Response to an Open Letter
I believe that his criticisms were made in good faith and deserve a response.
His criticisms are as follows:
"1. The Zaman daily seems to be the official paper of the government;
2. Some circles allege that some documents, information and photos were brought from abroad for use against the Turkish Armed Forces [TSK] and that these were disclosed to the press by the Gülen community.
I think that inaccurate generalizations are being made about the Gülen community through these allegations or that lies are just being fabricated to undermine the image of this community; but some people seem to be confused about this."
I am not a spokesperson for the Gülen movement, but I feel I should respond to these criticisms for at least two reasons: First, I see myself within this movement. I believe that the Gülen movement best fits my logic, understanding, nature and character in my inquiry in reading and understanding the world and Turkey.
Secondly, I am a columnist working for the Zaman daily. In the past I also served as an executive in this paper. I feel I should respond to the criticisms against my paper.
Is Zaman acting as a propaganda tool for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party)? It would be unfair to say yes to this question. Zaman is the most widely read paper in Anatolia. With the exception of six or seven cities, it is the most widely sold paper throughout the country. This means that Zaman is the paper that affects public opinion in Anatolia the most. As a result, politicians would like to have Zaman on their side. We have been complaining about this for many years. If the True Path Party (DYP) wins the election, the success is attributed to Zaman; if the Democratic Left Party (DSP) wins, this too is attributed to Zaman. And if somebody loses, Zaman is also seen as the one to blame.
Zaman has been - and will continue to be - a promoter of democratization, the rule of law and freedom, not of the AK Party. There have been a number of anti-democratic developments during the rule of this party, including the Apr. 27, 2007 e-memorandum, the presidential elections and cases brought before the Constitutional Court. The Zaman has always promoted the democratic side in these cases. Is this promoting AK Party rule? Take the Ergenekon case; the CHP wanted to serve as the advocate of this organization. Some media organs called this a political case by which the AK Party wanted to repress the opposition. Conversely, we preferred calling it the trial of the century and stressed that illegal entities within the state should be dealt with effectively. Because we adopted this stance, we were accused of serving as representatives of the AK Party. When the CHP made reference to pluralist democracy with its chador move, Zaman extended the greatest support. Is there any democratic move that has not been supported by Zaman?
Zaman is no one’s representative. All parties are parties of our people and we are equally distanced from each of them.
As far as the allegation indicating that foreign documents were handed over by Gülen supporters within the police department is concerned, I would like to say this above all: The most important aspect of the Gülen movement is that it is based on our nation, not on foreign actors. I argue that this movement is the most independent movement in this country. Our values are what matter most; it pays attention to the core values; it relies on the efforts and contributions of the sons of this nation. This movement focuses on the protection of human rights, patriotism, true nationalism, national interests and the honor of our religion. It offers a style that cannot possibly be bought at any price by others.
Those who cooperate with foreign actors in an attempt to conspire against our nation and state are dishonored and indecent.
Let me also say this: There are some who define those who do their jobs in public institutions as "Gülenists." They are doing so because their plots have been thwarted. They want to distort the facts by attributing everything to the Gülen movement. They want to block Turkey's attempt to rise as an important power. They also want to confuse people’s minds. But they will fail.
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