Pro-gov’t media knows no limits in ’parallel’ claims

Some of pro-government newspapers are seen in this collage prepared by Today's Zaman.
Some of pro-government newspapers are seen in this collage prepared by Today's Zaman.


Date posted: January 1, 2015

Ever since President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan launched a battle against the faith-based Hizmet movement after a corruption probe went public on Dec. 17, 2013, almost no day has passed without pro-government media outlets’ bringing forward allegations about the “parallel structure or state” and associating any negative development in the country with this so-called structure.

The “parallel state” or “parallel structure” is a phrase often used by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government, its former leader Erdoğan and his supporters to refer to the Hizmet movement inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.

Erdoğan launched a battle against the movement following the Dec. 27 graft probe in which senior government members were implicated. Erdoğan, who was the prime minister at the time, accuses Hizmet of masterminding the graft probe with the aim of toppling his government. Hizmet strongly denies the accusations.

A news report in the pro-government Sabah daily on Thursday, which was based on anonymous intelligence sources, claimed that the “parallel structure” changed the ear tags on cows to present them as calves in order to receive TL 300 premiums paid by the state to animal caterers for each calf they raise in order to encourage meat production. The state does not pay any premiums for cows. The story said the “parallel structure” changed the ear tags of a total of 4,000 cows, hence unlawfully receiving TL 12 million from the state’s budget.

The daily also linked the meat shortage experienced in Turkey several years ago with the “parallel structure.”

To substantiate these claims, the views of anonymous sector representatives were included in the story who said: “Since 2007, members of the parallel structure have convinced animal breeders to sell their animals by giving, let’s say, TL 15 for a cow that actually has a price of TL 10. The sold cows were slaughtered, hence their reproduction was prevented. Then, claims were spread through the media about the absence of a sufficient amount of meat in the market, imposing pressure on the ministry [Turkey’s Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry] for imports of meat. They acquired great profit from imports. … Their goal is to slaughter cows to prevent reproduction, hence opening the way for meat imports.”

Source: Today's Zaman , January 01, 2015

Tags: | | | |


Related News

Fate of preparatory courses

Zaman’s Hüseyin Gülerce denied allegations that there is tension between the government and Hizmet movement due to government’s steps to bring an end to these preparatory courses, saying that Hizmet does not own all preparatory course schools in the country. What bothers members of Hizmet is that the government has not given a clear or reasonable explanation as to why they are taking these steps, Gülerce said.

Supreme court calls on AK Party’s Şahin to substantiate claim about Gülen

The Supreme Court of Appeals has asked a senior Justice and Development Party (AK Party) official to hand over any evidence regarding his allegations about US-based Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen amid claims by the official that a judge at the high court had acted contrary to legal procedures and contacted Gülen before issuing his final verdict in a case against a businessman several years ago.

Politically motivated police raid of kindergarten in west Turkey

The witch hunt against the opponents of the government continues and is growing. In another instance of a government-orchestrated operation targeting the faith-based Gülen movement, popularly known as the Hizmet movement, the police along with inspectors conducted raids around 6 am on Tuesday at dozens of institutions owned by the Yamanlar Educational Institutions, which was established by volunteers of the movement in the western province of İzmir.

What we learned from the operation

While the government works to finish off the Hizmet movement, it may even call for the expulsion of the US ambassador from the country. The real duty of Halkbank is to act as Iran’s opening door to the world, and the US blockade has been violated for years. We learned that the pro-government media is allergic to shoe boxes [money used in alleged bribery was found in shoe boxes in one of the suspects’ homes].

Fethullah Gulen condemns the coup attempt in Turkey

I condemn, in the strongest terms, the attempted military coup in Turkey. Government should be won through a process of free and fair elections, not force.

Gülen-linked GYV brings message of peace, dialogue to polarized Turkey

The 20th anniversary of the traditional annual dinner hosted by the Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV), whose honorary chairman is Fethullah Gülen, was held on Tuesday in İstanbul, with a message focusing on peace, solidarity and dialogue against the backdrop of a highly politicized climate that has recently divided and polarized Turkish society. “Let’s emphasize […]

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

Turkish Cultural Center to hold ‘Henna Night’ fundraiser for water well construction in Africa

Turkish Schools Discussed at Johns Hopkins University

International Workshop – Hizmet Movement between Political Islam and Civil Islam

Claims about TİB plot to libel Hizmet spark massive reaction

2 Turkish teachers killed in Somali school bus attack

Professors in Gaziantep profiled alongside students

Iran’s Turkish gold rush

Copyright 2025 Insightful Neighbor