"Hizmet Movement is one of the most important spiritual and social movements in the world"

Fikir Atlasi*, Episode 31 (Full text)

My name is Scott Alexander**. I’m Associate Professor of Islamic Studies in Christian-Muslim Relations and Director of Catholic-Muslim Studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

I think the Hizmet Movement is one of the most important spiritual and social movements in the world today.

Gov’t claim of cheating on exam aimed at diverting public’s attention, past record reveals

A government-propagated claim saying the faith-based Gülen movement was involved in cheating on an exam that is obligatory for public service appears to be principally aimed, as was the case with previous operations against the police, at diverting the attention of the public from sweeping allegations of corruption that have made the government feel cornered.

Gülen extends condolences over death of Saudi King

Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has expressed condolences over the death of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah.

Erdoğan draws ire from all segments of society over bid to close Turkish schools

Members of opposition parties, prominent businessmen and figures in the education world have severely criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for campaigning for the closure of Turkish schools in African countries that are affiliated with the Gülen movement, also known as the Hizmet movement, inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, who is a former ally of the president.

Pro-gov’t daily claims White House held special session on Gülen

Pro-government Turkish daily Takvim claimed in a Friday report that the White House held a special session on Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, who is based in the US, in September 2014.

Ministry dismisses honorary consuls, allegedly for 'Hizmet' affiliation

The Turkish Foreign Ministry did not renew honorary consuls’ certificates due to their affiliation with the Hizmet movement, Turkish media reported.

Kimse Yok Mu, the prominent outlet for international aid

With activities spanning across 113 nations, the non-profit organization's aid activities continues to reach across the globe defying theTurkish government’s unjustified persecution.

Opposition up in arms over Erdoğan’s badmouthing of Turkish schools abroad during visit to Ethiopia

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is pressing ahead with campaigning the closure of Turkish schools affiliated with the Gülen movement, also known as the Hizmet movement, inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, in African countries, causing a number of members of the opposition parties in Turkey to reacted against his move.

Erdoğan pushes to close down Turkish schools in Africa

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is pressing ahead for the closure of Turkish schools affiliated with the Gülen movement (Hizmet movement) of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen in African countries.

GYV’s dialogue center not returned despite court order

Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV) officials were forced to leave its affiliate Intercultural Dialogue Center (KADIM) office in the Eyüp district of İstanbul despite a court order ruling that GYV could return to the premises after the dialogue center was unlawfully evacuated by municipal police on Dec. 26, 2014.

'Gulen is a teacher of great love and great good for all people; the voice of Hizmet is very necessary.'

Fikir Atlasi*, Episode 30 (Full text)

My name is Peggy Price**. My official title is Reverend Doctor Peggy Price.

Gülen’s lawyer says plot to frame Gülen movement for unsolved murders is in the works

Nurullah Albayrak, the legal representative for Fethullah Gülen, an Islamic scholar in self-imposed exile in the US, said in a statement released on Tuesday that unsolved murders are trying to be heaped upon his client and the Gülen movement, a grassroots initiative inspired by Gülen and also known as the Hizmet movement.

Turkish court asks Twitter to censor tweets by dozens of users

A criminal court of peace has asked Twitter to remove tweets posted by dozens of users, including journalists and human rights defenders, upon a complaint by a judge, in a clear instance of a continued government crackdown on its opponents.

Train, equip and persecute?

Ali Aslan

It's never easy to find diplomats who speak publicly without beating around the bush and concealing facts, even if they are retired. Exceptions make especially us journalists happy. Former United States Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardone is one of them.

Profiled individuals prepare to sue pro-gov’t media over smear campaign

A number of individuals are preparing to sue pro-government media outlets, including the Sabah and Takvim dailies, which the individuals claim unfairly targeted them for being members of the faith-based Hizmet movement.

Report: Ankara instructs Brussels rep to return EP’s resolution on media freedoms

The Turkish government has instructed the Permanent Delegation of Turkey to the European Union in Brussels to return the European Parliament's (EP) resolution, which condemns police raids and the detention of a number of journalists and media representatives on Dec. 14, without even opening it, a Turkish daily reported.

Turkey’s leading prep school network rejects claims it cheated on state exams

Turkey's leading prep school network has categorically rejected allegations that its teachers were involved in mass cheating, describing pro-government circles' latest claim an attempt to "defame" and abolish public service state exams.

Hizmet gives a model to Muslims about how to be a Muslim in the modern world

Fikir Atlasi*, Episode 29 (Full text)

I am Margaret Johnson**. I am a sociologist, a writer, and a business owner. I manage a language translation company.

