During President Abdullah Gül's visit to Denmark on Tuesday, Thorning-Schmidt and Gül held a joint press conference in which the two answered questions on the countries' bilateral relations.
A member of the press asked Gül, “The hate speech directed by Turkish prime minister against the Hizmet movement, such as using words like “organization, gang, agent, virus”, are not even used by Islamophobic circles in Europe. Wouldn't such speeches harm Turkey's fight against Islamophobia in Europe?”
While listening to the journalist's question to President Gül, Thorning-Schmidt appeared to be startled and looked to the Turkish president for his answer.
However, President Gül gave only a short answer. “One of these [situations] is hatred towards foreigners in countries that have Muslim minorities. It's the concept of Islamophobia. The other is a political issue in Turkey, it is about a problem we face in Turkey. I believe these two should be considered separately,” Gül said.
Speaking on a TV program last week, Erdoğan complained that Justice and Development Party (AK Party) deputies are keeping a low profile in the row with the Hizmet movement and its inspiration, Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, instead of adopting a harsh stance and using the same insulting language as the prime minister -- who has used words such as "evil," "assassins," "traitors," "viruses," "mafia" and "parallel structure" in connection with the movement. Erdoğan has claimed that deputies and ministers have refrained from voicing strong criticism of Gülen and the Hizmet movement because they don't want to offend certain segments of society, adding that he expects AK Party deputies and ministers to toe the line by pushing his message.
On the same program, Erdoğan reprimanded journalist Mustafa Karaalioğlu for not calling the movement “the organization” when asking Erdoğan a question on the issue. “Why are you afraid of calling them 'the organization'? Do not use 'cemaat' [movement] again in your definition of them.” Stunned by Erdoğan's outburst, Karaalioğlu then used the word “formation” instead of cemaat, but this term also failed to satisfy Erdoğan, who interrupted Karaalioğlu by insisting that he use the word “organization,” adding, “'Cemaat' is reserved for those who work for the benefit of the country.”
The motive behind Erdoğan's aggressive stance towards the Hizmet movement is being questioned, with many analysts claiming that his rhetoric is part of a wider strategy to stifle a graft investigation that became public on Dec. 17, 2013, when police carried out an operation against prominent businesspeople, officials and the sons of several ministers suspected of bribery and corruption. Veteran journalist Nazlı Ilıcak has said Erdoğan is aiming to deflect attention from the corruption scandal with his insulting discourse, while AK Party deputies and the party's rank and file are more careful with their words, suggesting that many party members have not bought into the “parallel state” and “traitor” rhetoric deployed by Erdoğan and members of his inner circle.
Published on Today's Zaman, 18 March 2014, Tuesday
