These Reports Only Harm Our National Unity
Last week a certain section of our mass media was used to spread the contents of a report which accused Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen and his followers of plotting to use their moderate image to infiltrate the state system and prepare the ground for an Islamic takeover in Turkey...
It is not clear who prepared this interesting report which was published extensively in mass-circulation newspapers like Sabah, Hurriyet and Milliyet. The papers alleged that the report was the work of military officials and was to be read out at the military-dominated National Security Council (MGK) meeting on Wednesday. These newspapers in fact also claimed the report was read out at the MGK...
In addition, there were earlier claims that a military official had briefed Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit about the alleged fundamentalist connections of Gülen and his followers before the MGK meeting but that the prime minister was not at all convinced...
The report, which the newspapers said was presented to the MGK, allegedly claimed that Gülen has plotted to create a huge network to take over the state and had even assembled 3,000 volunteers who were prepared to sacrifice their lives for Islam.
This was a rather strange report, which had chilling claims that have already hurt Gülen's image and his mission to forge some kind of goodwill and tolerance in Turkey between the masses with religious sensitivities and the secularist establishment...
But later, new revelations about the report created a very dangerous political and social earthquake. Some pro-Islamic newspapers said they too had the full text of the report prepared by some military officials about Gülen and that the final section was full of insults to Islam and the Prophet Mohammed. Hurriyet, Sabah and Milliyet had omitted these portions of the famous report and only concentrated on the parts against Gülen...
Of course no one in Turkey, not even those who claim to be running the state, could stand behind such a report which insults the beliefs of more than 80 percent of this nation. So the MGK, the General Staff headquarters and President Suleyman Demirel had to make statements denying that such a report had come to the attention of those at the MGK meeting earlier in the week.
What we fail to understand is why the authorities remained silent for so long, as this report took its toll. Why did they allow such a report to sow the seeds of enmity in our society? Why did they allow Gülen and his followers to be persecuted by a report which they later disowned when it became apparent that the report actually contained insults to Islam and the Prophet? Why didn't they deny that such a report had been prepared or brought to their attention when they first spoke out?
We should not allow such reports to be prepared or circulated. They serve only to hurt our national unity and solidarity. We know the sensitivity of Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit over this issue, and we feel other authorities should display the same sensitivity.
TURKISH DAILY NEWS
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