Opinions Archives - Page 34 of 76

Opinions

Why is the government freeing bloody murderers?

The government is continuing to act in panic. In the last couple of months, every single step it has taken has somehow been related to the graft probe, and they all are being taken to suffocate the corruption investigation. The government is freeing Ergenekon suspects willingly and on purpose to create an alliance against the so-called “parallel state,” as they call the movement inspired by Fethullah Gülen.

What else should Gülen say?

Fethullah Gülen’s stance on corruption and anti-democratic practices has never changed. Osman Şimşek, the editor of herkul.org, which broadcasts and publishes Gülen’s speeches, recently published a letter that Gülen sent to Erdoğan in May 2006. In the letter, Gülen warns the prime minister that his government had begun to deviate from its democratic line.

Collective punishment [of Hizmet movement]

The problem is not about the failure of the members of the Hizmet movement to obey orders from their superiors in the public service but about the claim that the prosecutors and police chiefs who conducted the graft and bribery investigation are members of the Hizmet movement — a claim which has yet to be proven.

Gülen’s contribution to a pluralist democracy

The Hizmet movement, inspired by Muslim scholar Fethullah Gülen, is a formidable actor in catalyzing change for a better Turkey and will remain so for the foreseeable future as a non-political force to be reckoned with.

Will a diplomat who is ashamed of Erdoğan praise Gül?

Some prominent figures who have little knowledge of the Hizmet movement, including Graham Watson of Britain, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff of Germany and Hélène Flautre of France, find Erdoğan’s hate discourse against the Hizmet movement unacceptable.

Millions of people have asked for interview with Gülen

We realized it was not only millions of people in Turkey but also the world who were paying attention to what Gülen had to say. The interest in the Gülen interview also confirmed the universal dimension and vision of the Hizmet movement.

Intellectual deviations

Mahçupyan’s analysis of the Hizmet movement’s perspective on the Kurdish issue is wrong. When the settlement process was launched, the Hizmet movement announced its full support for the solution, with Gülen saying, “Peace is in itself goodness, and peace brings happiness.” It advocated non-violent social actors competing with each other freely and under democratic conditions. It openly declared that the right to education in one’s mother tongue is one of the fundamental human rights.

Now it is time to answer

All Cemaat did was to oppose to the closing of test-preparation centers… The corruption investigation that erupted after, is billed to Cemaat by the PM himself.

Hizmet’s approach to politics and politicians

Hizmet movement gets its strength from this independence. Because the movement gets money from no other sources than its own volunteers, it does not take orders. No doubt this is why certain people are made so uncomfortable right now by the Hizmet movement.

Stability in the post-Erdoğan era

In a BBC interview aired in late February, Fethullah Gülen once again spelled out the most important challenges for Turkey: establishing unity among diverse groups that include Alevis, Kurds and others; boosting educational opportunities for the young population; and tackling the long-running poverty problem in Turkey.

Real democrats cannot politicize Islam

Since the mid-1960s, the Hizmet movement has been the sole actor representing civil Islam in Turkey, and for over a decade the Hizmet movement has gained a worldwide reputation for its educational and interfaith dialogue activities.

Erdoğan…a factionist PM?

Now that the prime minister is battling a corruption scandal for which he is blaming the Hizmet movement, his new victims are Fethullah Gülen’s followers, who he calls “traitors.”

Gulen, Erdogan and democracy in Turkey

Previously, most observers had wrongly assumed that these groups were inherent allies because of their faith-based worldview. In sharp contrast to this misperception, these groups came from entirely different pasts and political orientation, although they share a common interest in free market economy and cherished upward socio-economic mobility.

Why won’t Obama extradite Gulen?

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he had complained to President Barack Obama about Fethullah Gulen in phone conversation. Erdogan added that Obama had responded favorably. The White House retorted in unusual language, telling journalists: “The response attributed to President Obama is not accurate.”