News
Opposition up in arms over Erdoğan’s badmouthing of Turkish schools abroad during visit to Ethiopia
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is pressing ahead with campaigning the closure of Turkish schools affiliated with the Gülen movement, also known as the Hizmet movement, inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, in African countries, causing a number of members of the opposition parties in Turkey to reacted against his move.
Erdogan pushes to close down Gulen-inspired Turkish schools in Africa
Turkish President Erdogan is pressing ahead for the closure of Turkish schools affiliated with the Gülen movement (aka Hizmet movement) in African countries. There are more than 100 Gülen-inspired schools in Africa, as well as other parts of the world. The government praised these schools in the past as key institutions promoting Turkish culture abroad.
Turkey’s leading prep school network rejects claims it cheated on state exams
Turkey’s leading prep school network has categorically rejected allegations that its teachers were involved in mass cheating, describing pro-government circles’ latest claim an attempt to “defame” and abolish public service state exams.
Gülen calls for respect for the sacred, denounces terrorism
Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has called on everyone to respect each other’s sacred values while at the same time strongly condemning the use of violence and engagement in terrorism in so-called attempts to protect these sacred values.
Journalist reveals inspiring story of Turkish schools in book
Ankara-based journalist Mesut Çevikalp has written a book about the little-known stories of Turkish schools opened by Turkish entrepreneurs in various parts of the world, including the moving and hardship-laden stories of education volunteers working at these schools, most of whom left a better life in Turkey with the hope of promoting universal values of peace, dialogue and peaceful coexistence with others.
Emerging context: Globalised world and Islam
In our previous article, titled “How acts of ISIL, extremists have been securitizing ordinary Muslims,” we examined the impact of the emergence of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on Muslim minorities in the West by analyzing some recent tragic events that occurred in Canada and the US.
Erdoğan’s harsh, xenophobic rhetoric damages fight against Islamophobia
The increasingly punitive and xenophobic discourse adopted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in recent years has done a huge disservice to the fight against Islamophobia, dealing a blow to the decades-long efforts of organizations such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Hizmet movement in international forums.
US voices concern about press freedom over Karaca’s arrest
The United States has expressed concern about press freedom in Turkey in regards to the Samanyolu TV network’s top executive, Hidayet Karaca, being arrested after a media crackdown on Dec. 14, saying that it is continuing to address these concerns to Turkish authorities.
Hizmet-affiliated educational institutions succeed in TEOG exam
The results of the Transition from Primary to Secondary Education (TEOG) exam that was administered on Nov. 26-27 and Dec. 13-14 to eighth graders across Turkey show that students who prepared for the exam in Hizmet movement-affiliated schools did better than those who studied in other institutions.
