The book was banned and the author jailed before it was published, but on Wednesday a group of fellow journalists and writers in Turkey launched Ahmet Sik’s “The Army of Imam” at an annual book fair, outraged by what they see as suppression of free speech.
Mr. Sik has been in jail since March and it wasn’t until September that the charges against him — aiding an alleged terrorist organization known as Ergenekon, that aimed to overthrow the government — were made public. His trial is expected to begin later this month. The book is being used in evidence against him.
Mr. Sik’s case and that of fellow journalist Nedim Sener, who was arrested at the same time, have become lightning rods for critics of the government’s record on freedom of expression. The European Union and the U.S. also have criticized the arrests.
The book was co-signed by 124 journalists and others, who revised and edited it for release at Istanbul’s TUYAP book fair Wednesday.
The book argues that the Turkish police force has become increasingly controlled by a religious Muslim movement led from the U.S. by Turkish Imam-businessman, Fethullah Gulen. Many Turks see the Gulen movement, which is known mainly for building and running schools in Turkey and around the world, including in the U.S., as a moderate and modernizing Islamic force.
But opponents say the movement has a hidden Islamist agenda. They say that since the Islamic-leaning Justice and Development Party, or AKP, came to power in 2002, the Gulen movement has become increasingly powerful, replacing the militarist so-called deep state that the Ergenekon case is designed to uncover, with a new Islamist one that also abuses the courts.
Mr. Sik’s book, a draft of which was widely downloaded from the internet after his arrest, is no smoking gun against the Gulen movement. But Mr. Sik’s supporters note his own long record of investigative journalism against the old deep state and believe he is being prosecuted and punished for doing his job as a journalist.
His book was renamed by his co-signatories “000KITAP – Dokunan Yanar” (000BOOK – Who Touches, Will Burn), referring to what he said on the day of his arrest. “Those who touch [Gulen’s movement] will burn,” Mr. Sik said to TV cameras and onlookers, as he was shoved in a police car in front of his house in early March, over eight months ago.
“We shall retain our patience, strengthen our perseverance, keep our determination and continue our protest until our friends, Ahmet Sik and Nedim Sener are given back their freedom,” journalist Ismail Saymaz, who has also had his share of trials for his journalistic work, read in a press statement at the book fair. “In other words, “Even if we burn, we’ll touch!”
Mr. Sener also is charged with helping Ergenekon. He had been inspecting the shortcomings in the ongoing murder trial of a Turkish-Armenian newspaper editor, Hrant Dink, who was shot dead by an ultranationalist in front of his office in Istanbul in 2007.
Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that around two dozen journalists are in Turkish jails and none in connection with their journalistic work. Many of the jailed journalists are Kurds, accused of spreading propaganda for the Kurdish Workers’ Party, or PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization in Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union. Human rights groups in Turkey and abroad disagree with Mr. Erdogan. They say the number of jailed journalists is above 50 and that they were punished for their work.
Gulen Schools Worldwide
Restore the Ottoman Caliphate. Disclaimer: if some videos are down this is the result of Gulen censorship which filed a fake copyright infringement to UTUBE.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Gulen Movement on spotlight at hearing for jailed journalists.
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| Jailed Turkish Journalists Ahmet Sik and Nedim Sener who dared to write about Gulen Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2011/Dec-15/156924-turkey-hearing-casts-spotlight-on-gulen.ashx#ixzz1hffeJioE (The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb) |
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Gulen Schools in Africa have empowered Turkish businessmen, while gaining Turkish supporters
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| African children show support of Islamic flag of Turkey. As part of Turkey's opening to Africa, on Friday (December 16th) the ministers of 54 countries of the African Union and representatives of African institutions concluded the first Ministerial Review Conference of the Africa-Turkey Partnership to improve ties between the continent and Turkey, following a similar summit in 2008. Turkey began to take a serious interest in Africa during the mid-2000s, placing Africa within its multi-dimensional and dynamic foreign policy doctrine to diversify economic and political ties. Having gained observer status in the African Union in 2005, Turkey has been acting as a voice for Africa and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) at international platforms such as the G20 and Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC). In 2002, Turkey had 12 embassies in Africa. By early next year, it will have 33. Before the African opening, trade volume between Turkey and Africa was approximately $5.4 billion in 2003, while this number increased to $15.7 billion in 2010. By 2014, the government aims to increase bilateral trade to $50 billion. "Turkey is now focusing mostly on trade, with only a small reference to politics, because the economy is much more important and urgent for African countries than political issues," explained Mehmet Ozkan, an Africa analyst at the SETA Foundation. As elsewhere in the world, the Turkish contracting sector is showing its canny ability to operate in difficult environments in pursuit of business opportunities and new markets. "The foreign direct investments of Turkey in the African continent are mainly greenfield investments by constructing new operational facilities from the ground up," explained Associate Professor Sedat Aybar, director of Middle East and Africa Studies Centre at Kadir Has University. "The leading sector is construction, followed by manufacturing and agricultural vehicles." "Complementarities between Turkey's export items and Africa's import items further increase the trade potential between the parties," he noted. The Turkish economy's growth requires new markets and resources, making Africa's huge untapped resources and large market size a new centre of Turkish attention. Abdi Aynte, a Somali journalist, says that part of Turkey's interest in Africa is a desire to