Gulen sympathizer stabbed by pro-Erdogan relative in Belgium


Date posted: July 6, 2017

Ibrahim Anaz, one of the executives at a Brussels-based association sympathetic to the Gulen movement, was stabbed by a family member who is a supporter of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to local media.

Anaz was stabbed and seriously wounded by one of his in-laws during a dispute in Merksem district on Wednesday.

Police told media that the incident came just after a political discussion and Anaz’s lawyer said the attacker was not directly involved in the conversation. “The victim received two stab wounds in the arm and hand,” police added.

Anaz, who was taken to a hospital in a neighboring city, works as one of the spokespersons for FEDACTIO [Federatie van Actieve Verenigingen van België], an umbrella organization with member associations all over Belgium.

Established with the aim of cultural integration between Belgium and Turkey in 2010, FEDACTIO was attacked by Erdogan supporters also in the very aftermath of the July 15, 2016 coup attempt, for which the Turkish government pinned the blame on the Gulen movement. FEDACTIO’s premises were damaged by stones thrown by pro-Erdogan youngsters back then.

Daily Sabah, a pro-government English-language Turkish daily said on July 5 that FEDACTIO “acts as an umbrella organization for FETÖ in Belgium.”

FETO is a derogatory buzzword coined by Erdogan who calls the movement as Fethullahist Terrorist Organization, a clear reference to Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric who inspires the movement.

Cem Küçük, a staunchly pro-government journalist known for his attacks on government critics on social media, earlier suggested that Turkish government supporters living overseas were willing to carry out the assassinations and that the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MİT) has the authority to carry out such acts outside the country.

Turkish government has already detained more than 120,000 people over links to the movement in Turkey and Erdoğan called on foreign governments to punish Gülen followers in their own countries. Only a small number of countries including Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and Myanmar have deported Gulen followers upon Turkey’s request so far.

Meanwhile, Turkish government has stepped up spying activities against its perceived enemies abroad, a controversial issue that was blasted by European government on multiple occasions. Germany cancelled recognition of a Turkish mosque on allegations that its imam was involved in spying activities against Gulen followers over the weekend.

Source: Turkey Purge , July 7, 2017


Related News

The tragic echoes of Turkey’s anti-Gülen campaign in Turkmenistan

Ahmet, 27, agrees. He says that, when studying at a Gülen school, “for the first time we saw teachers caring for us. They were prepared to do more than to teach. They were making an extra effort for us, showing exemplary behaviour, such as rushing to help when a school boy got sick, finding medicine for him.

The real wretch

Indeed, if analyzed from a political science perspective, it can be said that prestigious events like the International Language and Culture Festival play key roles in diplomatic relations with foreign countries and they can be evaluated as an instrument of “soft power” — which is significant in contemporary world politics. In addition, such events undermine the separatist versions of nationalist ideologies and pave the way for the weakening of “negative nationalism.”

Germany Declines Turkish Request to Freeze Gulen Assets

Germany has rejected a formal request from Turkey to freeze assets of members of the network of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. The German government officially rejected the request at the end of June, telling Ankara there were no legal grounds for Germany’s financial watchdog BaFin to crack down on the Gulen movement and its supporters.

8.5-month pregnant woman under arrest though baby faces heart, kidney problems

With only days to go before the delivery, a Kayseri woman is still held under arrest even though her baby has heart and kidney problems. If she was not under arrest, the baby would have been treated before it was born.

Purge-victim businessman dies of cancer days after being released from prison

Engin Erol, 41, a Turkish businessman who was jailed three years ago on allegations of membership in the Gülen group, died on Thursday evening in a hospital from cancer, which was not treated properly in the prison where he was held until the last stage of his illness.

Hundreds of young Turkish children jailed alongside their moms as part of a post-coup crackdown

“We were all treated like terrorists, we were isolated,” Kam, a 34-year-old university teacher, told Fox News from Germany, where she and her family are now refugees. “We were all humiliated. … I don’t know what was worse, to have my baby in the prison or to have my other son, who was 11, outside the prison.”

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

Sacred, Secular, Twin Tolerations and the Hizmet Movement

Der Spiegel: Turkish consulate officials involved in spying activities not only in Germany

Romanian Judge Blocks Extradition of Second Arrested ‘Gulenist’

“Abraham’s Table Gatherings” in Turkey hosts Assyrian community

GYV Presient Yesil: We knock on all doors

Kimse Yok Mu invited for consultation before UN summit

A modern Ottoman

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News