Gülen's Message Touched Me
Bulent Ecevit, a symbol of Turkish politics, received a surprise message on the day he bade farewell to politics. Fethullah Gülen issued a message to the retiring leader titled: "Sending off Mr. Ecevit. To a Statesman Living and Leaving With Honor."
Ecevit replied to the message via Zaman: "I thank Mr. Gülen. The message touched me. I will also send him a thank you message." Bulent Ecevit ending his 47-year political life at a deliberative assembly on Sunday where he disclosed his thoughts about Gülen, who is staying in the US due to health problems. Ecevit said he met with Gülen twice so far and had the opportunity to better understand his ideas. Ecevit emphasized that Gülen is like the majority of Turkish citizens in that he has no problem with Ataturk or the Republic. He merited the educational activities encouraged by Gülen. Ecevit said: "There is no reactionary element here. I asked our ambassadors and attachés about this. In the event of the slightest reactionary movement, the statesmen and governments of countries take the necessary precautions to stop it. These schools assume an important role in spreading Turkish culture." Bulent Ecevit said that calling religious people potential reactionaries is wrong and emphasized that everyone must be respected for his beliefs. Ecevit, in short, said: "The research done by Mr. Gülen and his supporters interested me very much. Hundreds of schools have been opened abroad. I saw some of these schools. We gathered some information also. In all the schools, Ataturk's portrait is displayed, Turkish is taught very well, and the Turkish National Anthem is recited. Reactionary work is out of the question here."
My amenable attitude seen as odd
After I disclosed my ideas about Gülen and the schools opened abroad, some people reacted negatively to me. There are some who find my amenable attitude to Gülen odd. However, I do not take them seriously. I am against people exploiting religion for their own interests, but I have respect for religious people. The majority of Turkey is religious and does not have problems with the Republic and Ataturk. I observed the same thing in Gülen. It is wrong to see the religious people in Turkey labeled as potential reactionaries.
I have defended the concept of respecting beliefs since 1960. We must be secular and separate religion and politics from one other, but we must respect everyone's beliefs. I was also reacted to negatively in the mid-1960s when I first talked about this. In those days, I did not talk about it frequently. I was a young politician whose authority was limited. There was a religious movement called 'Ticanilik' that almost became Turkey's number one problem. Now it is not even mentioned.
Our colleagues often put this issue on the agenda. At a party assembly, I said, "We cannot put forth effort in this way." Of course everyone was surprised. The late Inonu accepted this. We put it into action as our politics changed and public support of the Republican People's Party (CHP) grew. In Turkey, there have been fundamentalist religious and secular groups who have not gotten along well. We must endeavor to bridge these two sides.
On a separate matter, Bulent Ecevit said that whether Gülen returns to Turkey or not is completely up to Gülen. Ecevit said: "Obviously Mr. Gülen is having some difficulties and problems. He was a bit unwell. Now it seems he is well. I cannot know whether he will return or not. He will decide this himself."
Sending Off Mr. Ecevit
To the Statesman Living and Leaving With Honor:
He has lived in the way he believed in since the beginning of his political career. He has always reflected the importance of the political atmosphere around him. He respected our national values, which have been disrespectively interrogated, especially recently. And he called on others to be respectful. He has not avoided saying what he believed to be true even to the most oppressive force. I hope his successors will also follow his good moral example.
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