acquire resources. "As a fast-growing economy, it would need raw materials to support that growth. It also needs new markets for its export-based economy." "Africa is fertile ground for Turkey. Much of the world has shown its back to Africa, but Turkey seems to have appreciated the possibility," he added. Questions remain whether Turkey's involvement will be strictly business or, over time, evolve to encompass issues like conflict prevention, human rights, democracy and the environment -- issues competitors like China often turn a blind eye to. According to Professor Emeritus John Weeks of Kadir Has University, "Since Turkey is less powerful than Africa's major trading partners, its role is likely to be less aggressive." Overtime, however, as Turkey increases its economic relations on the continent it may become more politically involved, which can be seen most clearly in Turkish foreign policy towards Somalia. "The fact that Turkey is not making too many political alliances now should not be interpreted as lack of political aspirations," Ozkan says, adding that both sides are just beginning to discover each other. "I think political relations will be much more important in coming years … there are also requests that Turkey become involved in conflict resolution issues in Africa, such as in Somalia and Sudan," he argues. Building on budding economic and political relationships, Turkey has also tried to increase its footprint on the continent through aid projects and civil society initiatives. The Turkish International Co-operation and Development Agency (TIKA) has permanent offices in Ethiopia, Dakar and Khartoum. The government has also been handing out scholarships for Africans to study in Turkey. And then there are the Islamist Gulenists, who are brandishing Turkey's moderate version of Islam with the establishment of over 60 high-quality modern schools in 30 African countries. "In parallel with the political emergence of Turkey in the continent, the initiatives of civil society, mainly Fethullah Gulen schools, increased the visibility of Turkey by teaching Turkish to African students and drawing a positive image about Turkey," Ishak Alaton, a prominent Turkish businessman and South Africa's honourary consul in Istanbul, explained to SES Türkiye. "This affective background formed by Gulen schools empowered the networks of Turkish businessmen when visiting African countries," Alaton added. |
Gulen Charter Schools in the USA: Fulton Science Academy, A Gulen Charter School and...
Gulen Charter Schools in the USA: Fulton Science Academy, A Gulen Charter School and...: Note that Principal Kenan Sener who draws a salary of $93,863 under the Fulton Science Educational Foundation was on the Gulen Grace ins...
Friday, December 9, 2011
European Journalists slam Turkey over press freedom
The Association of European Journalists (AEJ) urged Turkish authorities to stop abusing the country's repressive laws to prosecute journalists, and called on Ankara to immediately release journalists being held in pre-trial detention, during their annual Congress in Bucharest, Romania.
The AEJ expressed undivided support for the activities of the Turkish Freedom for Journalists Platform (FJP). FJP, a coalition of journalists' associations of Turkey, has led national and international campaigns in support of press freedom and advocated release of imprisoned journalists.
The AEJ statement particularly focussed on what they qualified as fabricated and unfounded charges against the journalists Nedim Sener, Ahmet Şık and others. Sener, who worked as an investigative reporter of Milliyet newspaper, has spent more than eight months in pre-trial detention before facing the court on terrorism charges following the publication of his book about the 2007 murder of journalist and editor Hrant Dink. Şık was also detained in relation to his book about alleged links between Turkey’s powerful Fethullah Gulen movement and the police. The entire circulation of the book was confiscated before publication
The association urged the governments of other countries to press Turkey to repeal its restrictive laws, including Article 5651 of the Turkish Penal Code, which has been used to prevent access to hundreds of websites, as well as vague provisions subject to high level of discretionary power that have been used to charge journalists with supporting a terrorist organisation or insulting state institutions.
The European Commission, in its annual report on Turkey's progress as a candidate country, expressed concern at the very high number of criminal prosecutions against journalists and the extensive use of pre-trial detentions
UPDATE
WORLD'S JOURNALISTS ARE RE POSTING THE ANONYMISS MESSAGE TO GULEN AND TURKEY ON BEHALF OF JAILED BROTHERS
MORE UPDATES......THE ANONYMISS VIDEO HAS GONE VIRAL
http://aleyhtar.org/2011/12/anonymous-open-letter-to-the-worlds-journalists-mirror-tweet/?lang=tr
http://www.zoofs.com/v/-66c_H9BVRc
http://www.xexer.tv/wonderful-anonymous-open-letter-to-the-worlds-journalists-mirror-2011.html
this was translated from english and then back to Turkish read it and you can tell things are lost in translation.
https://plus.google.com/106778525802134841076
posts scroll down for video
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/82094174
Ebaums world!! thats huge !!!!!!
http://crowdvoice.org/freedom-of-speech-in-turkey
http://aleyhtar.org/2011/12/anonymous-open-letter-to-the-worlds-journalists-mirror-tweet/?lang=tr
http://www.zoofs.com/v/-66c_H9BVRc
http://www.xexer.tv/wonderful-anonymous-open-letter-to-the-worlds-journalists-mirror-2011.html
this was translated from english and then back to Turkish read it and you can tell things are lost in translation.
https://plus.google.com/106778525802134841076
posts scroll down for video
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/82094174
Ebaums world!! thats huge !!!!!!
http://crowdvoice.org/freedom-of-speech-in-turkey
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
Friday, November 25, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Gulen threatens and scares Kurds, wants to destroy Kurdistan regions
EXETER, the United Kingdom -- There is ongoing tension in Turkey between the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the movement of the powerful Turkish Sufi preacher, Fethullah Gülen.
Debates heated up after Gülen told his followers in late October that God should burn the houses of “those among us who deserve nothing but punishment,” and criticized the army and state for not finishing off the PKK, a Kurdish guerrilla group that has fought Turkey for 30 years. Turkey, the United States and the European Union classify the PKK as a terrorist organization.
