1. What information does the Federal Government have about the Gülen movement which may be relevant to the protection of the Constitution?
Regarding Point 1:
The Federal Government does not have any information about the Fethullah Gülen movement which may be relevant to the protection of the Constitution. The Fethullah Gülen movement is not monitored by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
2. To what extent does the Federal Government consider the world view held by Fethullah Gülen and his followers to be reconcilable with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany?
Regarding Point 2:
Due to the religious and ideological neutrality of the state, the evaluation of religious figures, which are not monitored by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, does not fall within the Federal Government’s area of responsibility.
3. To what extent were there or are there contacts or collaborations between German government authorities and the Gülen movement or organisations linked to it?
Regarding Point 3:
The German Embassy in Ankara, as part of its mission, has relationships with Turkish civil society and thus has contacts with civil society organisations, which have close ties to the Fethullah Gülen movement, e.g. the “Journalists and Writers Foundation”, whose honorary chairman is Fethullah Gülen. The Federal Foreign Office has, within the field of intercultural dialogue, occasional contact with the Berlin based “Forum für Interkulturellen Dialog e.V” (Forum for Intercultural Dialogue) through its chairman Ercan Karakoyun. This organisation has close ties to the Gülen movement. So far, there has neither been a direct cooperation, nor project funding.
4. What information does the Federal Government have about the infiltration of societal and governmental structures by the Gülen movement in Germany?
5. What information does the Federal Government have about connections between the Gülen movement and political parties in Germany?
Regarding Points 4 and 5:
The Federal Government does not have any information about this.
6. To what extent were institutions, projects or events of the Gülen movement or its affiliated organisations funded with federal money? (Please list each item and the amount of the funding)
Regarding Point 6:
As far as the Federal Government is aware, no funding out of the funds for extremism prevention and the promotion of interfaith dialogue is given to organisations which are affiliated with Fethullah Gülen. Since the Federal Government provides general funding for immigrant integration projects, there is a possibility that sporadically organisations are funded which have possible ties to the Gülen network.
The Federal Foreign Office does not know of any cases where institutions, projects, events or organisations in Turkey, which identify with the Gülen movement, have been funded with Federal money. It cannot, however, be excluded that among the organisations in Turkey which have been funded by the Federal Government might be those, which maintain ties of some nature with the Gülen movement, since proof of an affiliation with the latter is rarely possible, since the Gülen movement is not a formal organisation.
7. What information does the Federal Government have regarding which clubs or organisations, that have close ties to the Gülen movement or are affiliated with it, operate in Germany?
Regarding Point 7:
The information which the Federal Government has about the Gülen network and its activities in Germany is obtained from publicly accessible sources like general scientific studies, media reports and conferences. Additional government data and information are not available.
8. Which German-speaking media (newspapers, magazines, publishers, Internet pages etc.) that have close ties to or are part of the Gülen movement, are known to the Federal Government?
Regarding Point 8:
The information which the Federal Government has about the Gülen network and its activities in Germany is obtained from publicly accessible sources like general scientific studies, media reports and conferences. Additional government data and information are not available.
9. Which schools and tutoring schools in Germany, that have close ties to or are part of the Gülen movement, are known to the Federal Government?
Regarding Point 9:
The information which the Federal Government has about the Gülen network and its activities in Germany is obtained from publicly accessible sources like general scientific studies, media reports and conferences. Additional government data and information are not available.
10. In how many and in which cases in Germany were applications for the opening of schools dismissed which have close ties or belong to the Gülen movement and in how many and which cases were schools forced to close? (please state reason)
Regarding Point 10:
The Federal Government has no information about this matter. The responsibility regarding this issue lies with the Federal States.
11. Which businesses in Germany, that have close ties or belong to the Gülen movement are known to the Federal Government?
Regarding Point 11:
The information which the Federal Government has about the Gülen network and its activities in Germany is obtained from publicly accessible sources like general scientific studies, media reports and conferences. Additional government data and information are not available.
12. How many followers of Fethullah Gülen are there in Germany, according to estimates of the Federal Government?
13. What information does the Federal Government have regarding contacts between the Gülen movement and Turkish Rightists?
14. What information does the Federal Government have regarding contacts between the Gülen movement and Milli Görüş in Germany? What information does the Federal Government have regarding contacts between the Gülen movement and the US Secret Service CIA?
Regarding Points 12, 13 and 14 :
The Federal Government has no information about these matters.
15. What information does the Federal Government have about the infiltration of governmental structures by the Gülen movement in Turkey?
Regarding Point 15:
The Federal Government is aware of such speculations, particularly in the Turkish media, as well as in relevant book publications. The Federal Government has, however, no incriminating information regarding this matter.
16. Which information does the Federal Government have regarding government persecution of Gülen movement critics in Turkey?
Regarding Point 16:
The Federal Government is aware of such speculations, particularly in the Turkish media, as well as in relevant book publications. The Federal Government has, however, no incriminating information regarding this matter.
Published on fgulen.com, 24 October 2011, Monday
