Man campaigning for anti-Gülen protest in US Turkish Communist Party member

M. Fethullah Gulen
M. Fethullah Gulen


Date posted: July 11, 2013

A man who has been campaigning for a protest in front of the house of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, now residing in the US, is a member of the far-left Turkish Communist Party (TKP), the Bugün daily reported on Thursday.

Armağan Yılmaz, who reportedly runs an ad agency in Orlando, Fla., is leading a campaign on social media calling for a protest in front of Gülen’s house in Pennsylvania. The slogans used in the campaign include insults and threats against Gülen.

Armağan Yılmaz

Armağan Yılmaz

Bugün said Yılmaz is an active member of the TKP and that he has carried out activities on behalf of the far-left group in Turkey’s Yalova province.

A statement on the herkul.org website, which broadcasts weekly speeches of Gülen recorded by his close circle in Pennsylvania, said Gülen’s doors are open to everyone. “We are following the path of [13th-century Sufi philosopher and poet] Mevlana [Jalaladdin Rumi]. Our hearts and doors are open to everyone. We have all kinds of tea and refreshments here. Freedom of expression and thought is what we have also been defending unless it contains insult. This right can be used within limits of law and with necessary permissions from authorities if needed,” the statement said.

The statement, however, was met with a harsh reaction from Yılmaz, who said he and his friends do not have any intention to drink tea.

“They know me and my friends well. But they underestimated us for a long time,” he was quoted as saying by Bugün.

Gülen is a Turkish Islamic scholar well known for his teachings promoting mutual understanding and tolerance between cultures. He has pioneered educational activities in a number of countries, along with efforts to promote intercultural and interfaith activities around the world.

He has also written nearly 50 books in Turkish, some of which have been translated into several languages.

Source: Today's Zaman , 11 July 2013


Related News

Ministerial bureaucrats being purged over their alleged affiliations with Hizmet

Radikal said the only criteria in these purges is the “parallel state,” a term the government uses to define those bureaucrats known to favor the Hizmet movement, which is a grassroots movement based on voluntary participation to spread interfaith dialogue and tolerance with a particular emphasis on education.

Celebrating Turkish Cultural Day

Both the Turkish Cultural Center and City Hall were turned into a Turkish festival, complete with music, food, and dancing. The entire local Turkish community, as well as other cultures, took part in the celebration. Organizers say it’s important to make sure everyone feels welcome.

Headlines or weapons of mass destruction?

Despite the fact that there is no evidence for parallel state structure accusations, the pro-government media has acted as a propaganda machine to demonize the Hizmet movement through smear campaigns.

Clash of the Anatolian Tigers

Gulen-associated businesses inside Turkey have already been “punished.” Several pundits have told Al-Monitor they do not expect TUSKON-related businesses, particularly Asia Bank, to survive another year.

Turkic American Alliance’s iftar brought diplomats together in Washington DC

The Turkic American Alliance (TAA), which is an umbrella organization with more than 200 member organizations, and its component organization Rumi Forum came together to host a Ramadan Iftar for many dignitaries in the Washington, D.C. area on Tuesday, July 30th. Several ambassadors, congressmen, diplomats and leaders of the Turkic community and organizations attended the dinner.

As Gulen movement contracts in Africa, worry over who will fill the vacuum

Abdallah Kheri, who in Kenya heads the Islamic Research and Education Trust, worries that shuttering Gulen schools and other institutions could leave a vacuum that the so-called Islamic State will seek to fill. “Closing down the institutions would definitely grant gains to the fundamentalists,” he said. In Kenya, the Rev. Wilybard Lagho, Mombasa Roman Catholic diocese vicar general, said he would lament the demise of Gulen schools.

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

Horrific Torture Details Emerge In Turkey’s Capital, A Lawyer Reveals

Pak-Turk schools: Parents urge government against transferring administration to Erdogan-linked organization

[Alleged] “Coup leader” Gülen’s friendships with the Catholic Church

Afghan-Turk School Students Shine Abroad

Turkey: Post-coup prisoner says threatened with rape, beaten almost to death

Kimse Yok Mu’s permanent assistance continues in the Philippines

Gülen’s lawyer, Court of Appeals deny claims of AK Party official

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News