Gülen, who lives in self-imposed exile in America, is both loved and feared in Turkey. His movement controls a huge number of schools, media organizations and banks in 130 countries, including charter schools in the United States and Işık University in Erbil.
After his speech was broadcast, Kurdish Roj TV suggested in a broadcast that Gülen speech incited a “massacre strategy” against the Kurds. Members of the PKK, the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), and Kurds on Facebook also reacted angrily to the speech.
According to Kurtuluş Tayiz, writing for Today’s Zaman, the flagship of the Gülen movement, the PKK leaders declared the Gülen community the “biggest enemy of the Kurdish people.”
Although Today’s Zaman published Gülen’s criticism of the Turkish state for not solving long-standing issues over the rights of Kurds in Turkey, they did not include Gülen’s prayer in which he called on God to punish those “who deserve nothing but punishment.”
“PKK, the BDP and Kurds and translate and manipulate Gülen's words by saying Gülen suggested to kill Kurds.”
“Knock their homes upside down, destroy their unity, reduce their homes to ashes, may their homes be filled with weeping and supplications, burn and cut off their roots and bring their affairs to an end,” was part of Gulen’s prayer.
Well-known Turkish journalist and author Mustafa Akyol, author of the book Islam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty, told Rudaw that “Kurdish media can be paranoid. His (Gulen) comment is a bit crude, but he is denouncing what would be called ‘separatist terrorists.’ But he said recently that he supports cultural rights for Kurds.”
Emre Uslu, a Turkish security expert who writes for Zaman newspaper, rejected the claim by Kurdish nationalists that Gülen is against Kurds, saying the “PKK, the BDP and Kurds and translate and manipulate Gülen's words by saying Gülen suggested to kill Kurds.”
Despite the PKK’s brandishing of the Gülen movement as anti-Kurdish, the movement runs several schools and charities in the Kurdish regions of Turkey. It enjoys the support of some Kurdish business elites. The movement was also involved in relief efforts after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit the city of Van last month.
According to Uslu, Gülen reacts to the PKK because the group threatens him and his movement in Turkey’s southeast.
“[They] even killed two imams who are believed to be followers of Gülen movement [in the Kurdish southeast], and bombed Gülen's schools,” Uslu claimed.
Analysts suggested there is an ongoing competition in the Kurdish southeast of Turkey between the PKK and Gülen’s networks.
Gareth Jenkins, an Istanbul-based expert on Turkey, suggested that the Gülen movement is supporting the case against the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK).
Human rights groups say over 5,000 Kurdish activists, mayors, students and academics were arrested as part of investigations into the KCK’s links with the PKK. The mass arrests upset Kurdish MPs in Turkey, leaders of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq as well as western and human rights officials.
“Both Ergenekon and the KCK investigation are being used to try to eliminate the Gülen Movement's rivals,” Jenkins told Rudaw.
“The subtext to the KCK investigation is the battle for hearts and minds in southeast Turkey. The Gülenist NGOs are now very active in the region and thus compete with NGOs sympathetic to the Kurdish nationalist movement” as well as the Islamist Hizbullah, he added.
Jenkins predicted that tensions will grow between the two rival groups.
“The Gülenists may have bitten off more than they can chew with the KCK,” he said. ‘The investigation is used by the PKK to whip up anti-Gülenist sentiment. There has been a lot recently in the PKK propaganda outlets about the Gülen Movement, particularly since a recent reshuffle in the judiciary/police saw several suspected Gülen sympathizers transferred to the southeast.”
Turkish journalist and Washington reporter for Turkish Daily Vatan and Hürriyet, İlhan Tanır, maintained that Gülen wants “to eradicate the PKK,” and for the first time criticized the government for failing to deal with the PKK.
“He even accused the AKP (Justice and Development Party) administration for its failure to end the PKK problem in the last ten years,” Tanır told Rudaw.
Tanir said in the past, Gulen’s main rival was nationalist Kemalists and it was because of them that Gulen was unable to stand by the Kurds.
“So I do believe that Gülen is smart enough to see that it’s about time for (Turkey to have) Kurdish education, and you simply can't stop people from being educated in their native language,” he said.
“When one reads his prayers against this background, the prayers and the harsh demands entailed in them become even scarier."
Nevertheless, many Kurds in Diaspora remain hostile towards the current Turkish government, and the Gülen movement.
Kamal Soleimani, a Kurdish PhD candidate at Columbia University, told Rudaw that the Gülen community is against “any form of Kurdish politics whatsoever,” and sees the Kurdish issue as an “artificial phenomenon rooted in foreign plot to undermine the integrity of ‘that beautiful country’, Turkey and Kurdish simplemindedness, illiteracy and economic backwardness.”
Soleimani is concerned, as other Kurds are, about the impact of Gülen’s hard-line stance amid ongoing military operations against the PKK and mass arrests of Kurdish activists.
“When one reads his prayers against this background, the prayers and the harsh demands entailed in them become even scarier. We should pray to God to ignore Fethullah Hoca’s prayers. I do not think civilian Kurds will remain unharmed if God listens to this type of prayers,” Soleimani said.
Kani Xulam, director of the American Kurdish Information Network, told Rudaw that although Gülen does not want to give the Kurds their own state, nor autonomy, he is willing to give them some cultural rights.
“He says (Turkey) should not have banned the language of the Kurds for it has caused enmity between the Kurds and the Turks. He is for the removal of enmity for sure, but not, again, on the basis of equality,” Xulam said.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Gulen Movement and the jailed Turkish Journalists by Wall Street Journal
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| Ahmed Sik, jailed Turkish journalist and author of "Imam Ordusu" (Imam's Army) |
Good short article by Turkish American Ayla Albayrak
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Gulen Charter Schools in the USA: Gulen Charter Schools, Who are we?
