February 19, 2014

Accused by Erdogan of plotting a coup, Hizmet movement fears for freedom in Turkey

Mariana Timóteo da Costa

SÃO PAULO – Considered by most of the western public as mysterious and accused by the Turkish government of being behind of the political crisis that shook the country, the Hizmet movement has been making a public relations offensive to show what this organization is and what it does. This is the biggest civil society entity in Turkey and assures that they have no political agenda. They have representations in 150 countries – including Brazil. The Hizmet is based on the idea of a “modern Islam compatible with democracy” that has been disseminated by Fethullah Gülen since the 1960’s. Gülen, now 75 years old, is a former imam, writer, thinker and teacher. He has been living in the US in volunteer exile since 1999, when he left Turkey due to successive military coups. Even from afar, Gülen keeps influencing thousands of Turks and Muslims around the world.

Gülen's lawyer: Doctored tapes part of plans to finish off Hizmet movement

Nurullah Albayrak, the lawyer of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, released several recorded phone conversations of his client on Wednesday, saying they were illegally wiretapped in violation of individuals' privacy and that some politicians are using them as an instrument in their shady plan to finish off the Hizmet movement.

Journalist: I was threatened over not supporting government

Seasoned journalist Cüneyt Özdemir has said he was threatened by two members of pro-government media outlets and pressured to jump on the bandwagon by lashing out at the Hizmet movement and hosting a commentator who Özdemir said is a staunch supporter of conspiracy theories.

Beating 'domestic enemies' in the game of 'advanced' democracy

Begüm Burak

What Turkey has been going through since the Dec. 17 graft probe can be viewed as the crystallized version of how bad Turkey's so-called “advanced” democracy has turned out to be.

Daily publishes evidence of ‘color lists' used to recruit public sector employees

The Taraf daily published a document on Wednesday in supports of its allegations that the government recruits public sector employees using “color lists” to avoid people affiliated with groups such as the Hizmet movement.

Is another Mideast democratic experiment over?

Turkish prime minister Erdogan is seemingly having difficulty staying disciplined, and is moving to take control of the state at a pace that recalls similar actions by former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi.

Islamic scholar Gülen urges followers to remain calm in face of insults

Fethullah Gülen, the inspiration behind the Hizmet movement, which Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan continues to insult and target with a smear campaign, threatening to pursue criminal proceeding against it, has urged his followers to remain calm and avoid making inflammatory remarks about those who appeal to insults.

Turkish-Arab forum focuses on gov’t oppression on Hizmet

Discussing the recent developments in Turkey and the Muslim world during the “Arab-Turkish Intellectuals Forum” in İstanbul on Tuesday, a scholar from Egypt likened the smear campaign conducted by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan against the Hizmet movement to the suppression of a civic movement in Egypt.

Hello? Pfft!

Cüneyt Özdemir, Radikal

All right, I will just admit it, I was threatened a short while ago. I was asked to “publicly slam the parallels” [referring to the "parallel state," a term often used by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in reference to the Hizmet movement] by a columnist at a daily newspaper.

Preparations for Turkish Olympiads begin in Morocco

Preparations for the 12th International Turkish Olympiads have started in Morocco with rehearsals at a Turkish school established by the members of the Hizmet Movement, inspired by the Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.

“Time to Help” launched in England

Time to Help, Kimse Yok Mu Foundation affiliate in Europe, has launched its office in England. The foundation’s officials introduced their proposed projects at a recent publicity event.