DEMONIZING THE HIZMET MOVEMENT

THROUGH MEDIA IN TURKEY

FRONT COVERS THEY DON’T WANT YOU TO SEE

DEMONIZING THE HIZMET MOVEMENT THROUGH MEDIA IN TURKEY:

FRONT COVERS THEY DON'T WANT YOU TO SEE

APRIL 2015

Dialogue Platform is a non-profit association serving as a platform for dialogue organisations affiliated with the Hizmet Movement in Europe. Hizmet is a civil society grass root movement focusing on dialogue, education and upward social mobility.

Inspired by the teachings and work of Mr. Fethullah Gülen, we aim to advance and promote intercultural understanding, dialogical interaction and social cohesion in the society.

Dialogue Platform fosters debate and analysis on various issues concerning a peaceful and respectful coexistence in European societies. It aims to make practical contributions to the decision-making processes on relevant developments and issues impacting on community relations in Europe.

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Contents

Introductory Remarks ...............................................................................1

Sample of Terms and Language .................................................................2

Sample of Media Front Covers ..................................................................3

Sample of Media Coordination ...............................................................25

Cautionary Conclusion ...........................................................................26

Introductory Remarks

In Turkey in 2013, President Erdogan violently crushed the Gezi Park protests, while propagating an “underdog” narrative for himself and his supporters through pro-government media. He claimed the protests were orchestrated by the “international interest lobby” in collaboration with “their domestic partners” (one allegedly being the Koç Group) to topple the Justice and Development Party (‘AKP’) government. This tale was repeated in the pro-government media until it became the defining narrative for much of the Turkish electorate: protesters were “vile”, “traitors”, “enemies of the state” and Erdogan and his government therefore were justified in crushing them.

In December 2013, when a corruption probe which implicated several government ministers and Erdoğan’s son went public, Erdogan and pro-government media used a similar strategy to derail investigations. While framing events as planned and executed by a “coalition of foreign powers” through their “domestic pawns”, the AKP government moved swiftly to purge thousands of police officers, civil servants, prosecutors and judges without trial or disciplinary procedure, a self-confessed “witch-hunt”, on the pretext of Hizmet affiliation. This time, instead of the Koç family, the Gulen-inspired Hizmet movement became the useful scapegoat to justify draconian and arbitrary measures. Erdogan claimed that Turkey was, once again, fighting its “second war of independence” against a “blood-sucking virus” and “vampire” that had nested itself within the state apparatus and which could only be “cleansed” by being “vaporized” and “separated into its molecules.”

In short, as per Erdogan’s style of politics, a new phantom enemy in the form of Hizmet is being instrumentalized to achieve two outcomes. The first to derail the investigations into ministerial corruption and silence media coverage of it; the second to rid the state of anyone not completely loyal to President Erdogan and to rid the public sphere of dissent or credible alternative viewpoints to those of his own including the Gezi park protestors, the opposition parties, workers unions, the Hizmet movement and of course Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, the first two of which were even banned in Turkey before the Presidential elections of 2013.

This booklet has a very modest objection. To provide a glimpse into the consistent coordinated and concerted dehumanization and demonization project against Erdogan’s latest so-called enemy of the state, the Hizmet movement. Beyond this introduction no comment will be provided whatsoever. Instead, you will only be presented with direct translations of what Erdogan, his deputies and the pro-government media have said. As the reader, we only ask that you take the moment to peruse the contents and arrive at your own conclusions.

1

Sample of Terms and Language

Terms and language used by President Erdogan on Hizmet and Gulen since December 2013: they are a parallel state, traitors, pawns of a dirty international blood lobby, they are a virus, tumour, blood-sucking leeches, terrorists, raving “Hashashins,” assassins, they work with Mossad, their leader is a spell binder, a false prophet, a bogus scholar, a gang-leader, this is Turkey’s second war of independence, we will enter their lairs/caves, crush them, break them, we will vaporize them, split them into molecules, nationalize their schools, you must work hard and take over their work and organizations, they were going to assassinate my daughter, there is so much more about them you do not know. President Erdogan on Hizmet and Gulen since December 2013