Gulen Charter Schools in the USA: Gulen Charter Schools, Who are we?: The flag and lady liberty of the United States of America http://www.charterschoolwatchdog.com/ Let's be clear here --- Our mission...
Gulen Charter Schools in the USA: Gulen Charter Schools, Who are we?
Gulen Charter Schools in the USA: Gulen Charter Schools, Who are we?: The flag and lady liberty of the United States of America http://www.charterschoolwatchdog.com/ Let's be clear here --- Our mission...
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Dr. Aland Mizell: The Secrecy of the Gulen Movement Part 1
Dr. Aland Mizell author of "Tactics of Islam, Conquering America from Within-
The Gulen Movement"
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Gulen School in Nigeria slaughters 1,000 head of cattle for Sallah celebration
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halal slaughter for islamic rituals |
Nigerian Turkish schools slaughter 1000 cows for sallah
From ZION ZADOK, Abuja
Monday, November 07, 2011
From ZION ZADOK, Abuja
Monday, November 07, 2011
More Stories on This Section |
As service to Allah and to commemorate the Sallah celebration, the Nigerian Turkish International Schools under the UFUK Dialogue Foundation of the schools slaughtered 1000 cows for charity.
President of the Foundation, Tamar Copuroglu said in Abuja that the gesture was a yearly ritual performed by the NTIS with contributions from Turkish businessmen as well as Turkish college parents to give out meat to the handicaps, orphans and the indigent people within Nigeria. Copuroglu who said that the 1000 cows were slaughtered in the 17 Turkish Colleges in Kano, Kaduna, Lagos, Ogun, Yobe States and the FCT for distribution in villages and satellite towns within the states also advised able Muslims and those who were affluent to take up the challenge and reach out to the underprivileged as an act of worship to Allah or as a duty to the society.
Disclosing that last year 800 cows were slaughtered, Copuroglu said NTIS in a bid to strengthen the activities of charity and peaceful coexistence within Nigeria and other countries, established the UFUK Dialogue Foundation, with a view to fostering interfaith and intercultural dialogue as well as stimulating thinking and exchange of ideas on supporting and fostering democracy, thereby providing a common platform for education and information exchange between individuals worldwide.
Also at the event, the Turkish Ambassador Ali Rifat Koksal advised Nigeria to give precedence to human capital development in the country through education as a means to achieving the vision 20:2020, even as he said he was optimistic that the Nation was moving towards the path of development.
“This Nation must invest on human beings better because increasing the living standards of the nation depends on education. That is why we have the Nigerian Turkish schools here, to increase the living standards of the people; an educated Nigeria in future will be very strong. That’s why we have 16 schools in six different states. JAMB success rate is more than 96percent made by students who are the future of Nigeria,” he said.
President of the Foundation, Tamar Copuroglu said in Abuja that the gesture was a yearly ritual performed by the NTIS with contributions from Turkish businessmen as well as Turkish college parents to give out meat to the handicaps, orphans and the indigent people within Nigeria. Copuroglu who said that the 1000 cows were slaughtered in the 17 Turkish Colleges in Kano, Kaduna, Lagos, Ogun, Yobe States and the FCT for distribution in villages and satellite towns within the states also advised able Muslims and those who were affluent to take up the challenge and reach out to the underprivileged as an act of worship to Allah or as a duty to the society.
Disclosing that last year 800 cows were slaughtered, Copuroglu said NTIS in a bid to strengthen the activities of charity and peaceful coexistence within Nigeria and other countries, established the UFUK Dialogue Foundation, with a view to fostering interfaith and intercultural dialogue as well as stimulating thinking and exchange of ideas on supporting and fostering democracy, thereby providing a common platform for education and information exchange between individuals worldwide.
Also at the event, the Turkish Ambassador Ali Rifat Koksal advised Nigeria to give precedence to human capital development in the country through education as a means to achieving the vision 20:2020, even as he said he was optimistic that the Nation was moving towards the path of development.
“This Nation must invest on human beings better because increasing the living standards of the nation depends on education. That is why we have the Nigerian Turkish schools here, to increase the living standards of the people; an educated Nigeria in future will be very strong. That’s why we have 16 schools in six different states. JAMB success rate is more than 96percent made by students who are the future of Nigeria,” he said.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
FBI investigation prompts Gulen Cult to run to Canada?
Many Canadians have contacted us and are very concerned about these schools. We are finding that most of the Gulen followers that operate schools in Canada are doing so as private schools and not dipping into Canadian money.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Senator Susan Collins takes a trip on the wild side to Turkey
By Jamie Webben
news@seacoastonline.com
November 01, 2011 10:04 AM
WASHINGTON — Sen. Susan Collins R-Maine, who returned from Istanbul, Turkey, last week, spoke on Monday at a conference about the state of America’s relationship with Turkey and how it can be improved.
The event, the American-Turkish Council’s 30th Annual Conference, was held to facilitate growing ties between the two countries. The conference’s theme was more pertinent after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit Turkey last week, killing more than 600 people.
Collins happened to be in Turkey when earthquake hit and said she was struck by the amount of the damage and felt for the victims.
She also focused on foreign relations, and said the relationship between the United States and Turkey has benefitted and can continue to so by increasing trade relationships and counter-terrorism efforts with one another.
Collins, ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee suggested more be done to increase bilateral trade with Turkey, which has the 16th largest economy in the world.
