by prosecutors as part of an investigation into an unfamiliar terrorist group have been denied by both prosecutors who handled the investigation.

What is this bedlam all about?

So, as expected, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared all-out war. The enemy — what he and his advisers regard as “the junta formation within the police,” the media, the judiciary, the American Embassy, affiliates of the mainly volunteer Hizmet movement, and, well, whoever seems to disagree with the way he intends to run the country and whoever tends to believe there is no smoke without fire — have dug their trenches in a circle.

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

University entrance exam results announced, top scorers from Gülen-affiliated schools

Turkey introduces new decree law to seize all Gulen-related companies

Who is Behind the Pennsylvania Protests?

Turkey’s Maarif schools to be funded by Saudi and IDB money

Dozens of the anti-Gülen and anti-Gülen Movement books on the shelves

U.S. Not Persuaded to Extradite Fethullah Gulen Over Turkey Coup

How strong is the Gülen movement in France?

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News