Obama to become a parallel, too?

Adem Yavuz Arslan

The chief concern of Erdoğan and AKP leaders is to complain to their American counterparts, whom they meet in Turkey or occasionally in Washington, about Fethullah Gülen.

Parallel lies and deception in judiciary

Abdullah Bozkurt

Turkey's political Islamists are trying to sell what used to be an effective, streamlined and improved cooperation between the prosecutor's office and the police force for the purpose of achieving greater prosecutorial success in court as proof that there is a "parallel structure" in the judiciary and police that worked together in exposing the unprecedented massive corruption in the government and as such tried to topple the government.

Gov’t plans to do away with qualifying exams for civil service

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government has prepared an action plan to remove the obligation for candidates for positions in the civil service to take a competitive exam in order to pave the way for partisans to get employment in the government, the Taraf daily reported on Monday.

AK Party gov’t rejected motions to set up commission on KPSS scandal

The governing Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has turned down seven motions submitted by the opposition to establish a parliamentary commission to investigate irregularities and cheating claims in the State Personnel Examination (KPSS) since 2010, Parliament's records have shown.

Slander and speculation no longer a stock market crime

New capital markets law amendment being proposed, makes it difficult to prosecute speculative news. Critics slam the bill as detrimental to Turkey’s image.

Turkish schools get award for advanced study in Benin, Mongolia

A Turkish school that opened in the West African country of Benin in 2006 has been honored with the National Order of Benin.

Fethullah Gülen’s lawyer appeals arrest warrant

Nurullah Albayrak, the lawyer of Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, has appealed the decision of the İstanbul 1st Penal Court of Peace to issue an arrest warrant for Gülen, citing illegality.

Journalist reveals inspiring story of Turkish schools in book

Ankara-based journalist Mesut Çevikalp has written a book about the little-known stories of Turkish schools opened by Turkish entrepreneurs in various parts of the world, including the moving and hardship-laden stories of education volunteers working at these schools, most of whom left a better life in Turkey with the hope of promoting universal values of peace, dialogue and peaceful coexistence with others.

Documents expose new plot to frame Hizmet for exam cheating

Documents obtained by Today's Zaman regarding a 2010 cheating scandal surrounding the State Personnel Examination (KPSS) have revealed a plot to unjustly frame members of the Hizmet movement.

Anatomy of a conspiracy

Bülent Keneş

The conspiracy was first announced by a government whistleblower who writes under the pseudonym Fuat Avni (@fuatavnifuat).

Erdoğan’s harsh, xenophobic rhetoric damages fight against Islamophobia

The increasingly punitive and xenophobic discourse adopted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in recent years has done a huge disservice to the fight against Islamophobia, dealing a blow to the decades-long efforts of organizations such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Hizmet movement in international forums.

Gülen calls for respect for the sacred, denounces terrorism

Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has called on everyone to respect sacred values of each other while at the same time strongly condemning resorting to violence terrorism in so-called attempts protect these sacred values.

US voices concern about press freedom over Karaca’s arrest

The United States has expressed concern about press freedom in Turkey in regards to the Samanyolu TV network's top executive, Hidayet Karaca, being arrested after a media crackdown on Dec. 14, saying that it is continuing to address these concerns to Turkish authorities.

Erdoğan government opposes democratic values: detained Turkish journalist

The government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is falsely accusing anybody that opposes it of treason, a prominent Turkish journalist currently detained in an Istanbul prison told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Documents expose plot to hold Hizmet responsible for KPSS cheating

The Zaman daily has published documents which reveal that a plot was devised to unjustly hold the members of the Hizmet Movement responsible for a cheating scandal at the State Personnel Examination (KPSS) in 2010.

O.C. Muslim leaders speak out against extremism

Along with the lives they destroy and extinguish, terrorists who commit these heinous acts in the name of Islam also hurt the global community of Muslims, a majority of whom lead peaceful, productive lives.

Detention of journalists increases concerns over press freedoms, says report

The December report of the Press for Freedom Project (PfF), released on Saturday, states that concerns about the state of press freedoms in Turkey increased in the last month of 2014, as operations targeting the Hizmet movement, a grassroots movement inspired by Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, extended to independent media outlets.

Gülen condemns Paris shootings, says all forms of terror deplorable

Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has strongly condemned an attack on a French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, and a series of shootings in Paris suburbs last week that left 17 dead, extending condolences to the families of the victims.

Ricciardone: Hizmet members not terrorists

Former US Ambassador to Turkey Frank Ricciardone has said that the US government does not regard members of faith-based Hizmet movement as terrorists.