Collins said her home state has been particularly helpful with facilitating trade by shipping thousands of cattle for dairy farming to Turkey. “With a little ingenuity, there are a lot of trade opportunities,” she said.
Collins also said there are many opportunities for America to help Turkey continue to fight terrorism.
According to Collins, the United States spends an average of $1 million a day to help Turkey fight terrorism. She said, aside from spending money, the United States should also encourage democratic freedom in the region.
Panelists who appeared with her — Ambassador Selim Yenel, deputy undersecretary at the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Nuri Colakoglu, president of Dogan Media International; and Philip Gordon, Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs — discussed efforts such as those outlined by
Collins as possible reasons for improved favorability of the United States abroad.
Collins as possible reasons for improved favorability of the United States abroad.
According to Pew Research Center Poll from 2010, 17 percent in Turkey say they approve of the United States, up from a decade low of 9 percent in 2007.
While Collins said Turkey-U.S. relations have improved in recent years, she said she still has “concerns” with the deterioration of the relationship between Israel and Turkey and the how journalists are treated in Turkey.
“Addressing these issues would further enhance Turkey’s chances of being an exemplar of democracy in the Middle East,” she said.
Despite her reservations, Collins said Turkey has “more influence than ever before in our modern era to be a good role model. This is Turkey’s time,” she said.
Gulen School Toronto, Canada Nile Academy
The mention of I-Sweep, Genius, etc, is universal with the Gulen managed schools. They own or sponsor these contests and they publicize the heck out of their students participating in this contests. So what.
http://nilacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/NILEawards1.pdf
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Gulen's Army in Bangladesh, "reaching the arteries of the system"
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| Turkish Cultural Center of Bangladesh promotes Islamic Imam Fethullah Muhammed Gulen's book Such fine soldiers, how much money has the Gulen Movement spread around Bangladesh? |
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Turks lack knowledge, over 2,000 Turkish students drop out of school daily
So why is the Gulen Movement putting in schools worldwide? How did they convince the world that Turkey has some stellar educational system?
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Thursday, September 22, 2011
The average Turkish family believes it has insufficient knowledge on a number of pertinent issues, yet 65 percent think it is “unnecessary” to attend educational programs that could help them rectify their problems, recent research has revealed.
The “Turkish Families’ Educational Needs” survey, which was conducted among 7,000 Turkish families by the Family and Social Policies Ministry, revealed that the average Turkish family believes it does not have enough education on legal issues, sexual health problems, violence and adolescent education.
Many also said they had little knowledge on subjects such as children’s television and Internet addiction, children’s educational needs, family communication problems, first aid, inheritance law, pre-nuptial agreements, domestic violence, sexual abuse, the rights of the disabled and drug addiction.
Couples who have been married for more than 16 years are not keen on attending an educational course, the research showed.
The minority who reported that they were willing to attend education classes on important problems said they would prefer such courses to be operated by the Education Ministry rather than nongovernmental organizations.
Adolescents and the elderly see themselves as the least knowledgeable, the report revealed. Middle-aged people, especially public servants and those working on a freelance basis, said they had more information on the topics in question.
More than a third of 15-year-olds are not attending school, while 42 percent in the same age category are unable to solve basic math problems, the report says
2000 Turkish students drop out of school daily’
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Some 2,000 were reported to drop out of school daily in Turkey, according to a recent report. 40 percent of
girls and 25 percent of boys between 15 and 19 are also reported to be neither working nor studying.
girls and 25 percent of boys between 15 and 19 are also reported to be neither working nor studying.
Some 2,000 students drop out of Turkey’s secondary schools every day during the educational year, and those who remain enrolled are often failing to learn key skills, a new report has said.
The report, sent to Parliament by the Education Reform Initiative, or ERG, also noted problems with poor training for teachers and a lack of sufficient public spending on education.
Some 360,000 students dropped out of Turkey’s secondary schools in the 2008-2009 school year, while another 295,000 dropped out in the following term, according to ERG, which operates under Istanbul’s Sabancı University. This means an average of 2,000 students drop out each day during the school year.
The report also noted that 40 percent of girls and 25 percent of boys between the ages of 15 and 19 are neither working nor studying.
Dropout rates
More than a third of 15-year-olds in Turkey are not attending school, while 42 percent of juveniles in the same age category are unable to solve basic math problems, according to ERG’s report, which cited figures from the Programme for International Student Assessment, or
PISA, a project of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD.
Turkey’s results on PISA’s 2009 exam are among the worst in OECD countries, with some 25 percent of 15-year-olds also unable to comprehend written texts, and another 30 percent unable to solve science and technology problems they could face in real-life circumstances.
Turkey’s Anatolian high schools have the lowest dropout rates in the country, with around 0.3 percent of students dropping out, while vocational high schools have the highest dropout rates: 11.8 percent for girls and 22.6 percent for boys.
According to the ERG report, Turkey is also among the three OECD countries where students’ success in school is most heavily
affected by their socioeconomic background, including their families’ level of education, income and occupational status.
The rate of access to higher education for the top 20 percent in terms of socioeconomic status stands around 28 percent in Turkey, while the bottom 20 percent have a 0.4 percent rate of access to such institutions, the report said, calling for lawmakers to provide special support for the disadvantaged.
Despite the upswing in recent years, total public spending on
education is still low, according to the report. Some 3.8 percent of public funds in Turkey will be allocated to education in 2013, compared to an OECD average of 6 percent.
