A February 28 tactic from the PKK

Bulent Korucu
Bulent Korucu


Date posted: November 16, 2011

Bulent Korucu Tuesday 15 November, 2011

These days, the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) media is using a tactic to strike a blow at Fethullah Gülen that resembles one once used by the Feb. 28 supporters.***

The Feb. 28 media, using a sort of cut-and-paste method with various sermons and discussions that have taken place, created lots of material for a lynching campaign. We could offer up lots of examples, but the most striking of them was this: While Gülen once actually said, “You cannot tell the CHP [main opposition Republican People’s Party] supporters to go to hell,” his words were manipulated to look like he said, “Let the CHP supporters go to hell.”

The real version of this line from the list of allegations was extracted from cassettes, recordings and the 10-year trial period that started off with cries of “Execution, to the execution” and wound up with a double appeal judgment of acquittal. Even more important than all this was that they were never able to convict Gülen in the eyes of the public. Actually, the exculpation Gülen enjoyed in the hearts of the nation transformed his status in the courtroom to one of acquittal. Had they only been able to convince the nation, punishing Gülen would have been very easy.

These days, we see the same tactics being used by the PKK media. As a bad copy of the deep state, the PKK/Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) sees all roads leading towards its goals as permissible, and has once again been caught red-handed. The talk Gülen gave on Oct. 24 about “terror and lament” was of a nature to throw quite a few people off their tracks. For example, some of his comments were: “Why has there been no opportunity to learn Kurdish in schools? In our schools abroad, in fact even in America, Turkish is studied as an elective, and no one tries to impede this. This is one of the special features of being a great state.”

At another point in his talk, Gülen said: “At one time in the past, it was thought that these things could be imposed from on high, as though they were coming down like a large hammer. But the truth is, each hammer blow only whipped up hatred and enmity. This hatred and enmity was inherited by each passing generation, and became so large that it threatened to swallow the nation. The problem needs to be eliminated not by yelling and screaming, burning and killing, but rather with bravery, intelligence and clemency.” The great teacher called on security precautions to be taken on the terror front in order that “the terror be localized and the society be prevented from being put under pressure.”

A collation of works published in this week’s Aksiyon magazine shows that Gülen has been saying similar things on this subject since the start of the ‘90s, but we all know that words are never enough in these sorts of situations. And so civil society also tried to do everything it could. Schools opened in the region aim to alleviate the differences in opportunities regional citizens are afforded. There are “dershanes” (study halls) that support hundreds of reading rooms in the region, also aiming to alleviate problems in education in the area, all despite the threats of being vandalized or set on fire.

And all this assistance was not limited to within Turkey’s borders either. Even while Saddam Hussein persisted in his cruel tyranny and bloody internal clashes were going on in Iraq, education volunteers headed for northern Iraq. There are more examples to show that what Gülen said about Kurdish language education was not aimed simply at winning hearts. There is the “Dünya” television channel, formed on his advice, which broadcasts in Kurdish, offers language courses and even popular cartoons such as “Caillou,” to help children learn language more easily.

The misrepresentation of Gülen’s words by the KCK/PKK media does not stem from some deficiency in Turkish. Perhaps it really stems from a lack of mercy and intelligence. If they truly believe that his words contained anti-Kurdishness, and they are sincere in this belief, then let them broadcast the entire talk. If they are not just some dark propaganda machine for the Internet and television, but rather a real media agency, let them broadcast this talk in its entirety. I doubt that they could ever do this because, after all, their masters, the Feb. 28 supporters, were never able to either, which is why their final acts will be similar to the final acts of the Feb. 28 supporters.

The people of the nation know Gülen, who has spoken for years from the lectern at mosques, and they know those on the other side, too. If the shadows of the weapons cast over these people were only to be lifted, we would see whose side they would stand on.

Source: Today’s Zaman http://www.todayszaman.com/columnistDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=262950

*** Read Wikipedia to get some brief information about Feb. 28 1997 military intervention in Turkey. Read Mr. Mehmet Ali Birand to learn about how Mr. Gulen was attacked those days in an organized way. Birand believes the Republic of Turkey has had two big enemies over the years — pious Muslims and Kurds. According to the journalist, the military was traditionally provoked by secularist circles to stage coups in Turkey. “It has always been secular circles in society that pushed and forced the military for coups,” he said.


Related News

Is the Hizmet movement statist or populist?

In the last three years the AK Party established their new “center” with the new statism away from the periphery. The Hizmet movement viewed this change as a new centralization and thus a new statism and tutelage with new political and capitalist actors. Due to this change in attitude, the Hizmet movement broke faith with Erdoğan and the AK Party.

Erdogan advisor likens Turkey purge to Aborigine, Native American, Armenian cases

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s chief advisor, Mehmet Uçum, has said the Turkish state can apologize to the victims of a post-coup era purge and witch-hunt targeting the faith-based Gülen movement years after the events take place, as Australia did for the Aborigines, the US did for the Native Americans and Turkey did for the Armenians.

Leaked document sheds light on Turkey’s controlled ‘coup’

Two and half years later, evidence is trickling out to support what the EU initially suspected – that president Recep Tayyip Erdogan knew what was going to happen and let it go ahead as a pretext to create one-man rule.

MHP deputy dismissed gang allegations against Hizmet Movement

“[Hizmet Movement] is very transparent under the surveillance of the government. You would go a great wrong if you accuse [Gülen] as a gang affiliated person without any verdict of conviction by a prosecutor,” stated Yılmaz.

Erdoğan rewards the killers of Gülenists

The rule of law and the independence of Turkey’s judiciary, in lower courts in particular, have been seriously compromised since the failed coup in July 2016.

Gov’t keeps purging, dozens of police officials across Turkey have been removed

The government’s massive purge of members of the police and judiciary following the eruption of a corruption and bribery scandal continued across the country on Tuesday, with dozens more police officials being removed from their posts.

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

The recent fight between Kemalo-Islamism and Civil Islam

Erdoğan’s Fight against the Gülen Movement & The Demise of Turkish State Rationality

Prof. John L. Esposito’s keynote at the Gulen Movement conference, Chicago

‘Nigeria Moving Towards Peaceful, Happy Future’

Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Fethullah Gulen

Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On Assault on Press Freedom in Turkey Senate Floor

Gülen movement’s engagement with political processes

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News