EP condemns media crackdown in name of rule of law, press freedom

The European Parliament on Thursday condemned the Turkish government's attempt to silence critical media by launching raids on media institutions and detaining journalists on Dec.14, saying the steps taken by the Turkish government against the media raises questions about the rule of law and freedom of the media in the country.

Hizmet-affiliated educational institutions succeed in TEOG exam

The results of the Transition from Primary to Secondary Education (TEOG) exam that was administered on Nov. 26-27 and Dec. 13-14 to eighth graders across Turkey show that students who prepared for the exam in Hizmet movement-affiliated schools did better than those who studied in other institutions.

Members of press unite to stand against persecution by AK Party

Intellectuals agree that the time has come to work together for freedom of the press, regardless of the past, in a conference held in partnership with the İstanbul Institute and the Pak Media Workers Union in İstanbul on Thursday.

EP political groups urge Turkey to release journalists

The main political groups in the European Parliament (EP) have called on the Turkish government to release journalists ahead of Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu's visit to Brussels on Jan. 15, when the parliament will also vote on a resolution regarding media freedom in Turkey.

ALDE President Watson outlines alarming trend of Turkish gov’t policies

Graham Watson, the president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Party in Europe voices outrage at the violations of separation of powers, journalist detainments in a worrisome trend in Turkish government policies.

US professor urges Washington not to extradite Gülen to Turkey

An American professor from the Columbia University has urged Washington not to extradite Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen to Turkey, noting that attacks on Gülen are part of a pattern to silence dissent.

Turkish intelligence and national police all investigated ‘Tahşiyeciler'

Zaman newspaper’s editor-in-chief Ekrem Dumanlı and Samanyolu Broadcast Group President were amongst members of the press detained on Dec 14, 2014 for allegedly defaming a suspected al-Qaeda affiliated Tahşiyeciler group through press articles, dating a couple of years ago.

Ex-Minister calls for focus on corruption, not parallel conspiracies

Fikri Sağlar, a former minister of culture and a left-wing politician, reacted against Sabri Uzun’s conspiracy theories pointed at the Hizmet movement, stating “they are trying to find this imaginary parallel structure under everything.”

Hate speech creates new opportunities for Hizmet movement

Mahmut Akpınar*

The effects of the ruling party's persistent hate speech against the Hizmet movement on non-Hizmet groups can be examined by dividing the groups into two categories: conservative groups and other groups.

Zaman launches satirical magazine, defying pressure with humor

The Zaman daily, which has been under intense government pressure that culminated recently with the detention of its editor-in-chief in a government-backed operation on Dec. 14, 2014, is launching a satirical magazine Monday, in an apparent move to respond to the pressure with humor.

An open letter to readers

Ekrem Dumanlı

Dear readers. I am now writing letters, most of which are thank you ones. I would like to express my gratitude to those who have very courageously staged opposition against despotism. I would like to respond to their bravery with these letters. I wish I could finish all of these letters. Well, it is not proper to express this feeling of indebtedness and gratitude in just two sentences. So I keep writing letters.

Building partisan civil service in Turkey

Abdullah Bozkurt

Since political Islamists and pro-Iranian factions took the reins in Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) after they effectively marginalized moderate conservatives, liberals and social democratic wings following the 2011 elections, they have been trying to rebuild the civil service from top to bottom in their own image to perpetuate authoritarian rule for decades to come.

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?

Turkey sees unprecedented division, conflicts under AK Party rule

The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government, which came to power in 2002 with an all-embracing and pro-democracy discourse vowing to respect society's diversity, has, after its 12-year-old rule, ended up being one of the most divisive and polarizing governments in the history of the Turkish Republic, something that could be seen clearly in the conflicts among various groups and even members of the same family in the country.

BBP’s Destici issues hands off to gov’t, on political parties and NGOs

Opposition BBP’s Chairman Destici slams government’s persecution of political parties and NGOs, while calling attention to the rising threat of the separatist PKK in southeast Turkey.

European press criticizes Turkish PM’s presence at Hebdo march

Several prominent columnists from major European newspapers have criticized the presence of Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu at a march, commemorating those killed during last week's attack at the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo on Jan. 7, citing Turkey's worsening track record in terms of press freedom.

Turkish foreign minister distorts US State Department briefing

Turkey's top diplomat has misrepresented the facts about last week's US State Department briefing in which two US journalists pressed the department spokesperson, Jen Psaki, on Turkey's ties with Hamas.

Turkish journalist federation slams gov’t press profiling

Turkish Journalists Federation President Nazmi Bilgin, slammed gov’t profiling of journalists and discriminative press accreditation policy.