“We get rid of these people. From now on, not even a single member of this parallel group will be able to stay here. It is not possible for them to remain here, to live here and to work here. I am a man of my word and will fulfill my promise. We first removed them from our hostels and the hostels that belong to our city. Our citizens will not let members of this group, of this organiza-tion enter their homes. They have no reason to complain; I am doing exactly what I said before the elections. After all, our prime minister had given orders to all mayors to do whatever is necessary. And I am following in the footsteps of my prime minister. If my prime minister hits with a sledgehammer, I will hit with an iron bar. And I will continue to hit.”Speech by Ali İnci, Mayor of Hendek, July 25, 2014

“Your leader, Feto [Fethullah Gülen], is so tactless as to call the prime minister ‘friend.’ Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, hashashins. It’s become clear that you are hashashins in service of the devil. We will stone you, one and all.” Tweet by Ünsal İnaltekin, head of the Turkish Aviation Board (THK)

2

"WE MUST CLEANSE THE CANCEROUS CELLS [says President Erdogan in

reference to Hizmet]"

SABAH: 03/02/2015

Sample of Media Front Page

The following are a tiny selection from the vast number of front-cover fictitious stories published recently in pro-goverment Turkish newspapers directly demonizing the Hizmet movement.

3

“THE BIGGESET TREASON OF OUR TIME"

"We will annihilate this virus"

SABAH: 28/02/2014

4

"It [i.e. Hizmet] grew like tumour in the Scientific and

Technological Research Council of Turkey

(TUBITAK)."

SABAH: 25/12/2014

5

“Great fear in the Supreme Electoral

Council PARALLEL VIRUS"

AKSAM: 05/03/2014

6

“OUR NATION HAS ORDERED

US TO CLEANSE IT

[I.E. HIZMET]”

AKSAM: 09/04/2014

7

STAR: 12/05/2014

“WE WILL SPLIT THEM [I.E. HIZMET]

INTO THEIR MOLECULES

The parallel structure that has infiltrated the

state is like foul water in pure milk said Prime

Minister Erdogan. ‘We will sterilise it by either

boiling them or by splitting them into their

molecules’ he said.”

8

“IF THIS IS A WITCH-HUNT, IT IS

A WITCH-HUNT Prime Minister

Erdogan described the Gulen movement as ‘foul water mixed in milk’ saying ‘if needs

be, we will sterilise it by splitting them into their molecules’.”

: 12/05/2014

9

"GULEN WAS GOING TO BE FÜHRER

'Gulen would have been the führer of Turkey if

17/25 December attempts

[corruption probes] had been successful. Tens of

thousands of people would have been

detained' said Yakup Kose."

STAR: 12/05/2014

10

SABAH: 27/11/2014

DAILY SABAH: 28/11/2014

English Sabah: 28/11/14:"GULEN WANTED TO SET UP AN ISLAMIC STATE [IN TURKEY]"

Turkish Sabah 27/11/14" "THE PARALLEL [I.E.

HIZMET] IS BEING CONTROLLED BY

MOSSAD AND CIA"

11

“THE PARALELS [I.E. HIZMET ] ARE THE PAWN OF ISRAEL"

TAKVIM: 13/12/2014

12

“THEY [I.E. HIZMET] ARE COLLOBORATING

WITH MOSSADThis organization [i.e.

Hizmet] attacked to the national unity of Turkey. I asked those who sincerely support them to see with

whom they are collaborating. Shame on

those who still do not recognise that they [i.e.

Hizmet] are collaborating with MOSSAD.”

STAR: 01/02/2015

13

"THE TREACHEROUS PARALLEL [I.E.

HIZMET] LOBBY IN THE EU

The Minister of Justice Bozdag: Some people of

Gulen are lobbying against Turkey in

parliaments like the terrorist organisations

DHKPC and PKK."

SABAH: 09/11/2014

14

AKSAM: 08/10/2014

15

"A Today’s Zaman columnist took a leading

role in the murders."

"THE CHRISTIAN PARALLEL'S [I.E. HIZMET] IN THE ZIRVE MURDER

The 2006 assassination of Father Santoro & the 2007 Zirve Publishing House massacre was

committed by the Parallel [i.e. Hizmet]

and the Missionaries."

