Strategic defamation of Fethullah Gülen: English vs. Turkish

Dr. Ihsan Yilmaz
Dr. Ihsan Yilmaz


Date posted: December 13, 2013

İHSAN YILMAZ

In my last piece, I elaborated on how a Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy took part in a psychological war campaign in Turkey to present the Hizmet movement to the Turkish people as something that is dirty and that has dubious relations with Jews, Israel and the US at the expense of Turkey, Iran and the Kurds.

Today, I will refer to quantitative research done my Dr. Doğan Koç of the University of Houston. I must confess that I copied and pasted the title of his academic paper that was published in the European Journal of Economic and Political Studies verbatim — “Strategic Defamation of Fethullah Gülen: English vs. Turkish.” I will continue to do this copy and paste business and will try to summarize his paper below.

Dr. Koç’s literature review shows that in English articles Gülen is portrayed as a danger to the Western world who is trying to establish an Islamic caliphate by using religiously sanctioned dissimulation (taqiyya) as his main strategy, although there are exceptions. According to these articles, Gülen is anti-Western and anti-Semitic. Most of these articles argue that while Gülen is promoting tolerance, understanding and interfaith dialogue, in reality, he is secretly establishing his caliphate. There are several themes and vehicles that are systematically described over and over in these defamatory English articles, including the Trojan Horse; the guise of moderate Islam and interfaith dialogue; the similarity to Khomeini; overthrowing the Turkish secular government and establishing an Islamic state; the resurrection of a New Ottoman Empire and universal caliphate; infiltration into the United States; and, recently, training Islamist militia in the US. While most of these defamatory articles cover almost identical themes, and often refer to each other, one or more are selected and underlined in each article.

Unlike the English versions, in the Turkish versions of these articles, Gülen is portrayed as an American/Zionist puppet who is being used by Westerners to destroy Turkey and Islam and to exploit Muslim populations. Some of these articles even argue that Gülen is not Muslim and that he works for the papacy. Though there are articles that claim Gülen is trying to establish an Islamic state in the secular Turkish Republic, especially earlier ones, the majority of the writings run in the opposite direction.

In addition to his qualitative analysis, Dr. Koç also does a quantitative analysis. His dataset includes 436 cases in both English and Turkish. These cases include books, journals, newspaper and magazine articles, blogs and website postings. Dr. Koç has formulated two operational variables and coded the texts accordingly. Gülen1: American/Zionist/Vatican agent and Gülen2: Islamist/Khomeini/New Ottoman/Caliphate. He then ran a statistical calculation on the dataset, which shows that in 98 percent of the Turkish articles Gülen is portrayed as an American/Zionist/Vatican agent (Gülen1). In only 2 percent of the Turkish articles is Gülen shown as an Islamist/Khomeini/New Ottoman/Caliphate advocate (Gülen2). But in the English articles, the case is the opposite. While Gülen is portrayed as Gülen1 in 11 percent of the English articles, he is presented as Gülen2 (Islamist/Khomeini/New Ottoman/Caliphate advocate) in 89 percent of the English articles.

Dr. Koç’s review and statistical analyses show very clearly that the defamation of Gülen and the Hizmet movement is being strategically operated. Gülen is simultaneously portrayed as an Islamic danger who is secretly trying to resurrect the Ottoman Empire and caliphate (in English) and as an American and Zionist puppet who is destroying Turkey and Islam with his “moderate Islam” (in Turkish). It appears that these strategies have been developed over time in order to convince specific and different audiences. While the depiction of an Islamic danger who is secretly trying to resurrect the Ottoman Empire and caliphate is more alarming for English-language readers, the depiction of an American and Zionist puppet who is destroying Turkey and Islam with his moderate Islam is likely aimed at manipulating Turkish-language readers.

Source: Today's Zaman , December 13, 2013


Related News

‘Washington has no interest in using Gülen against AKP,’ former US envoy says

The U.S. has no desire to use Fethullah Gülen, who lives in self-imposed exile in America, as a tool against Ankara, said James Holmes, a former U.S. envoy to Ankara. Ties between Ankara and Turkey might be on the frosty side, but Turkey continues to be an important ally for the U.S., according to Holmes.

University preparatory courses and the Hizmet movement in Turkey

Most (university) preparatory courses (in Turkey) are run by the Hizmet movement, and it is very clear that the government’s steps to close down such courses, an action against the movement, will negatively affect a great number of people. Many analysts said it is impossible for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), which does not have a good relationship with the Hizmet movement, to close down preparatory courses in the run-up to the pre-election period.

Gulen movement is of high interest to Moroccans

Morocco is among the first Arab countries where Turkish schools were established. The nation’s prominent scholars like Prof. Abbadi are closely following Fethullah Gulen, a religious scholar, who, with a civilization, individual and education-centered approach -rather than a political one- based on tolerance, offers the most effective cures for the Muslim world.

Nearly 500 police officials reassigned in Ankara, İzmir

Erdoğan has reacted furiously to the corruption investigation, decrying an attempted “judicial coup” his supporters see as orchestrated by the Hizmet movement. He has reassigned thousands of police officers, more than a hundred judges and prosecutors, and purged official bodies of executives he suspects of being close to Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.

Council of Europe warns against hate speech by senior state officials in Turkey

The human rights body of the Council of Europe, the Commission against Racism and Intolerance, issued a report on Wednesday about the increasing use of hate speech, even by senior state officials. While President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called the Gülen sympathizers “viruses,” Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım labeled them microbes. The movement is the main target of a massive purge and witch-hunt in Turkey.

Turkish charity Kimse Yok Mu delivers aid to Afghani flood victims

Turkish Charity organization Kimse Yok Mu and Turkish Schools in Afghanistan delivered next party of aid consisting of food and other basic requirements for the Afghani families who lost their homes in Friday’s landslide in northeastern Badakshan province.

Latest News

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

University refuses admission to woman jailed over Gülen links

In Case You Missed It

4 people trying to escape persecution in Turkey missing after boat capsizes in Evros River

Detained Woman Covers 50 Km Twice A Day To Feed One-Year Old Baby In Turkey

Erdogan regime’s defamation of Hizmet at full throttle – UK-based academic denies recent allegations

Another woman faces detention just after giving birth as police await at hospital

Reflections on my first trip to TÜRKIYE

Thunder’s Enes Kanter says his father has been arrested and faces torture in Turkey

Turkish Cultural Center Maine honors Governor LePage

Copyright 2023 Hizmet News