The official demand has now apparently been watered down to transfer ownership/administration of these educational institutions to the official Maarif Foundation tasked by the Turkish government to encourage foreign governments to seize other Turkish educational foundations operating in those countries, possibly targeting enterprises run by individuals close to US-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen.
In a clear sign of his intensified campaign and escalating political vendetta against the movement, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called on Turkish diplomats on Tuesday to lobby in foreign capitals for the takeover of Gülen-inspired Turkish schools by a Turkish government-run foundation.