There are people who are not going to be satisfied without destroying every single good in the world. In that quest they will utilize lies, will bring evidence from other lies, and will at the end believe their own fabrications only to pursue even further. All the defaming news we have been hearing about Fethullah Gulen and Service (“Hizmet”) Movement stems from either a distorted fact or a plain lie that is the product of meaningless discourse of fear-mongers. Kerim Balci describes how these lies get around in a vicious cycle.

In the mid-90s, Turkey was at the brink of a civil war between its religious groups. Fethullah Gulen almost singlehandedly stopped that blood-shedding mascaraed by reaching out to Turkey’s Alevis and other religious minorities including Christians and Jews. He met with all of the religious leaders publicly, commented on the problems that people were facing. Fethullah Gulen reminded Turks that they could live together despite their differences, as long as they accepted the “other” as they are. Turkish people took to Gulen’s dialogue discourse and avoided what would be another catastrophe for an already ailing democracy.

At the 4th Traditional Friendship Dinner hosted by the Turkish Cultural Center (TCC) and the Assembly of Turkish-American Associations in New York, Zaman Weekly, a publication which was recently launched in the US by the same media group as Today’s Zaman, was presented with an award.

Almost every prominent figure has adversaries who do not like him/her and try to degrade her. Innuendo has often been utilized in printed media for the purpose of pointing fingers. But what happens in Turkey is beyond any rationale and journalistic ethics. Fethullah Gulen is portrayed as the man behind curtain for nearly every scandal, political or social. No one can be that powerful or sneaky. It is obvious that, those who are not happy with what Fethullah Gulen inspires in people try to defame him for purely ideological reasons. They used to be subtle and ambiguous in the past, but things are very clear now in the discourse they use.

It’s election time in Turkey again. It is also time to draw “harsh criticism” weapons and start using the “manly” jargon. Turkey’s MHP leader has decided he would call on Fethullah Gulen to cease his activities around the globe because it caused confusion in Turkey. Well, Mr. Bahceli it might perplex you more to learn that there are tons of civic initiative movements in Turkey and you had better tell them to stop too. Or, I am afraid you may not make it through the elections this year. For those who do not know, Mr. Bahceli is a cold calculating politician, who is famous for his mathematical skills.

Knowing Fethullah Gulen for a long time, Huseyin Gulerce has a very intimate knowledge of Mr. Gulen’s life as a scholar and opinion leader. He recently visited with Mr. Gulen in Pennsylvania and wanted share his experience with his readers through his column.

It’s turning into a pandemic to scapegoat Mr. Fethullah Gulen or the Gulen movement for everything. You misbehave, violate the law, even commit despicable crimes; and if you get caught blame it on the Gulen Movement. Start crying wolf, try to convince the public that your right to free speech has been infringed upon and you’ve been a “victim” of Gulen movement. Lately, an Istanbul prosecutor decided to stop the publishing of a book by Ahmet Şık temporarily on the ground that it could jeopardize an ongoing trial. The public prosecutor’s office made it very clear that it would publish the book within the indictment when it’s appropriate. Below is a statement by Fethullah Gulen through his attorney.

In the wake of the emergence of claims that he ordered the blocking of the publication of a book by a jailed journalist, Ahmet Şık, Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen, known for his widely lauded messages of tolerance, intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding, issued a statement through his lawyer, Orhan Erdemli, in which he denied the accuracy of the claims. Statement as follows:

Fethullah Gulen is one of us. He lives among us. Like many Turks he was born in a remote village in this country (Turkey). He has come a long way to arrive where he is today.

He now is in the center of a civic movement like no other in the world. Those who do not know him and his personality wonder if he does all this by himself. They, then, knowingly or unknowingly mythicize him.