Is witch hunt against the Hizmet movement a coincidence?

Aydoğan Vatandaş*

Is Erdoğan's witch hunt against Mr. Fethullah Gülen and the Hizmet movement a coincidence?

I believe it is not.

Erdoğan's biggest motivation and dream was to seize state power and establish his own political rule, which is an extrinsic motivation. By institutionalizing his own regime Erdoğan is actually injecting himself into the system using Islam as a device for the manipulation of the masses.

As an authoritarian leader, Erdoğan's motivation has always been extrinsic; while Gülen has promoted intrinsic values and motivations for serving others through many means, including education.

These intrinsic values partly explain why the institutions established by the Hizmet movement are held in such high regard around the world. They do not seek to gain benefit in the locations where they serve; instead, they seek to make a lasting contribution to humanity.

Excerpted from the article published on Today's Zaman, 12 January 2015, Monday