Will the Gulen Movmement found a political party?

Fehmi Koru
Fehmi Koru


Date posted: May 29, 2013

Turkey’s prominent journalist Fehmi Koru answered Ece Uner’s questions on Haberturk TV. He also made comments about the AK Party-Gulen Movement conflict and the probability that the Gulen Movement may engage in active party politics.

Koru said, “What you call as the movement is a civil society organization. They let politicians do the daily politics. They have political opinions and they try to influence politics. But they do this by having relations with politicians as they did in the past. It is against the nature of the movement to impose any opinion on the government. If there is sharp irreconcilable disagreement between the movement and the AK Party, they may found a political party. But if they do so, they will lose the advantage of being a [civil society] movement. They will face more criticism when they found a political party.

I do not think we will see such development.”

Source: Summarized from Vatan Daily, May 15, 2013


Related News

Hate Speech is Undermining Turkey’s Fragile Democracy

Many TV viewers could not believe their ears upon hearing the terms “blood sucking vampires, leeches, traitors, spies, worse than Shiites, and assassins” uttered by then Turkish prime minister Erdogan in his political rallies.

Gülen Movement supports not AK Party but right projects

Chief Advisor of Prime Minister of Turkey: The Gülen Movement supports not the Ak Party but the right projects. The claim that they’re becoming political is an unfair judgement.

Auditors raid Gülen-inspired private school in Adana with police

In yet another government-backed operation targeting the Gülen movement, tax inspectors from the Finance Ministry on Saturday carried out a raid with police at a private school opened by volunteers of the movement in southern province of Adana.

Pro-gov’t columnist still threatening fellow journalists

A columnist for the pro-government daily Yeni Şafak, Cem Küçük, continues to target journalists critical of the government for regular intimidation in his column.On Jan. 16, Küçük argued that an operation will be staged against newspapers with ties to the Hizmet movement and that the journalists who work in those newspapers would be brought to trial. He also said that the Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV) would be tried over its press releases.

Who benefits the most from the AKP-Gülen movement rift?

Over the last 12 years, the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) chief accomplishment has been to establish the supremacy of Turkey’s elected leaders over the military. The Turkish military had ousted four governments since 1960.

What is lacking in democratization package is democracy itself

This time’s so-called democratization package to soon be submitted to Parliament is an overt effort to make judicial proceedings nearly impossible if the consent of a governor or one of their deputies has not been granted. A prosecutor who wants to start an operation will first go to the governor (read: the government) in order to get a license to use law enforcement bodies in any sort of operation. This move is not only against democratic norms and the principles of transparency and the rule of law, but is also a clear reflection of a defensive mechanism in light of mounting corruption and graft claims surrounding senior government officials.

Latest News

Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison

Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney

Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement

ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment

New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

In Case You Missed It

Scholars stress need for dialogue, cooperation to solve global issues

Filling in for Missing Pieces: Peacebuilding Through Education

International symposium on the Hizmet Movement and Peacebuilding

A peace and dialogue conference in Kyrgyzstan

Gülen offers condolences for slain İstanbul resident shot at protest

Hiring based on ‘color lists’ a violation of Constitution, analysts say

Foreign journalists baffled by gov’t decision to shut down prep schools

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News