Teachers in Turkey are not trained and supported the way they should be, the report also said.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?msg=commentsaved&n=8216turks-lack--knowledge-learn-from--television8217-2011-08-02
Turks lack knowledge, learn from television’
ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
The average Turkish family believes it has insufficient knowledge on a number of pertinent issues, yet 65 percent think it is “unnecessary” to attend educational programs that could help them rectify their problems, recent research has revealed.The “Turkish Families’ Educational Needs” survey, which was conducted among 7,000 Turkish families by the Family and Social Policies Ministry, revealed that the average Turkish family believes it does not have enough education on legal issues, sexual health problems, violence and adolescent education.
Many also said they had little knowledge on subjects such as children’s television and Internet addiction, children’s educational needs, family communication problems, first aid, inheritance law, pre-nuptial agreements, domestic violence, sexual abuse, the rights of the disabled and drug addiction.
Information from TV instead of school
When asked whether or not they would be eager to attend an educational program that could help them with commonly encountered problems, between 57 and 65 percent of the families surveyed said it was “not necessary” and added that information from TV and newspapers was sufficient to solve their problems.Couples who have been married for more than 16 years are not keen on attending an educational course, the research showed.
The minority who reported that they were willing to attend education classes on important problems said they would prefer such courses to be operated by the Education Ministry rather than nongovernmental organizations.
Adolescents and the elderly see themselves as the least knowledgeable, the report revealed. Middle-aged people, especially public servants and those working on a freelance basis, said they had more information on the topics in question.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Kyrgyzstan Ambassador expressed concern about growing prominence of Fethullah Gulen-funded high schools
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¶5. (C) Alpman explained the two-pronged approach to Turkish-Kyrgyz relations by supporting education and investment projects. She said that in addition to funding Manas University, the Turkish government supported other education establishments, such as the theological department at Osh State University, a vocational school for girls, and a high school for gifted students. Alpman expressed her concern about the growing prominence of Fetullah Gulen-funded high schools in Kyrgyzstan (she noted that Gulen is a devout Turk who has run afoul of the Turkish government in the past for his intense religious views). Alpman said that these private schools are growing in popularity because most of the instruction is in English but that the ultra-conservative message may have a negative impact on Kyrgyz youth. Alpman added that her government promoted investment opportunities in Kyrgyzstan for Turkish businesses. She said that several Turkish companies successfully operate in the free trade zones near Bishkek, producing items such as building materials and plastic bottles. In the south, Turkish firms have increased exports of Kyrgyz food products in the last few years. Complete Wikileaks cable here: |
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Trouble at Gulen Turkish School in Dakar, Senegal AFRICA
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| No one should be surprised at this article the Turkish School Director is being accused of discrimination toward the Sengalese staff and acting like a "dictator" (surprise surprise) Rewmi, Dakar, Senegal, May 10, 2011 Anger: serious charges against the Yavuz Selim School Group of Dakar by Fara Michel Dièye (a.k.a. University of Dakar), strongly objected to their working conditions. Speaking out against a "form of slavery,” these teachers intend to implement several plans of action against their director. The problems they face are related to their poor working conditions, labor law violations, wages that according to them are meager, and also delays in payment of wages and the exploitation of personnel. According to the press release they sent us, “a class brings in an average of 12,420,000 francs per month while the teacher sees only 130,000 CFA francs." [Translator’s note: the currency of Senegal is the CFA franc. The exchange rate as of Sep 2011 was around 465 CFA francs = 1 US dollar.] Speaking out against a form of racism and nepotism, they point out that over a year ago at the elementary school located at Mermoz there was a story of a pedophile and deviant behavior reported in the news. Launching a bitter attack on the director who they say "reigns like a true dictator," the teachers reveal that he refuses to even shake hands with teachers that he considers atheist because they wear amulets. Funny and sad at the same time, the complainants attest that "because his daughter received a score of 6/10 in drawing, he flew into a rage, even going so far as to threaten any teacher who dared to give his daughter a failing grade." Carrying the allegations further, they emphasize that any claim is synonymous with dismissal. "In the manner of a true dictator, he managed to divide the Turkish and Senegalese staff of the General Director. It's the same poisonous atmosphere that exists at the elementary school in Thies and the kindergarten located in Sud Foire," the accusers assert. [Translator's note; Thies is a city about 25 miles east of Dakar; Sud Foire is about 10 miles west of Dakar, near the international airport.] These teachers, organized in a union, are planning to boycott the proctoring and grading of entrance tests planned for May 14, and say they want to put in place other plans of action which could go so far as to declare the Director of the Elementary School "persona non grata.” To get their side of the story, we tried several times to contact a responsible member of the accused group, but there was always no answer to the phone calls. Fara Michel Dièye Note: Rewmi is a news portal in Senegal that is mentioned in this list of Senegalese news sources maintained at Stanford University. The original article in French published on the Rewmi website can be read here. The Teachers Union of the Yavuz Selim School Group (Groupe Scolaire Yavuz Selim), a Turkish school located in Dakar in front of the Cheikh Anta Diop University Article from Gulen’s personal mouthpiece paper Today’s Zaman 2008, Babacan visits Turkish school in Dakar Yavus Selim is openly considered a Turkish Islamic school named after a mosque built during the Ottoman era The Yavuz Selim Mosque, also known as the Selim I Mosque (Turkish: Yavuz Selim Camii) is an Ottoman imperial mosque located top of the 5th Hill of Istanbul, Turkey, overlooking the Golden Horn. Its size and geographic position make it a familiar landmark on the Istanbul skyline. |
Turkish Court indicts journalists for "assisting terrorists Organization" Their real crime is opposing Gulenists
Turkish court indicts journalists for "assisting terrorist organization." Their real crime is opposing Gulenists
Focus Magazine (Germany)
"It is our right to say no." - by Andrea Hoffman, Editor
"It is our right to say no." - by Andrea Hoffman, Editor
Interview with jailed Turkish journalist Ahmet Sik, June 12, 2011.
