By Abdul Rahman Aliagan
The United States, NATO, and the European Union in swift reaction to the failed coup in Turkey called for “respect of the democratic institutions in Turkey and its elected officials.’’
The coup was allegedly carried out between July 15 and 16, 2016 by a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces that branded itself as the Peace at Home Council. The group attempted to seize control of several key places in Ankara and Istanbul. During the coup, over 300 people were killed and more than 2,100 were injured. Many government buildings, including the Turkish Parliament and the Presidential Palace, were damaged.
The Turkish government had accused the coup leaders of being linked to the Gülen movement led by Fethullah Gülen. The President of Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the head of United States Central Command of “siding with coup plotters.”
Unsurprisingly, the Turkish government had made a request to the United States to extradite Fethullah Gülen, the Turkish cleric on exile in the United States, to face trial in Turkey.
Furthermore, the government has tagged Colonel Muharrem Köse, who in March 2016 was dishonourably discharged for alleged association with Gülen as leader of the coup plotters.
But it is important to note that the Peace at Home Council, while announcing the change of regime, named an erosion of secularism, the elimination of democratic rule, a disregard for human rights, and Turkey’s loss of credibility in the international arena as reasons for the coup.
Curiously, Gulen has condemned the coupists while describing the Turkish government’s accusations against him as disturbing and uncalled for.
His words: “I condemn, in the strongest terms, the attempted military coup in Turkey. Government should be won through a process of free and fair elections, not force.
“ I pray to God for Turkey, for Turkish citizens and for all those currently in Turkey that this situation is resolved peacefully and quickly.
“ As someone who suffered under multiple military coups during the past five decades, it is especially insulting to be accused of having any link to such an attempt. I categorically deny such accusations.”
Crackdown on Oppositions
Expectedly, mass arrests followed with at least 6,000 detained, including at least 2,839 soldiers and, for reasons that remain unclear, 2,745 judges. Another 15,000 education staff were also suspended and the licenses of 21,000 teachers working at private institutions were revoked as well after the government alleged they were loyal to Gülen.
Moreover, Turkish government has directed its ambassadors to push for closure of schools owned by Gulen’s followers across the world. Gülen’s followers have built over 1,000 schools in Nigeria, Kenya, Somalia and 11 other countries to support education.
Gülen, reputedly a kind hearted man, has reportedly stated: “Studying physics, mathematics, and chemistry is worshipping God”.
But Erdogan’s allies said the fund generated from the schools is the major source of funding for Gulenist Terror Organisation (FETÖ).
Erdogan is also calling on Germany to deport over 2000 Gülen’s followers to face trial over the failed coup.
The Turkish Ambassador in the United States has already submitted extradition request for the Islamic scholar. Whitehouse figures in general do not, however, believe he is associated with any terrorist activity and have requested evidence to be provided by the Turkish Government to substantiate the allegations in the warrant requesting extradition.
Indeed the activities of the Turkish government after the failed July 15 coup has raised suspicions and many questions about the real motive for their actions.
Staged coup/ Conspiracy Against Gülen’s followers
Advocates of such theories pointed to how Erdoğan stood to gain from the coup attempt in terms of increasing his popularity and support for his calls for an executive presidency while being able to legitimize further crackdowns on judicial independence and the opposition in general.
Gülen, whom Erdoğan had accused as being one of the principal conspirators , said, “I don’t believe that the world believes the accusations made by President Erdoğan. There is a possibility that it could be a staged coup and it could be meant for further accusations [against the Gülenists].”
Also, a journalist and a veteran observer of Turkey’s coups, Cengiz Çandar, said “I have never seen any with this magnitude of such inexplicable sloppiness.”
The organization and spontaneous synchronization by large numbers of mosques was perceived to be unachievable unless there had been prior preparation, with journalists also pointing to how the call to prayer could have been strategically used by Erdoğan to invoke religious sentiment in a political situation as a veiled attack on state secularism
Critical Issues For Turkish’s President
Erdoğan’s foreign policy, which managed to turn the initial “no problems with neighbors” doctrine into a situation where the country has problems with almost every neighbour and has even alienated some of its allies and friend.
Erdoğan had himself to blame for the coup. Following an increasingly Islamist agenda, he had supposedly “dropped any pretence of governing for all Turks.
After “fanning the flames” at the 2013 Gezi Park protests, he transformed the predominantly Kurdish-inhabited areas of southeastern Turkey into a war zone reminiscent of the worst days of the 1980s.
The Gulen-AKP alliance targeted the Kemalist military organization. This is evident between 2007 – 2012 in series of coup trials and purges against the Turkish Armed Forces with fabricated evidence supported by Gulenist prosecutors, security officials and Gulenist media.
This gave an opportunity to lower rank Gulenist officers and Erdogan loyalists to assume high-ranking military positions. This alliance started its collapse during 2013 as Gulenists targeted the AKP using corruption charges.
Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish Muslim scholar
Gülen was born in 1941 and is actively involved in the societal debate concerning the future of the Turkish state and Islam in the modern world. He has been described in the English-language media as an imam “who promotes a tolerant Islam which emphasises altruism, hard work and education” and as “one of the world’s most important Muslim figures.’’
On secularism, the US based Muslim teacher said that a secular approach that is “not anti-religious” and “allows for freedom of religion and belief, is compatible with Islam.’’
He also views Turkey’s bid to join EU as win-win situation, as joining European Union won’t hurt EU nor Turkey as a country. Gulen is also a front runner advocating for need to give women leadership position in Islamic religion and he had condemned terrorism with strong words. His position on terrorism is that Islam does not support anybody terrorizing other human beings.
Things Fall Apart
Gülen was an ally of Erdoğan before 2013. The alliance was destroyed after the 2013 corruption investigations in Turkey. Erdogan accused Gülen of being behind the corruption investigations. He is currently on Turkey’s most-wanted-terrorist list and is accused of leading what the current Turkish officials call the Gulenist Terror Organisation (FETÖ)
