The Entire World Understands, Except Some Turks...

Albert Einstein was right to say, "It is harder to crack a prejudice than an atom." Indeed, there is a segment in Turkey that deems it a merit to denigrate, attack and keep under the shadow of doubt any initiative about which it has reached a certain judgment.

They do this regardless of the things the initiative does in the name of benevolence, regardless of whether it represents Turkey around the world in a way that improves Turkey's image, whether it has been radiating light across the world through the global education movement it has initiated, or whether it has transformed Turkey's opening up to the world into an almost massive public movement; these change nothing for the prejudiced segment in question.

Those who don't move a muscle to help with Turkey's struggle for survival in the international arena — let alone providing support or appreciation — are shamelessly competing with each other in efforts to impede and blacken the voluntary benevolent acts of Turkish entrepreneurs who astound even the most powerful countries in the world with their initiative. Not being content with their denigration campaigns inside the country, nor do they shy away from preparing reports full of lies, from spying on this initiative's branches abroad for the authorities of the countries where the branches are located. Those without any positive actions or thoughts regarding humanity are somehow aghast at the prospect of Turkey's integration with the world. I wonder in what ways Turkey, Turkishness or humanity could benefit from the acts and remarks of these miserable people in whose utopias Turkey can be nothing more than a Baathist country closed to the world.

Maybe you have already guessed correctly: I am speaking of the Gülen movement, which is speedily advancing toward becoming the world's greatest civil initiative, although it was born in Turkey. I speak of a movement of volunteers initiated by Fethullah Gülen, in whose name chairs are founded at world universities, about whom hundreds of academic studies are conducted and who is appreciated by the entire world for the things he has done and is doing for world peace. I mean, that Gülen movement which is continuously being insulted and derided by the so-called intellectual circles of Turkey that have adopted a twisted and repressive mindset and bigotry as their chief principle; that movement of extraordinarily selfless people initiated by Fethullah Gülen, who still has to live in a self-imposed exile as he is subject to all sorts of pressure in his homeland.

Gülen's achievements in the name of all of humanity are in the spotlight all around the world. He has turned the education and knowledge mission whose seeds he had sown in the 1970s into a massive civil movement active in more than 100 countries. While the world's most prestigious universities compete with one another to hold symposia on this movement, the most venerated media organs publish news articles on various aspects of it. Furthermore, these publications are not meant to denigrate, judge or undermine it, unlike those in Turkey. Just the opposite, they publish those news articles in order to better understand the things achieved by this movement and to make greater masses aware of what they understand from this movement.

This movement, which has recently been placed under the magnifying glass by some of the most important publications in their fields, such as The Economist and The New York Times, which praised this movement, is still viewed suspiciously by a segment which itself deserves to be viewed suspiciously. These unfair suspicions are blinding not only the eyes of this segment, but also their hearts. Gülen's inclusion in Foreign Policy's list of 100 people who occupy exceptional places in their fields doesn't mean anything to them either. The Turkish media not setting apart a single line in their newspapers for Gülen's inclusion in this list — although for days they continue to headline Turks who rank high in ordinary success lists of ordinary publications — will be recorded as the shame of these media organs, not Mr. Gülen.

It might also be guessed, looking at the current course of things, that Gülen may well win the Nobel Peace Prize in coming years — but I'm sure they would still turn a blind eye to that as well. Well, as far as I'm concerned and as far as I know him, Mr. Gülen is not concerned with people's appreciation of him in the slightest; his chief concern is always God's consent. But this doesn't relieve these people of the responsibility of applauding the beautiful things done in the name of not only Turkishness but also all of humanity by leaving behind the blind animosity born out of their bigotry.