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.”


Related News

Turkish-Armenian intellectual says failed coup staged to purge Gülen followers

Turkish-Armenian linguist and writer Sevan Nişanyan, who escaped from a prison in İzmir in July, shared his take on a failed coup in Turkey last year, saying it was staged in order to cleanse the Turkish military of followers of US-based Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.

Gülen says prefers staying longer in US to avoid ‘harming positive things’

16 June 2012 / TODAYSZAMAN.COM Turkish and Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has said he prefers staying in the US longer to avoid damaging positive developments in Turkey in a first public response to Turkish prime minister’s invitation to Turkey. “If [my return] halts positive developments in Turkey, [I prefer] staying here if my lifespan allows […]

Another suspicious death: Doctor dies of heart attack in prison

Ali Özer, a 48-year-old doctor who was jailed due to his alleged links to the faith-based Gülen movement, has died of a heart attack in Çorum Prison. This is 57th such suspicious death or suicide since last summer’s so-called coup attempt against Erdogan regime.

Gov’t closes schools instead of resolving education problems

The Ministry of Education and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government have been focusing on closing down private prep schools for university preparation (dershanes) and Turkish schools abroad instead of spending its energy on resolving critical problems in the Turkish education system, experts say.

Main opposition CHP says received no message from Fethullah Gülen

ANKARA The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has once more stated that its dialogue with the Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen movement had no difference from the dialogue that it has with other different segments of the society. “No message has been conveyed to us from Pennsylvania,” CHP Deputy Chair Faruk Loğoğlu said on Dec. […]

Did Erdogan stage the coup?

Erdogan called the coup attempt and the excuse to crush his opponents “a gift from God.” But was the coup really “a gift from God” or was it Erdogan’s gift to himself? Was it Turkey’s equivalent of the Reichstag Fire?

Latest News

Sacramento leaders gather for Iftar dinner in celebration of Ramadan

SEO Skill Suite: Tools for Keyword Research, Technical & Backlink Analysis

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

In Case You Missed It

Terrorist PKK targets Gulen movement’s schools in Hakkari

Fethullah Gulen: ISIL Actions, Disgrace to Faith

Prove it [that Hizmet linked to graft operation]

White House concerned over arrest of Turkish journalists

Gülen chair holder praises movement’s focus on education

Turkish schools and the race in philanthropy!

Pregnant with twins, Kocaeli woman detained during control at hospital

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News