Date posted: December 21, 2013

Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has cursed those responsible for a purge of police officials involved in a corruption investigation, in his first comments on the case that has struck at the heart of the ruling elite.

Gülen’s words, invoking God’s punishment, was first curse in his life and came four days after the sweeping raids that resulted in the arrest of sons of ministers, businessmen and public officials, including the chief of biggest state bank.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has called the detention of scores of people seen as close to the government a “dirty operation” aimed at undermining his rule. Dozens of police chiefs have been removed from their posts since the detentions began.

Erdoğan has refrained from naming Gülen as the hand behind the investigation and he referred to an “illegal gang within the state” and systematically purged officials, including journalists in public broadcasters.

“…Those who don’t see the thief but go after those trying to catch the thief, who don’t see the murder but try to defame others by accusing innocent people – let God bring fire to their houses, ruin their homes, break their unities,” Gülen said in a video recording uploaded to herkul.org, a website that usually publishes his speeches.

Gülen first recalled his earlier teachings and reminded that he always emphasized that individual crimes should not be made public and that Muslims should keep flaws of others “secret.” He added that the important part of the respect to humans is to embrace them wholeheartedly and that treat them as “you treat with your own child.”

He said a Muslim should behave according to the teachings of Qur’an and the Prophet Muhammad regardless of how others behave. “In this framework, being occupied with someone else’s flaws is absolutely not a right thing,” Gülen added.

Gülen said there is an “assymetrical assault” on the Hizmet movement and that there is an effort to finish it off. He urged members of the Hizmet movement to stand firm and trust in God.

Gülen said some crimes constitute a “violation of rights of the public” and that the Islamic law and modern legal system don’t allow “tolerance” in these cases.

“The issue is about the rights of the public. If the public property is being robbed, you cannot somehow soften this [crime] by either regulations or demagogy and dialectics. This is the right of the public. … If someone overlooks this, then they are acting jointly with that thiefs. There you cannot ignore that,” Gülen underlined.

He stated that blaming others for the crimes they committed in the hope of distracting the agenda is a “dialectic to the religion and the fundamental basics of the religion.” He noted that this amounts to doubling of the crime.

“If those who go after these negative things.. I don’t know who they are.. If those who go after these [corruption allegations] because it is essential for the law as well as the system, for the religion as well as democracy and if they (police officials) … have done things that are in contrary to the spirit of the religion… and they’re counting us in so that I will also refer to us.. if they have done things that are in contrary to the spirit of the religion, if things they have done are in contrary to the fundamental disciplines of Qur’an, if it is against the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, if it is against the Islamic law, against the modern law, against the accepted rules of democracy today.. then may God bury us and them into the earth, bring fire to their houses, ruin their homes. But if this is not the case, those who don’t see the thief but go after those trying to catch the thief, who don’t see the murder but try to defame others by defame innocent people – may God bring fire to their houses, ruin their homes, break their unities, keep their feelings (wishes) within their chests, block their path, prevent them from being something.”

He said he was unable to prevent himself from saying what he has just said. He added that he remained silent for a long time although “they showed their teeth … provocated so many people, all those damned thoughts spread around without a visa on Twitter,” but that he can no longer be silent. “And I said what I haven’t so far,” Gülen added.

Source: Today's Zaman , December 21, 2013

Tags: Fethullah Gulen | Hizmet and politics | Turkey |