Over the past ten days, analysis of publications devoted to Turkey in the German mass media has revealed an interesting tendency. As if on commandLeading publications in Germany, wrote articles, which sharply criticized preacher Fethullah Gulen living in Pennsylvania (USA). Recall that Ankara accuses him of the organization of the military coup in mid-July.
It worth reading an article by regional Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung correspondent Michael Martens ‘What if Erdogan is right?’. In particular, the article says: "Even the Turkish president's opponents warn that the movement of the Islamic preacher is not as harmless as it is trying to be presented." Then it was he cited a famous Turkish political scientist and publicist Soli Ozel. The author has not doubts in his objectivity: "It is impossible to believe that the allegations of the involvement of Gulen to attempt the coup in Turkey are untrue, just because it was said by Erdogan." Ozel says that people should no trust the theory that events in Turkey have staged by the government. "The scenario according to which the coup attempt took place has a lot of questions. We should not say the AKP was involved it in order to start mass purges later. It reminds me of a conspiracy theory, according to which Americans set up attacks to invade Afghanistan. This is unconvincing," Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung cites the political scientist as saying. Ozel is not sure that the Gulen movement was planning a coup alone, however, supporters of the preacher in the army could join other disaffected officers.
Michael Martens drew attention to the ‘dark sides’ of the movement and Gulen and cites Huriyyet journalist Mustafa Akyol: "If this movement is engaged in a building around the world of schools and the establishment of charitable associations and non-governmental organizations, the problem would not be." But, according to Akyol, there is a downside. ‘‘A secret organization in the state with the goal to achieve bureaucratic control in the state." Akyol told about messianic devotion and unquestioning obedience of members of the movement to Fetullahu Gulen: "There is no space for criticism or personal opinion in the organization,’’ Akyol says.
In confirmation of these words, Turkish journalist Martens told the story about an American journalist Andrew Finkel, who worked for Zaman, considered as the mouthpiece of the Gülen movement. Finkel cooperation with Zaman stopped after the American journalist criticized the arrest of writer Ahmet Sik in 2011. The author of the book "The Army of Imam" contains information that the Gulen movement undermines the Turkish state. Due to the next proposal Finkel was fired from Zaman: ‘‘This book may be meaningless, but as long as we haven’t read it we cannot know about it." "I thought that unwillingness to see other journalists in prison was the moral duty of the newspaper. Ahmet Sik was accused of writing a book against the Gulen movement. Being the newspaper of the movement, we had a special responsibility for the protection of our critics. But editors had a different opinion. This was the reason for my dismissal," Finkel said in an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
In the final part of his article, Michael Martens notes that, despite the factual flaws in the book "The Army of Imam", one part was dedicated to infiltration departments "wiretapping" of Turkish special services by Gulen supporters seems to be convincing. The author reminds that during the past years Turkey overcame scandals associated with upload of compromising secret audio and video recordings of opposition politicians and Erdogan into the Internet.
In the online version of the publication Spiegel published an article by Maximilian Popp where the movement Gulen supporters also was negatively presented. Thus, the publication cites Colonel Ahmet Zeki Udzhoka. During many years he worked as a judge and prosecutor in the Turkish army. In 2009 Udzhok led the investigation against several hundred soldiers who were in collusion against the General Staff, allegedly on the orders by preacher Gulen. "After the failed coup on July 15th, Udzhok compared lists of suspects with the old lists and received confirmation of his innocence: in 2009 he led the investigation against all conspirators,’’ the article says. "The attempt was only a matter of time before the coup. This crime could have been prevented,’’ the edition cites Udzhoka who was not allowed to bring the investigation to the end, and he was even arrested during a short period of time in 2009. "The Gulen sect has never beenmodern, tolerant movement, as it tries to present itself in the West,’’ Spiegel cites former Istanbul police chief Hanefi Avci. During the past years Guken supporters were systematically implemented in ministries, police, judicial authorities and, finally, to the army. Gulen’s personnel arrested their opponents and carried out the dirty campaign against them through the controlled mass media like Zaman, Spiegel reports. One of senior Turkish officials admitted in an interview that the government that the authorities simply underestimated the scale of the impact of Gulen supporters.
The article by a journalist and Jurgen Gottshliha Tageszeitung. "The fact that Erdogan harshly persecutes Gulen supporters, does not make Democrats of them. Defamation, criminal methods and communication characterize the sect,’’ Gottshlih reports. "A few days ago on television was broadcast address by Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretshmanna for quite a ridiculous topic. It was was about a few schools on his land, which, according to the Turkish Consul General in Stuttgart, further investigated should be carried out. The Turks wanted to know if they act within the framework of democratic and legal framework. Shaking with anger, Kretshmann rejected these suspicions. Turkey, according to him, has no right to interfere in the internal affairs of Germany, in particular in the field of school education,’’ the journalist writes in the introduction to the article. "The reason of the Turkish consulate request was due to the fact that these schools belong to the Islamic Gulen movement... Of course, it is the indisputable right of the Prime Minister to object to the intervention in the school from another state. However surprising Kretshmann reacted with some vehemence. As a Maoist, it should be understood that it's not always like it looks like at first sight. The Gulen movement aims to create an Islamic state. Its goals are neither tolerant, nor democratic, nor secular,’’ Tageszeitung underlined. Meanwhile, journalist Winfried Kretshmann not alone in his position. "In Germany and in the US where the guru of Fethullah Gülen sect has been living since the late 1990s, many politicians and journalists behave as if the Gülen movement was actually so open to dialogue and modern, as it it is trying to be presented. Reporters of Zaman suddenly presented as persecuted democrats. And the head of the sect is presented even in the liberal press, for example, New York Times, as wise Sufi, the positive face of Islam of the future,’’ Tageszeitung reports. "Lobbying Gülen’s activity helped him to enlist the support of well-known politicians in Brussels, Berlin, Washington and New York. Representatives of the movement position themselves as a partner in the integration of Turkish migrants, or antipodes of Al-Qaeda who are friendly to the West moderate Muslims,’’ the article says. "This strategy brings success, primarily in the United States. Hillary Clinton receives receives contributions from Gulen supporters for her election campaign. At the recent Democratic Party Congress, during which Clinton was nominated as a presidential candidate, she was praised by Barack Obama. There were a lot of famous Gullen supporters in the VIP-lounge,’’ the author of the article reports, referring to Huriyyet. A similar situation exists in the European countries where prominent politicians gladly accept an invitation of organizations close to Gulen movement to speak at their events. The main topic is usually integration and cultural dialogue. "For example, the former president of the Bundestag Rita Syussmut, who worthy promoted Turkish-German relations, was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, the head of Gulen’s organizations in Germany,’’ Gottshlih reports. "Regardless of whether the Turkish government will be able to prove the involvement of Fatullah Gulen to the coup d’etat in order to admit that he was able to do this’’.
It should be noted all German editions underlined that during Erdogan's alliance with Gulen, which lasted until 2013, ‘the Gullen machine’ has been mainly involved in the struggle with the opposition. The ruling AKP, unexpectedly achieved huge success during elections in 2002. He had no managerial experience and applied to the Gulen supporters in that situation. At that time, Gulen movement gave AKP the necessary human resources to cope with the secular, mainly Kemalist ministerial apparatus.
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