No measures taken against ‘parallel structure’ at top security meeting: General Staff
Date posted: May 6, 2014
ISTANBUL
The Turkish General Staff has dismissed reports that measures against the “parallel structure” – the government’s code word for the movement of erstwhile ally Fethullah Gülen – in the army have been taken during a National Security Council (MGK) meeting on April 30.
Reports that senior military officials discussed how to combat the structure in the armed forces were all groundless, said the statement released May 5. The statement also denied that a probe had been launched against the structure in the army and that some personnel would be discharged from the army at the Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) to be held in August as a part of the “measures.”
In a separate statement, the General Staff said the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) never conducted ethnic or denominational discrimination against its personnel, stressing that all procedures were followed within the bounds of the law and other regulations.
The government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has vowed to remove elements from Gülen’s movement from the police and the judiciary and other organs of the state in the wake of a Dec. 17, 2013, probe that has targeted senior members of the administration over alleged corruption.
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The tactics the government has developed to defend itself against the graft investigations and their implications have once again brought the role of the military, military tutelage and potential coup attempts back onto Turkey’s agenda.
Desmond Tutu commends Gulen inspired organization
The Turquoise Harmony Institute, an organization inspired by the philosophies and teachings of Fethullah Gulen that promotes peace, dialogue and tolerance hosted its 7th annual Ubuntu Lecture and Peace and Dialogue Awards Ceremony on the 30th of April in Johannesburg, South Africa.
McGill University Prof: Turkish President Erdogan Wrong To Blame Man Of Prayer For Coup
For Gülen, a man of prayer, the Qur’an contains an ethic of citizenship. In the name of Islam, he advocates education, productivity, dialogue with the sciences and universal friendship. These are the values promoted by Hizmet, the Gülen Movement. While religiously based, Hizmet is an educational movement. It is obvious that the faith-based Hizmet has no affinity whatever with the secularism of the military clique that staged the recent revolt.
Consultation from Gülen’s perspective: The relationship between the ruler and the ruled
Even if the head of state or the leader is confirmed by God and nurtured by revelation and inspiration, he is obliged to conduct affairs by consultation. In fact, any society that has ignored or disregarded this practice has never prospered; rather, it has perished. So the Messenger of God saw the salvation and progress of his community in consultation: “Those who consult do not lose.”
Hizmet movement and perceptions
We are going through a very critical period. We need the common sense and support of all the precious members of the Hizmet movement as we have never needed them before. We must protect our democratic gains. I pen this article as a person who closely sided with the Hizmet movement during the attacks of Ergenekon — a clandestine organization nested within the state trying to overthrow or manipulate the democratically elected government — and the deep state, and who backed its justified objections to the government’s plan to shut down the prep schools.
Turkey’s Intelligentsia Kneels to Erdogan
This selective application of democratic rights by Turkey’s intelligentsia only helps Mr. Erdogan consolidate his power. In their double standards, he finds tacit approval for his purges. Turkey lacks not only sturdy institutions that guarantee a system of checks and balances and the rule of law, but also a critical mass of citizens with the courage and integrity to demand them.
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