Deputy PM Bülent Arınç says row with Hizmet movement would do no good

Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç in remarks made on Tuesday said the government does not need to get into a verbal row with the Hizmet movement. (Photo: Today's Zaman)
Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç in remarks made on Tuesday said the government does not need to get into a verbal row with the Hizmet movement. (Photo: Today's Zaman)


Date posted: August 13, 2013

Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç has commented for the first time on allegations that there are tensions between the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government and the Hizmet movement, saying, “We don’t need to get into a verbal row that might hurt relations between the government and the movement; we don’t need it, it would hurt us.”

Arınç said Fethullah Gülen, the Islamic scholar who inspired the Hizmet movement, is not a political figure. “The movement might have different political opinions or lifestyles in the movement, but [what matters is] that there’s unity in the movement.” Arınç praised schools opened across the world by the movement and continued: “They are especially strong in the media. All they are trying to do is to benefit our nation, Turkey, the Islamic world and the entire humanity. I believe this, not everybody has to agree with this. There will of course be a problem of a movement that has grown to such an extent.”

He continued: “The more you grow, the more people you will have seeking to join you and they might produce results that are in line with their own agenda. This is how it always is.” He said the AK Party is not an ideological party, but rather a party of the masses. “We are a party that has 21,500,000 votes. We have 355 potential candidates in a province that sends 16 deputies to the Parliament. It is a strong party, it will come to power again and everybody is drawn to the strong one. This also goes for social movements.” He said religious groups called tarikats and religious movements are a “reality” of Turkish politics.

He said Gülen likes the government, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Abdullah Gül very much. “He always says that he prays all the time expressing his gratitude because such a brave, determined and principled party did all these. He is always advising the movement to work for the democratization of Turkey. Today, we [as the government] are doing what we are doing from the strength we have drawn from the Sept. 12, 2010 referendum [on constitutional changes]. This is how we are able to bring to justice the perpetrators of the Sept. 12 or Feb. 28 coups.”

He said Gülen has openly supported the AK Party in the elections. “It is wrong that some of us speak against this movement which is very supportive of our government and our positive efforts. We should prevent such things. Hoca Efendi [the title for Gülen] resides in America. He can live in Turkey if he wants, it’s his own decision… We don’t need to get into a verbal row through the media that might hurt relations between the movement and the government, this would hurt us. Because it is not a political entity.” He also said Erdoğan holds Gülen in esteem.

Source: Today's Zaman , August 13, 2013


Related News

Gradual transformation of Turkey into an authoritarian entity under Erdogan’s leadership

As Erdogan moved on the Islamic path of authoritarianism with political ambition of becoming of leader of Muslim world, it has adversely impacted the stability of Turkey — both internally and externally. By crushing the Gulen movement it undermined the Islamic ideational resources needed most to fight Islamic terrorism.

Clash of two Islams in Turkey

Mr. Gulen and the movement which takes his name are rooted in the mystical tradition of Islam and focus on education and social and cultural projects while Mr. Erdogan is an advocate for political Islam and its desire for political power.

Torture – Turkish prisoner says tied to chair, pushed into sea while under custody

A Turkish man, identified with his initials D.G., was bound to a chair and pushed into sea on multiple times as police officers tortured him while under custody. Detained as part of an investigation into the Gulen movement in October 2016, D.G. was put in pre-trial detention after days of torture, he told his brother during latter’s recent visit to the prison.

Erdoğan’s overarching purge is not a road accident

The purge of the Hizmet Movement is what the Kurdish question was to Kemalism, a necessary tool with which to construct a new national identity, a tool to silence those who question it, and to design a social and political system that will foster it. Unfortunately, Turkey has no chance of going back, even to its fragile and dysfunctional democracy, without this narrative being completely rejected.

Gülen’s lawyer denies client facing arrest warrant or extradition

Nurullah Albayrak, lawyer for Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, has said that there is no criminal investigation, pending prosecution or any other judicial process ongoing in Turkey related to his client, refuting claims raised once again by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan about Gülen’s possible extradition from the US, where he now lives.

Turkish Olympiads Cultural Festival attended by 3 million visitors in İzmir

Nearly 3 million people attended the Cultural Festival of the 11th International Turkish Olympiads, an event celebrating the Turkish language that will bring together 2,000 students from 140 countries this year. The event, which began on Friday, was held by the Turkish Education Association (TÜRKÇEDER) and attracted considerable interest from both visitors from İzmir and […]

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

Think over extradition request [for Gulen] with care

Erdogan: Turkey’s man of mystery armed with extra powers

Azerbaijan detains Turkish teacher under UN protection as wife fears deportation

Erdogan: A Classic Case Of How Power Corrupts

Take protests seriously, work to solve problems, Fethullah Gülen urges

Is the AK Party turning into the old CHP?

Kimse Yok Mu delivers iftar meals to homes

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News