Click here and here for original article (in German) at Focus Magazine website (with photograph of Mr. Sik).
The star Turkish journalist Ahmet Sik authored a book about the mysterious Fethullah Gulen Movement - and was promptly arrested. In prison, he revealed to FOCUS Online the contents of the book, which is banned in Turkey.
FOCUS Online: Mr. Sik, what is the core thesis of your book, which was banned in Turkey?
SIK: My contention is as follows: starting from the 1970s, the Turkish police has been infiltrated by the Islamic Gulen Movement. By now, this infiltration has reached a very serious stage: all key police departments are now controlled by the Gulen religious community.
FOCUS Online: What does the Gulen Movement stand for, and what does it want to achieve?
SIK: For some it is a faith-based community, for others a religious movement that is going to establish an Islamic state in Turkey, for yet others a movement of volunteers. Originally it was only an offshoot of the Nurcu Community. Since the 1980s, they have been very active in the area of education in order to create the leadership circle of Turkey for the new millenium (2000s). They called the young people that emerged from this educational campaign the "Golden Generation". Their calculations paid off: today, in the Turkey of 2011, they have important positions.
FOCUS Online: What percentage of the police has been penetrated by Gulenists?
SIK: All major departments are under their control: the intelligence service, the department for combating smuggling and organized crime - the infiltration there reaches one hundred percent. Within the units to combat terrorism, the proportion is somewhat lower. The first bastion captured by the Movement was the personnel department, which recruits police officers. The Movement is also very powerful in the police academies.
FOCUS Online: Can you describe the ideology of the Gulen movement?
SIK: The ideological breeding ground of the movement was the so-called "Turkish-Islamic Synthesis," that was to spread across all of Turkey as a result of the coup of September 12, 1980: it comprises a link between Islam with a nationalism that is crass in every respect. Nothing and nobody can convince me that a religious structure that feeds off military coups could be democratically minded. Of course, everyone should practice their faith as they themselves think best. But if someone starts to anchor this faith in the bureaucracy, it is our right to say no.
FOCUS Online: Does the Gulen Movement have ambitions for an Islamic state?
SIK: I do not think that the Gulen Community or any other religious movement in Turkey will impose an Islamic state. The Gulen Community may perhaps have fostered such desires in the past. I think however that the Community in the current millennium (2000s) does not intend this, because it has by now created its own quasi-bourgeois class, which distances itself from that idea. The Gulen Movement aspires to a Turkey in which parties that are ideologically close to them - such as the AKP – have the say. Furthermore, they of course want a Turkey in which economic, political and religious opponents of their Community are weaker than they are. And they want a Turkey that, though not governed by Sharia, is, however, more conservative than the present.
FOCUS Online: How strong is the Gulen movement in the AKP?
SIK: It can be assumed that there is a convergence of interests between the AKP and the Gülen Movement. In other words, supporters of the Gulen Movement mainly vote for the AKP. In order to not lose favor with these constituents, the party grants the Movement the freedom to establish itself in the bureaucracy.
The Danger of the Gulen Movement
FOCUS Online: Is Prime Minister Erdogan personally connected to the Gulen Movement?
SIK: Mr. Erdogan is not a member of the Gulen movement; that is known. It is said that President Gul is closer to the community. However, this is speculation. As long as a person has not stated this themselves, we can say nothing definitive. But I can confirm the following: In the AKP every religious current has a share that is proportional to their strength.
FOCUS Online: Is Turkey covertly ruled by the Gulen movement?
SIK: It would be reaching too far to say so. One has to speak instead of a coalition between the AKP and the Movement: both maintain a pragmatic relationship based on mutual interests.
FOCUS Online: Wherein lies the danger that arises from the Gulen Movement?
SIK: A great danger exists in the confrontation of the two major armed forces of Turkey: The army and the police. The army has traditionally defended itself against attempts at Islamist infiltration. Notwithstanding that, the Gulen movement is attempting to gain a foothold there - which so far it has not succeeded in doing to the extent desired. In the police, which are the second strongest power in Turkey, the Gulen Community is arming itself against the army: through a legislative amendment of Jan 1, 2011 the police were granted the right to carry heavy weapons. The question, "What are such intensive preparations for?" remains unanswered. And as I was covering precisely this organizational effort in my book, I was automatically a target.
FOCUS Online: In Turkey, your book is banned. Even having a copy of it on one’s hard drive makes one liable to prosecution. Why has there been this overreaction?
SIK: I was not surprised by this witch hunt. The Gulen Community already forms one of the main pillars of the Turkish government and does not wish to be criticized.
FOCUS Online: How are you treated in prison?
SIK: The staff of the prison do not treat me badly. On the contrary, they are attentive and polite towards me. All the same, it is bad enough to be cut off from one’s freedom and loved ones, especially since this happened without any legal basis. I am staying in a triple room. Once a week, I can receive a closed visit of 45 minutes, and once a month an open visit of 75 minutes. Once a week I can make a telephone call for ten minutes. Twice a week I have the provision of warm water. As far as books and newspapers, I experience no significant limitation: in 40 days I read 11 books.
FOCUS Online: When do you expect to be released?
