GYV rejects claims that Hizmet movement dominates Turkey’s judiciary


Date posted: March 21, 2013

The Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV) has strongly criticized and denied news reports suggesting that the Hizmet movement, which is inspired by well-respected Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, dominates the judiciary and bureaucratic positions within the Turkish state, calling the claims groundless.

The claims appeared at a time when prosecutors summed up their case in the Ergenekon trial and demanded life sentences for over 60 retired generals, politicians and others, accused of plotting to overthrow the government.

The association’s statement comes in response to recent allegations in the Turkish and international media that the movement is in the midst of a power struggle with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government and that members of the movement are “infiltrating” top state institutions.

The statement released by the GYV, whose honorary chairman is Gülen, criticized an article that appeared in The Wall Street Journal and claimed that Hizmet dominates Turkey’s judiciary.

The statement said such a claim has to be grounded on strong evidence, not just on widely held beliefs and perceptions, pointing out that the article’s approach is unethical with respect to the universal principles of journalism.

The GYV also dismissed commentary within the article that states the movement backs government-sponsored peace efforts aimed at finding a political solution to the decades-old Kurdish dispute because it aspires to be a political partner of the government.

The statement underlines that the movement has no political ambition or instrument in order to appear as a political actor in the process.

The only credibility and power the movement has, the GYV says, citing Gülen’s previous statements, is the trust and support of society. The association also stressed the fact that Gülen has strongly backed the government’s peace efforts.

When the government launched the peace talks with the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Abdullah Öcalan, Gülen was among the first opinion leaders to endorse the process, in what seemed a critical stance as part of efforts to convince the conservatives who are generally not warm to any kind of engagement with the terrorist organization.

In early January, Gülen said as long as national dignity and pride are not undermined, every necessary step should be taken to maintain peace because “there are benefits in peace.” He said those steps should be taken even if they seem unnerving at first. The Islamic scholar, known for his teachings promoting intercultural and interfaith dialogue, recalled that the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, which took place between Muslims and pagan Arabs in the early days of Islam and established a 10-year truce in Mecca and Medina, included some articles which were very difficult for Muslims to accept at first but later turned out to be to their benefit.

The association questions the suspicion and doubts over the movement’s backing of the process, pointing out that to end the bloody conflict is to the benefit of society and that Gülen supports that without any political ambition.

The statement also underlined that while Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s chief advisor Yalçın Akdoğan and other top AK Party officials praised Gülen’s backing of the peace efforts, the article presents it as if there is a power struggle between the government and the movement.

The statement finally concludes by reiterating that Hizmet is a civilian movement with no political ambitions and that it is not involved in any form of struggle with any social or political group.

Source: Today’s Zaman 20 March 2013


Related News

Michael Rubin: I realize I may have misread the Gülen movement

I have often been suspicious of the Gülen movement, although as I reflect, I realize I may have been misread the movement. While this post will be lengthy, the topic remains relevant and intellectually interesting to those interested in Islam and reform, and so I hope to address why I was suspicious, and why I have slowly been changing my mind.

CHP deputy calls Erdoğan’s order to bring down Hizmet ‘crime’

The CHP deputy pointed out it does not say the president can threaten or can give instructions to the MGK to bring down an organization.
According to this Monday’s Taraf daily, the ruling AK Party (Justice and Development Party) is planning to put forward a proposal to MGK to consider the Hizmet movement as illegal. Erdoğan hinted that the MGK would take action against “parallel structures.

Alevis voice unease over lack of promised rights at Abant meeting

Alevis have expressed at Abant meeting their uneasiness over pro-government comments claiming that the Gezi Park protests were an “Alevi uprising,” warning against a “dangerous approach that encourages wrong perceptions.” The title of this year’s Abant Platform, which started on Dec. 13, was “Alevis and Sunnis: Searching for Peace and a Future Together.” It was organized by the Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV), a group affiliated with the Gülen Movement.

Gülen says he would free all coup convicts if he had the means

In a statement published on herkul.org, a website that broadcasts his speeches, Gülen said he was deeply saddened to see “those elderly men” standing trial in these cases, adding that he would favor their release if he was able to. “If I had the means at my disposal, I would tell them, ‘You are all free.’ How? Just like the Prophet said to all on the day of the Conquest of Mecca: ‘Go! You are all free today’.”

Is there anybody there for Kimse Yok Mu?

Pink Floyd says the following in their song Comfortably Numb: “There is no pain you are receding. A distant ship, smoke on the horizon. You are only coming through in waves.” I think these words reveal what is going on in the “new Turkey” under the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government.

The U.S. may face a choice between geopolitical calculation and human decency

Such movements, especially if they’re Muslim, attract suspicion in the West. In 2008, the Dutch government began investigating Hizmet. Its conclusions were that the movement isn’t involved in terrorism or a breeding ground for radicalism, nor does it oppose integration of Muslims into secular states. In 2015, MLK’s alma mater, Morehouse College, awarded its Gandhi King Ikeda Peace Award to Gülen for his lifelong commitment to peace among nations. But Erdogan insists that Gülen is a terrorist.

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

Local Look – The Turkish Cultural Center of New Hampshire

Pro-Rashid Dostum Afghan security forces raided Afghan-Turk Boys High School in Shibirghan

Kimse Yok Mu reach out its helping held by distributing meat in Mongolia

‘Inception,’ the Gülen community and the PKK

25-year-old woman escapes Turkey’s witch-hunt as Bosnia grants asylum

Kimse Yok Mu’s Eid al-Adha aid efforts worldwide

Mischief-makers and the Hizmet movement

Copyright 2024 Insightful Neighbor