Turkish ambassador draws ire as she implies Gülen-affiliated schools in Macedonia raise terrorists


Date posted: May 10, 2018

Turkish Ambassador to Macedonia Tülin Betül Kara, has drawn ire following she made remarks last week that shocked the country about schools linked to the faith-based Gülen movement operating there, implying that they were raising students to be terrorists, according to a report by online news outlet Romanya Haber.

Speaking at a Turkish government-backed Maarif Foundation school in Tetovo province, Kara said on May 5: “Let’s all register our children in these schools. As parents, if we do not want our kids to be terrorists, we should prefer these schools.”

Following her remarks, Zerijeta Jajaga, a Macedonian journalist, on May 8 posted a statement on Facebook saying her two children study at the Gülen movement affiliated Yahya Kemal School and that she is proud of them. Other parents joined Jajaga on social media, sharing their children’s photographs.

The Macedonia Education Ministry weighed in on the issue by issuing a statement, according to the portalb.mk news website, saying that the Maarif Foundation’s school was not yet accredited by the country’s education system. Regarding the ambassador’s remarks, it only said, “We do not comment on ambassadors’ remarks.”

Another Macedonian news outlet, tetovasot.com, also covered the issue, highlighting that Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev’s grandson is also a student at the Yahya Kemal School.

As a part of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s witch-hunt against the Gülen movement abroad, the Maarif Foundation, which was established by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government in 2016, has taken over 76 schools linked to the Gülen movement in 10 countries.

 

Source: Stockholm Center for Freedom , May 9, 2018

Tags: | | | | | |


Related News

Kimse Yok Mu enables African girls to go to school

Kimse Yok Mu Foundation, with a record of charitable efforts in 113 countries around the world, has enabled African girls to go to school with the water wells it has established across the continent. These girls had to carry water from miles away and thus were unable to go to school. The foundation’s 1735 water wells in 20 different countries across the African continent have been serving some 3 million locals. Additionally, it reached out to 65,000 orphans in 50 countries.

Turkish schools key to success in Africa

It is very pleasing to hear that, just as in Uganda, a prime minister mentions Turkish schools out of the blue and these schools have strong ties to the highest profile officials, as well as to civil society groups and even members of minority religions in those countries. Deputy Prime Minister and State Minister Bülent […]

Turkey’s failed coup could worsen Nigeria’s recession

For an economy almost in recession, these kind of controversies could be worrisome. This is actually not the time to close down any legitimate business in Nigeria. Turkish schools and their promoters have not really given the Nigerian government any reason to worry. They have been law abiding citizens in Nigeria.

Turkish President Gül: Turkish schools abroad largest non-state project

11 June 2012 / TODAYSZAMAN.COM Turkish President Abdullah Gül has said Turkish schools abroad are the largest non-state project Turkey has ever seen, noting that the schools’ value will only increase in the future. Organizers and participants in the 10th International Turkish Olympiads presented the Karamanoğlu Mehmet Bey Turkish Language Award to the president, who […]

Turkey’s Erdogan Battles Country’s Most Powerful Religious Movement

The intensifying hostility between Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Gulen movement, an influential religious organization once seen as a key Erdogan ally, shows how the Turkish premier’s power is unraveling.

Written Evidence to UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee on Hizmet

The Alliance for Shared Values of the US & The Dialogue Platform of the UK have prepared a report on “UK’s relations with Turkey” that focuses on the Hizmet Movement. The report may be downloaded, disseminated for free and even printed. Representatives from these organizations were personally invited to submit written evidence by the Committee to explain Hizmet and provide Hizmet’s response to the AKP government’s allegations against Fethullah Gülen and the Hizmet movement.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

What lies beneath the prep-school row between AK Party and the Hizmet

The Muslim Cleric Who Fell in Love With Democracy

Hundreds of thousands homeless as Turkey’s southeast lay in ruins

Patriarch Bartholomew praises Gülen’s dialogue efforts

Erdoğan says personally pursuing fight against ‘parallel structure’

Fear Grows in Turkey as Crackdown on Gulen Followers Continues

Syrian Refugees Relief Campaign

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News