Police raid successful Gülen-inspired schools in western Turkey
Date posted: August 18, 2015
Just after another Gülen-inspired school was raided by the police in the southern province of Gaziantep on Monday, private schools established by the volunteers from the Hizmet Movement were raided in the western province of İzmir on Tuesday morning.
The raids took place in the branches of the Yamanlar Education Institutes in several district of the city. The schools are known for their success both in the national highschool and university entrance examinations and international Olympics. Moreover, a kindergarten was also raided in Buca district, reminiscent of the raid at a kindergarten in Zonguldak provice on August 7 in the morning.
Also on Monday, in one of the operations targeting the faith-based Gülen movement, the police along with inspectors from several ministries and institutions conducted raids at eight institutions owned by the Safa Education Institution in Gaziantep on Monday
Yet, no matter how strong of views he might voice to his interlocutors about the Gülen movement (Cemaat) he can’t save himself from the problem of credibility. While he was giving assurance in Brussels that he is not interfering with the judiciary, the fact that the very same day the pressure exerted by the undersecretary of the Justice Ministry to the chief prosecutor in his investigation on a corruption case was revealed through documents will lead the EU to approach these assurances with suspicion.
‘Hizmet conspiracy’ theories rejected at iftar hosted by Alevis
Participants of an iftar held by the Federation of Alevi-Bektaşi Associations under the theme “Solidarity in the light of the Quran” at the Renaissance Polat Hotel in İstanbul on Wednesday evening expressed their disbelief in the existence of any conspiracy prepared by the Hizmet movement.
Turkey’s ‘terrorists’ active in India. But who are they really?
Interestingly, Gulen was once an important ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and going by his ideology, comes across as a more moderate figure than Erdogan, who has been pushing an Islamic ideology which has little space for secularism. Till very recently, Erdogan’s policy being criticised for allegedly allowing Turkish territory to be used by terrorists.
Turkey’s crisis deepens
Therefore, it is not surprising the attempted coup in Turkey aroused such concern and reaction. But to use it as an exercise in settling political scores with related or unrelated enemies will only further inflame the situation. There are reports that the Erdogan government had already prepared lists for purges and suspensions, and the failed coup has brought forward the whole exercise.
Very bad things are happening in Turkey
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, defining it as a parallel state, gravely insults the Hizmet movement and Fethullah Gülen. It is our right to expect some decency in his style given that he is the prime minister of all in this country. We feel sorry because this attitude is not embracive, this attitude is not fair and this attitude is not legal.
Retired public servant under custody for distributing donations to post-coup victims
M.S. was rounded up while he was withdrawing the money allegedly transferred from Canada-based Gulen followers to his account, at a bank branch in Izmir’s Bergama district. According to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency, the funds were raised to support post-coup prisoners and those under investigation as well as the people dismissed as part of the government crackdown and their families.
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