"Gulen Inspired" Schools in Ukraine to be scrutinized

Since the failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15, the Turkish government has been calling on the Ukrainian authorities to investigate the legal and financial affairs of educational and cultural institutions in Ukraine that it says are linked to Fethullah Gülen, the man Turkey alleges was behind the coup plot.

As a spiritual leader of millions of people around the world, Gülen is accused by Turkey of undermining its secular democracy. Members of his movement have been accused by the Turkish government of attempting to infiltrate the government, police, and army in Turkey.

Last year the Turkish government declared the movement a terrorist organization, which it has dubbed FETÖ (a Turkish acronym for “Fethullah’s Terrorist Organization”), and Turkey’s leaders have claimed it poses a danger to international security.

Gülen’s movement is a broad ducational, cultural and business network spanning 140 countries. Although he himself doesn’t have any formal relation to any of the institutions, Turkey claims they are founded and run by Gülen’s loyal followers and members of his movement, known as “Hizmet” (Service) or “Cemaat” (Assembly).

Gülen links in Ukraine?

Although Gülen and his supporters seem to be an internal problem for Turkey, the aftermath of the failed coup have impacted countries around the world due to concerns that Turkish schools and cultural centers abroad might be tied to the Gülenist network.

In Ukraine, there are at least two institutions that have been claimed to be Gülen-linked: the Kyiv-based Meridian International School and the Isık (Syaivo) Ukrainian-Turkish Cultural Center. Other sources also mention the Black Sea High School in Odesa and the Simferopol International School in now-annexed Crimea.

mention the Black Sea High School in Odesa and the Simferopol International School in now-annexed Crimea.

Ukrainian Turkish School, performing at the Turkish Olympiad