March 24, 2012
Fethullah Gülen and Hilmi Özkök were targets of assassins, new book claims
Today's Zaman
Former Chief of General Staff retired Gen. Hilmi Özkök was the target of a planned assassination by pro-coup generals within the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) in 2004, which was prevented when US officials in Baghdad discovered the plan and notified Turkish authorities about it, according to a recently published book.
A new flower is blooming in Darfur; 240 students will study in their new school
Kimse Yok Mu
Assistance activities have been carried out in Sudan since 2007 and another fruit of our labor has arrived. Sponsored by a businessman, Tahsin Tekoglu, a new school is being built and when it is finished it will be a source of hope for Darfur students.
Assistance activities have been carried out in Sudan since 2007 and another fruit of our labor has arrived. Sponsored by a businessman, Tahsin Tekoglu, a new school is being built and when it is finished it will be a source of hope for Darfur students.
March 23, 2012
State of Ergenekon: Alive and kicking
İhsan Yılmaz
Even though some Justice and Development Party (AKP) politicians seem to think that the mafioso deep state -- aka the Ergenekon terrorist organization -- is dead, recent developments have shown once again that it is in good shape, alive and kicking. The deep state tradition in Turkey goes back at least 100 years, and it is not easy to dismantle it. So far only some of its legs and arms have been captured by the judiciary, but not the body, nor the brain.
Only the most recent Uludere incident, which shocked the AKP government, is a telling example that democratic forces are still not in full control of the state. This is the case, despite the fact that we have a ruling party with a 50 percent mandate. Imagine what could happen if today’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) form a coalition government. As soon as they come to power, the bureaucracy will immediately start serving them. These two parties have employed thousands of their ideological fellow travelers in the state bureaucracy, and they keep silent and remain passive nowadays thanks to the strong one-party rule. There are only about 250 people -- some 50 of them in prison -- being tried in Ergenekon cases, and it is obvious that a deep state cannot be run by only 250 people. In addition to the brain there must be many sleeping cells. The recent psychological war campaign launched against some judges, prosecutors and police officers that deal with the case shows that Ergenekon has not given up and, quite to the contrary, it is still very strong.
Even though some Justice and Development Party (AKP) politicians seem to think that the mafioso deep state -- aka the Ergenekon terrorist organization -- is dead, recent developments have shown once again that it is in good shape, alive and kicking. The deep state tradition in Turkey goes back at least 100 years, and it is not easy to dismantle it. So far only some of its legs and arms have been captured by the judiciary, but not the body, nor the brain.
Only the most recent Uludere incident, which shocked the AKP government, is a telling example that democratic forces are still not in full control of the state. This is the case, despite the fact that we have a ruling party with a 50 percent mandate. Imagine what could happen if today’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) form a coalition government. As soon as they come to power, the bureaucracy will immediately start serving them. These two parties have employed thousands of their ideological fellow travelers in the state bureaucracy, and they keep silent and remain passive nowadays thanks to the strong one-party rule. There are only about 250 people -- some 50 of them in prison -- being tried in Ergenekon cases, and it is obvious that a deep state cannot be run by only 250 people. In addition to the brain there must be many sleeping cells. The recent psychological war campaign launched against some judges, prosecutors and police officers that deal with the case shows that Ergenekon has not given up and, quite to the contrary, it is still very strong.
March 22, 2012
The Community [Gulen Movement] and Transparency
Erkam Tufan Aytav *
Some groups have been parroting, “The [Gülen] Community should become more transparent.” As you know, with “the Community,” they are referring to the Gülen movement. Let us try to understand this sentence and respond to it.
First of all, I need to note that when they say, “the Community,” they are referring to the movement of volunteers inspired by the ideas of Mr. Fethullah Gülen. That is, there is a set of ideas and a person behind this movement. Millions of people strongly believe in these ideas and in the author of those ideas.
In democracies, people can freely express their ideas that can be adopted and pursued by other people acting of their own free will. The Gülen movement is a social grouping that is based on such a democratic supply and demand setting.
Some groups have been parroting, “The [Gülen] Community should become more transparent.” As you know, with “the Community,” they are referring to the Gülen movement. Let us try to understand this sentence and respond to it.
First of all, I need to note that when they say, “the Community,” they are referring to the movement of volunteers inspired by the ideas of Mr. Fethullah Gülen. That is, there is a set of ideas and a person behind this movement. Millions of people strongly believe in these ideas and in the author of those ideas.