SIK: I do not expect to be released before the election. The government hopes that by then I fall into oblivion, because the general commotion surrounding my person that would ensue on releasing me would probably cost them votes.
Click here and here for original article (in German) at Focus Magazine website (with photograph of Mr. Sik).
The star Turkish journalist Ahmet Sik authored a book about the mysterious Fethullah Gulen Movement - and was promptly arrested. In prison, he revealed to FOCUS Online the contents of the book, which is banned in Turkey.
FOCUS Online: Mr. Sik, what is the core thesis of your book, which was banned in Turkey?
SIK: My contention is as follows: starting from the 1970s, the Turkish police has been infiltrated by the Islamic Gulen Movement. By now, this infiltration has reached a very serious stage: all key police departments are now controlled by the Gulen religious community.
FOCUS Online: What does the Gulen Movement stand for, and what does it want to achieve?
SIK: For some it is a faith-based community, for others a religious movement that is going to establish an Islamic state in Turkey, for yet others a movement of volunteers. Originally it was only an offshoot of the Nurcu Community. Since the 1980s, they have been very active in the area of education in order to create the leadership circle of Turkey for the new millenium (2000s). They called the young people that emerged from this educational campaign the "Golden Generation". Their calculations paid off: today, in the Turkey of 2011, they have important positions.
FOCUS Online: What percentage of the police has been penetrated by Gulenists?
SIK: All major departments are under their control: the intelligence service, the department for combating smuggling and organized crime - the infiltration there reaches one hundred percent. Within the units to combat terrorism, the proportion is somewhat lower. The first bastion captured by the Movement was the personnel department, which recruits police officers. The Movement is also very powerful in the police academies.
FOCUS Online: Can you describe the ideology of the Gulen movement?
SIK: The ideological breeding ground of the movement was the so-called "Turkish-Islamic Synthesis," that was to spread across all of Turkey as a result of the coup of September 12, 1980: it comprises a link between Islam with a nationalism that is crass in every respect. Nothing and nobody can convince me that a religious structure that feeds off military coups could be democratically minded. Of course, everyone should practice their faith as they themselves think best. But if someone starts to anchor this faith in the bureaucracy, it is our right to say no.
FOCUS Online: Does the Gulen Movement have ambitions for an Islamic state?
SIK: I do not think that the Gulen Community or any other religious movement in Turkey will impose an Islamic state. The Gulen Community may perhaps have fostered such desires in the past. I think however that the Community in the current millennium (2000s) does not intend this, because it has by now created its own quasi-bourgeois class, which distances itself from that idea. The Gulen Movement aspires to a Turkey in which parties that are ideologically close to them - such as the AKP – have the say. Furthermore, they of course want a Turkey in which economic, political and religious opponents of their Community are weaker than they are. And they want a Turkey that, though not governed by Sharia, is, however, more conservative than the present.
FOCUS Online: How strong is the Gulen movement in the AKP?
SIK: It can be assumed that there is a convergence of interests between the AKP and the Gülen Movement. In other words, supporters of the Gulen Movement mainly vote for the AKP. In order to not lose favor with these constituents, the party grants the Movement the freedom to establish itself in the bureaucracy.
The Danger of the Gulen Movement
FOCUS Online: Is Prime Minister Erdogan personally connected to the Gulen Movement?
SIK: Mr. Erdogan is not a member of the Gulen movement; that is known. It is said that President Gul is closer to the community. However, this is speculation. As long as a person has not stated this themselves, we can say nothing definitive. But I can confirm the following: In the AKP every religious current has a share that is proportional to their strength.
FOCUS Online: Is Turkey covertly ruled by the Gulen movement?
SIK: It would be reaching too far to say so. One has to speak instead of a coalition between the AKP and the Movement: both maintain a pragmatic relationship based on mutual interests.
FOCUS Online: Wherein lies the danger that arises from the Gulen Movement?
SIK: A great danger exists in the confrontation of the two major armed forces of Turkey: The army and the police. The army has traditionally defended itself against attempts at Islamist infiltration. Notwithstanding that, the Gulen movement is attempting to gain a foothold there - which so far it has not succeeded in doing to the extent desired. In the police, which are the second strongest power in Turkey, the Gulen Community is arming itself against the army: through a legislative amendment of Jan 1, 2011 the police were granted the right to carry heavy weapons. The question, "What are such intensive preparations for?" remains unanswered. And as I was covering precisely this organizational effort in my book, I was automatically a target.
FOCUS Online: In Turkey, your book is banned. Even having a copy of it on one’s hard drive makes one liable to prosecution. Why has there been this overreaction?
SIK: I was not surprised by this witch hunt. The Gulen Community already forms one of the main pillars of the Turkish government and does not wish to be criticized.
FOCUS Online: How are you treated in prison?
SIK: The staff of the prison do not treat me badly. On the contrary, they are attentive and polite towards me. All the same, it is bad enough to be cut off from one’s freedom and loved ones, especially since this happened without any legal basis. I am staying in a triple room. Once a week, I can receive a closed visit of 45 minutes, and once a month an open visit of 75 minutes. Once a week I can make a telephone call for ten minutes. Twice a week I have the provision of warm water. As far as books and newspapers, I experience no significant limitation: in 40 days I read 11 books.
FOCUS Online: When do you expect to be released?
SIK: I do not expect to be released before the election. The government hopes that by then I fall into oblivion, because the general commotion surrounding my person that would ensue on releasing me would probably cost them votes.
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| jailed Turkish writer Ahmed Sik, interviewed from prison |
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