Fethullah Gulen Calls Crackdown ‘Dark Pages’ in History – Responses to World Affairs Council of Philadelphia
Date posted: September 16, 2016
Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen whom Turkey accuses of masterminding July’s abortive coup again condemned the Turkish government crackdown on his supporters, saying Thursday that his “heart is aching.”
In videotaped remarks to the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, Fethullah Gulen said the Turkish government is using the attempted coup to justify persecuting his followers, who he said are being “subjected to oppression and tyranny, molestation and unlawful acquisition of their private properties.”
Who is Fethullah Gülen, why is the Gülen movement currently being targeted by the Turkish government?
since 2010 the movement and Fethullah Gülen himself have been critical of the authoritarian tendencies in Turkey. It was noticeable during the Gezi Park protests in 2013. The movement began to belong to the increasingly long list of state enemies, according to Erdoğan and the AKP politicians. Different kinds of actions have been directed since then against a so called “parallel state.”
Turkey’s Curious Coup – positions of the Turkish Government, Gulen Movement and Turkey’s Western allies
Within days of the coup attempt, James Clapper, the then-Director of US National Intelligence, said that they had not seen any intelligence indicating Gülen’s involvement. Bruno Kahl, head of Germany’s BND foreign intelligence agency, said during an interview in March 2017 that he did not believe Gülen was behind the coup.
Fethullah Gülen lawsuit [in the US] thrown out in setback for Turkey’s Erdoğan
A US judge has dismissed a human rights lawsuit against Fethullah Gülen, a US-based Turkish cleric who is a former ally turned prominent critic of his home country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The lawsuit, funded by Turkey, had claimed the Muslim cleric in Pennsylvania orchestrated human rights abuses in his native Turkey.
Victims of Turkey’s purge exploited also by lawyers with exorbitantly high fees
Victims of Turkey’s post-coup purge have been taking another toll from lawyers who ask outrageously high prices either to keep themselves out of trouble or to exploit from the lost causes. In Turkey, the presumption of innocence has been dramatically reversed and now everybody is assumed guilty until they prove their innocence.
Dinners in Ramadan tent welcome all faiths in Bethlehem
Hosted by the Lehigh Dialogue Center, Turkish Cultural Center of Pennsylvania and Bethlehem the second annual Ramadan Tent Dinner in the city observed the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. “Bethlehem is a melting pot,” Mayor Callahan said. “This event is an opportunity for us to learn more about each other as individuals. This is how we grow.”
Amnesty: Civil society under massive crackdown in Turkey, Gülen movement main target
An annual report released by Amnesty International on Wednesday has said a failed coup attempt in July prompted a massive crackdown on civil society in Turkey and that the faith-based Gülen movement has been the main target.
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