In democracies, people can freely express their ideas that can be adopted and pursued by other people acting of their own free will. The Gülen movement is a social grouping that is based on such a democratic supply and demand setting.
March 21, 2012
Why is the Gülen Movement being classified as a civic initiative or civil society movement?
fgulen.org
Civil society is an arena of friendships and associations. It provides citizens with opportunities to learn the democratic habits of free assembly, non-coercive dialogue, and socioeconomic initiative. It covers a broad array of organizations that are essentially private, that is, outside the institutional structures of government. These include voluntary associations that are beyond the household but outside the state.
For these reasons the Gülen Movement is now best described as a civic initiative or a civil society movement that started as faith-initiated, non-contentious, cultural and educational service-projects. It is not a governmental or a state sponsored organization. It is an apolitical, social, altruistic action. It centers on the individual, individual change and the education of the individual. Part of this education is also focused on raising consciousness about legality, lawfulness, human rights and one’s constitutionally defined rights. It also works for the consolidation, therefore, of pluralist participatory democracy and equal rights.
Civil society is an arena of friendships and associations. It provides citizens with opportunities to learn the democratic habits of free assembly, non-coercive dialogue, and socioeconomic initiative. It covers a broad array of organizations that are essentially private, that is, outside the institutional structures of government. These include voluntary associations that are beyond the household but outside the state.
For these reasons the Gülen Movement is now best described as a civic initiative or a civil society movement that started as faith-initiated, non-contentious, cultural and educational service-projects. It is not a governmental or a state sponsored organization. It is an apolitical, social, altruistic action. It centers on the individual, individual change and the education of the individual. Part of this education is also focused on raising consciousness about legality, lawfulness, human rights and one’s constitutionally defined rights. It also works for the consolidation, therefore, of pluralist participatory democracy and equal rights.
March 20, 2012
Gülen expresses condolences for Turkish soldiers killed in Afghanistan
Today's Zaman
Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has expressed condolences to families of 12 soldiers killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan last week, saying that the soldiers were there to help restore peace in the war-torn country.
Turkish Doctors Extend a Helping Hand to Somalia
Kimse Yok Mu
Doctors from Balikesir province, which is in Western part of Turkey, are planning to go to Somali and provide medical service to Somali people. The group of doctors consisting of one surgeon and four family doctors, is planning to spend 17 day in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. The doctors are going to provide routine care and surgery for Somalis.
March 19, 2012
Strategic defamation
Abdülhamit Bilici
A Western journalist who held the position of Time magazine’s representative in Turkey for a very long time had an interesting observation about our media.
He argued that Turkish newspapers generally distort published speeches. According to this journalist, private television channels, whose numbers were on the rise at the time, were an important opportunity to cure this illness in the Turkish media because it was more difficult for journalists to intervene between the person speaking on television and the audience. A politician, artist or a regular citizen would speak his or her mind and the audience would hear them out verbatim. Unfortunately, our media, whose reputation is highly questionable, cannot exactly be defended in the face of this accusation. But an incident last week demonstrated to me that foreign reporters and investigators don’t exactly have the cleanest slate in terms of their reliability and that they, too, can greatly distort the material at hand when preparing news pieces or reports.
March 18, 2012
Internal diffusion among the different parts of the Gülen Movement
fgulen.org
How do the service networks of the Gülen Movement diffuse themes and experience, and organize circulation of volunteers?
Any service-network may initiate a project or brainstorm around a particular theme.
Different service-networks set up committees to study the feasibility of projects without referring to any formal or centralized authority. If a project proves successful, this fact is broadcast or circulated by volunteers, associates in the media or sympathizers in the periphery. The professionalized staff at other social movement organizations (SMO) may then take up issues and take them further. In this way, each SMO represents the collective purpose, but no single SMO can or does claim to be recognized as representing the Gülen Movement’s collective interests as a whole.
How do the service networks of the Gülen Movement diffuse themes and experience, and organize circulation of volunteers?
Any service-network may initiate a project or brainstorm around a particular theme.
Different service-networks set up committees to study the feasibility of projects without referring to any formal or centralized authority. If a project proves successful, this fact is broadcast or circulated by volunteers, associates in the media or sympathizers in the periphery. The professionalized staff at other social movement organizations (SMO) may then take up issues and take them further. In this way, each SMO represents the collective purpose, but no single SMO can or does claim to be recognized as representing the Gülen Movement’s collective interests as a whole.
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