February 4, 2014

Can Erdoğan finish off the Gülen movement?

Mahir Zeynalov

The Western media has falsely portrayed the recent developments in Turkey as the latest chapter in the power struggle between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and influential Turkish cleric and scholar Fethullah Gülen.

CSOs slam ongoing black propaganda against Hizmet movement

Various civil society organizations (CSOs) from the provinces of Aydın, İzmir and Ağrı held press conferences on Tuesday slamming an ongoing black propaganda campaign being conducted by the government against the Hizmet movement, which is inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, saying that top government officials should refrain from using hateful rhetoric.

Opposition warns president not to ignore interference into judiciary

Turkey's opposition has endorsed the Journalists and Writers Foundation's (GYV) call on President Abdullah Gül to take the initiative in investigating the executive branch's recent attempts to render the judiciary dysfunctional.

Should Hizmet establish a political party?

Hüseyin Gülerce

I need to underscore three points before answering the question above. First, the "parallel structure" rhetoric is being used as a slogan for extrajudicial execution. It is employed as a resource for engineering public perceptions.

German intelligence did not warn against Hizmet Movement

The Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution [BfV]) in Germany's Baden-Württemberg region has rejected accusations that it warned the German federal government against the Hizmet movement and its activities in the country.

Securitizing the Hizmet/Gulen movement

Mustafa Demir* and Ömer Şener**

Turkey’s most influential and widely respected civil society organisation, the Hizmet movement, is under continual attack by PM Erdoğan who accuses it of seeking to establish a “parallel state”. Such rhetoric and 'securitization' may destroy the democratic fabric of Turkish society.

Why is the PKK siding with the AKP in the AKP-Gulen conflict?

Mustafa Akyol

On Feb. 2, the Turkish daily Vatan published an interview with Cemil Bayik, one of the leading “commanders” of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The interviewer, Rusen Cakir, is a prominent Turkish journalist known for his expertise on the Kurdish issue, political Islam and the current political battle between the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Gulen movement. No wonder Bayik addressed this hot topic in Turkish politics. At the PKK headquarters in northern Iraq's Kandil Mountains, the guerrilla leader shared various views about Turkish politics, but the bottom line was the Vatan headline: “Behind the [Gulen] community, there is America; they want to get rid of Erdogan.”

Turkish military only winner in current turmoil

Lale Kemal

The nature of a debate a ruling party deputy triggered soon after the December disclosure of a high-profile corruption scandal that hit Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's inner circle is such that it will leave the Turkish military the only winner in Turkey's current turmoil.

Why are they calling Fethullah Gülen back?

Ahmet Hakan

Not a day goes by without someone from the government calling on Fethullah Gülen to come back.

Turkey’s once-worldly aims falter, even close allies concerned

Michael Shank*

From a political perspective, defending Turkey's blend of political Islam and neoliberal economic policies was not terribly difficult a decade ago.