AKSAM: 14/04/2014

"Otuken* was used in the Gezi park protests as well"

[*Otuken is the mythical capital of the Turks. This statement implies that the Hizmet is a terrorist organisation like Turkey’s gladio which adopted the name Ergenekon, which is similarly the mythical homeland of Turks]

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"THE PARALLEL'S [I.E. HIZMET'S] ARMED LEG IS

CALLED: OTUKEN"

STAR: 11/02/2015

"WORLD IMAMS"[Passport photos

of people, who allegedly work as country imams of

the Hizmet movement. There is a country name under each photo]

18

“HITLER-MINDED HANSMany criticise the Hitler-minded Gauck who forgets the oppression and attacks against Muslims, especially Turks, in

Germany yet attempts to give lessons to Turkey on human rights and

democracy."*

"Gauck, the president of Germany, made insolent statements in

Turkey despite numerous human rights violations in his country.”

"GERMANY’S IMAM" [meaning that Mr. Gauck

Hizmet's leader in Germany]

a HBR 29/04/2014

Yeni Akit 30/04/2014

* During his visit to Turkey, German President Joachim Gauck said in Ankara that he is "horrified" at negative developments inTurkey, criticizing the government for censoring the Internet, controlling the judiciary and granting broad powers to a spy agency.

17

“GERMANY’S SERVANTTurkey has been investigating Gulen’s, leader

of a terrorist organisation, money-trail in Germany. Those parallels who discovered it

informed the German authorities who in turn arrested three Turks for spying on behalf of

Turkish intelligence.” TAKVIM: 23/01/2015

19

"WE HAVE ENETERED THEIR

LAIRS

Prime Minister Erdogan: We said we will enter their

lairs. We have entered their lairs. We are exposing

their filth."

SABAH: 28/02/2014

20

“Hakki Koylu, President of the Justice Committee

of the Turkish Parliament, shared

information about the ongoing investigation into the parallel state,

saying that the state may confiscate the property

of those who support it.”

“Koylu, Vice-President of the Justice Committee of [the Turkish] Parliament,

warns:SUPPORTING THE

PARALLELS MEANS SUPPORTING TERRORISM”

MILAT: 10/03/2015

SABAH: 10/03/2015

21

STAR: 15/12/2014

“ENTERED THEIR LAIRS Police raids were carried out on the lairs and caves [Zaman newspaper HQ in

Istanbul] of the illegal organisation of which the

number one suspect is Fethullah Gulen. Dumanli [Zaman editor-in-chief]

and Karaca [head of Samanyolu Media Group]

were arrested for 'attempting to take over the

state by blackmail and slander' ”

22

GULEN] GIVES ORDERS

DAUGHTER]

Sumeyye Erdogan supported by

party] to win the forthcoming

STAR: 20/02/2015

23

WARRANT FOR

: 25/02/2015

24

assassination of Sumeyye

STAR: 20/02/2015 GUNES: 20/02/2015 AKSAM: 20/02/2015

Sample of Media Coordination

AKSAM: 21/02/2015 GUNES: 21/02/2015 TAKVIM: 21/02/2015

25

Pro-government media are working in coordination. Here is one example: on 20th and 21st February 2015, newspapers all ran with the exact same front-cover story: that Fethullah Gulen ordered the assassination of President's daughter through journalist Emre Uslu who was coordinating the fallout with a member of the main opposition party.

Cautionary Conclusion

What is worrying is that there is a deliberate and re-focused attempt at transferring Turkey’s polarizing politics into the heart of the Turkish speaking/Muslim communities overseas – helped no doubt by Turkish TV channels and the advance of social media.

One of the reasons for re-doubling efforts in this vein is the fact that Turkish citizens living overseas can now vote in Turkey elections; hence the desire to spread the “winning”, however demonizing, narrative beyond Turkey’s borders in countries such as Germany, Holland, France, Belgium, Austria, Denmark and the United Kingdom. To achieve this outcome, a number of local proxies are being employed.

Whatever the underlying reasons and the methodology, the process and outcome of transplanting Turkey’s vindictive politics overseas is deeply worrying. Sadly, we are now beyond anecdotal evidence and are witnessing signs and patterns of this concerted and coordinated effort. Whatever our worldview or political inclinations, we must never allow politics in one place to poison community relations elsewhere. Such an outcome cannot be useful to developments in Turkey; neither will it enhance our quality of community life in our homes here.

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