January last month, Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan made an official visit to the Tanzanian President John Magufuli in the city of Dar es Salaam, as part of his campaign tours on the continent of Africa against the Hizmet movement, an organization inspired by the Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen. Erdogan had visited the Latin America and many other countries in Europe and as well, West, East, North and South African countries in the African region making frantic efforts to convince governments at various levels to not only isolate Gülen’s followers but shut down every form of business, schools, hospitals and any investment for that matter belonging to Hizmet members.
Gülen commands the trust, confidence and followership of over 70 percent of the adult population in Turkey, especially the elites and well-educated citizens of the country. The citizens believe so much in his selfless ideologies and service to humanity not minding your colour, ethnic and religious background, but confident in the fact that harmonious living amongst people will bring about greater understanding globally.
There is so much attraction to his inter-faith dialogue, conflict resolutions and increasing wave of the setting up of foundations that cater for the needy and scholarship awards to students without educational funding. These various humanitarian steps have drawn so much followership, seen as being against his assumed political rival in Turkey, which is President Erdogan. At various interfaces with newsmen and civil society groups in and outside of Turkey, Gülen has posited that he was not interested in contesting elections in Turkey, but to keep contributing his quota to the growth and development of the state in all sectors of the economy.
Gülen’s position as elder statesman in Turkey is not negotiable; there is little or no amount of blackmail from the state that can jettison the integrity and reputation of a renowned Islamic cleric like Gülen, and these are the fears of President Erdogan against the increasing popularity of Fethullah. But Gülen’s fame has continued to draw attention to the fact that Turkish authorities are not resting on its oars to ensure that the process of elimination and incarceration of his followers is extended to other countries where its sympathizers are resident. The recent trip to Tanzania according to Erdogan is part of Turkey’s effort to develop relationships on the African continent, evident in the opening of more embassies and Turkish Airlines routes over more than a decade.
Erdogan said there is potential for partnership in tourism, agriculture, construction and other fields with Tanzania. A key priority for the Turkish government is also targeting international schools and other institutions inspired by cleric Fethullah Gülen, Erdogan said “This organization is not only a threat to Turkey, it is a great threat to all countries where it operates. “We are informing our friends about this organization so that they are not exposed to the difficulty, the pain, the disillusion we went through.”
In Tanzania, 11 schools in the Feza system inspired by Gülen have a total of 3,000 students, just over half of them Muslim. The school leadership denies any link to the coup attempt that led to a purge of alleged loyalists of Gülen, who had expanded his international influence with a message of interfaith harmony. There are some elements of questionable sanity in presuming that an institution set up to train children at various degrees of education, also considering the fact that parents pay tuition to sustain such pupils and students in school, its participation in a coup plot not even a political rally or campaign, as orchestrated by the Turkish government clearly shows that President Erdogan is using the attempted military coup to push politics too far.
The government of Turkey headed by Erdogan has lost control of the regions and events at the center, acknowledging the fact that there is complete absence of democratic values haven’t violated the rights and liberties of citizens. The legitimacy of any government is conferred by the people through an electoral process which of course elevated Erdogan to a democratically elected President in 2014. He was to be thankful to God, but events unfolding in recent times such as the emergency powers recently granted to him by the parliament indicate very clearly that he is dismissive of the favours from the heavens.
Erdogan has persisted his despotic rule can only come to an end in 2029 as granted by the parliament; he sought for more powers to clamp down on his political opponents and innocent citizens. However, his campaign in Europe and the African continent will hit the rocks on the stance of respect for the rule of law and the strict adherence to the liberties of citizens as guaranteed in the constitution.
Rights anywhere in the world are not negotiable except in Turkey where citizens do not have rights to life as major principles of fundamental freedom, which of course determines the progression of a society. There is perceived imminent revolution awaiting the people of Turkey if desperate and deliberate steps are not taken by the European Union and the United Nations to address the inhuman treatment and killings going on in that country.
I’m passionate about happenings in Turkey, as I’ve witnessed firsthand how great it could be, for itself and the world at large. Here in Nigeria, one of the most politically and economically dynamic countries of the world, not minding pockets of crisis, most fundamental is the fact that freedom, liberties and rights of citizens are guaranteed by the provisions of the constitution. Therefore, we implore our Turkish brothers to learn from us, how to nurture a truly democratic atmosphere of governance.
Uket wrote in from Abuja.
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