The verbal insults directed at the Hizmet movement that began on Nov. 14 of last year with the discussion about government plans to shut down prep schools continue at full speed.
Circles close to the government have harshly criticized objections to these plans to close prep schools that are contrary to the constitution and international law. And the language those circles use has grown even more harsh since Dec. 17, 2013, when the corruption investigation — the biggest in the history of the republic — was made public. It is possible that the prime minister is deliberately using insults that hurt people’s hearts and disturb social peace; they plan to boost the ruling party’s popularity by using these insults ahead of the local elections. They hope to cover up the corruption investigation and the reassignment of thousands of police officers and dozens of prosecutors and judges that had been planned much earlier. When the prime minister opted to use the language of insult, his copycat ministers and deputies who want to be popular with the prime minister began to use even more violent language.
Threat to destroy the Hizmet Movement a hate crime
Erdoğan’s harsh attacks on the Hizmet movement, consisting of followers and sympathizers of Fethullah Gülen, reached a summit when he stated on Tuesday, “from A to Z everyone in this organization needs to pay the price. Either they will accept the presence of this state or they will disappear.”
Rule of law(lessness) in Turkey?
It turned out that I was overly optimistic, for I did not want to believe that a prime minister who bravely fought the old, authoritarian establishment in the people’s name for years could have changed so much, adopting just the same behavior we were subjected to in the past. I had thought that those bitter experiences were only a distant memory. Unfortunately, I was wrong — terribly so.
Gülen calls for broadening freedoms, improvement in Kurdish rights
Well-known Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has encouraged the broadening of rights and freedoms of people and the improvement of ties with Kurds to restore peace and security in areas long plagued by a simmering conflict that has killed at least 40,000 people. Speaking to Rudaw, an online newspaper in northern Iraq’s Arbil, Gülen touched […]
Turbulent times [in Turkey due to corruption probe]
The arrest of several people close to the government, including three ministers’ sons, accused of taking significant bribes, has shaken the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government to the core and plunged Turkey into political uncertainty. Whether it is the case or not — the Gülen movement denies it — the timing of the arrests has created the widespread perception that the investigation is linked to the growing tension between the AKP and the Gülen movement, also known as Hizmet.
Ishak Alaton: Fethullah Gülen is the most “other” in Turkey
The AK Party government, which seems to be without an alternative and lacks an equally dominant opposition to check and balance it, is in big trouble, which they are not fully aware of, says Alarko Holding Chairman İshak Alaton.
AK Party, Hizmet movement and politics
İHSAN YILMAZ August 31, 2012 I have written repeatedly about the relationship between the Hizmet movement (aka Gulen movement) and politics here. Unfortunately, it still needs some more discussion. As is well known, Hizmet never associates itself with political parties. It is a volunteer movement that appeals to individuals from all sorts of social, cultural, […]
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