Hakan Berberoglu- director of Gulen's Niagara Foundation Gecelerim by Dogan Canku, performed by Hakan Berberoglu

Fethullah Gulen American Fortress

Gulen's Golden Generation Compound-İşte Gülen'in çiftliği !!! AMERIKA

As seen from Turkish and American Intelligence, the Golden Generation retreat is what he refers to his followers or the generation that will restore the Ottoman Universial Caliphate worldwide (his teachers)

Gulen Charter Schools (Concept Schools- Midwest Operation) answers "Why we cannot find qualified American Teachers"

Salim, careful your lying is getting worse and worse YALANCI CONCEPT SCHOOLS!!!
If you want to really see Salim squirm like a rat....wait till he answers the questions about Concept
Schools and their 990 tax returns, or Chicago Math and Science Academy (CMSA) or the taking over of the Catholic School (St. Epihanney's in St. Louis, MO) - Gateway Science Academy or perhaps the matter of their $93 million dollar bond financing request.

Gulen School Horizon Science Academy under federal investigation

From “See Sam (aka Salim) Squirm

http://www.charterschoolwatchdog.com/index.html

And say it isn't so...

Concept’s boy Sam sent out a rebuttal letter to its “faculty, parents, friends, and supporters.” Seems like Sam just didn’t like the way he was portrayed in the Channel 5 news segment and how all the really “important stuff” that he had to say was edited out.

Gee, Sam, sorry you feel that way – but it just isn’t so. Perhaps if Sam had not taken so long to answer Ron Regan’s question about why Concept did not hire American teachers – he would have had more “air” time instead of “Oh! Crap! How am I going to answer that question,” time.

It’s amusing how the boys love the media when the media is covering their orchestrated events and it fits into their public relation schema, but when it comes down to some serious and not so pleasant insight into their operations, they get a little testy and defensive.

Sam claims that Channel 5 was “sensationalizing” the illegal immigration fee payments. And tell us, exactly how did Channel 5 misrepresent the evidence and findings from the government?  The audits speak for themselves and as far as the excuse – we thought it would be okay because “private” companies pay for their employees’ families…” Did someone forget to tell Sam, the Vice-President of Concept Schools, that their schools are publicly funded with taxpayer funds?

And we love Sam’s response about how a bunch of Turkish businessmen wanted to  “Raise the bar in Science and Math in Ohio,” and decided that only they could do that – hence the reason to bring over so many H1B visa holders (the majority of whom were Gulen-inspired Turkish men).  Sure that makes sense – an alleged shortage of educated, qualified, and licensed American teachers, so bring over – at the cost of American taxpayers -- unlicensed, unqualified, Turkish “teachers” (the majority whom had never taught), and who have limited English reading and writing skills, in order to “raise the bar” on American education.

As a side note, did anyone catch the recent Turkish article stating that the Turkish government is planning to recruit 40,000 English speaking teachers to teach Turkish students English because their reading and writing skills are so low? Wow! Finally an answer to our unemployment issues – we can send all of the American teachers who have involuntarily forfeited their jobs to Turkish H1B visa holders and send them to Turkey to teach the guys they are sending here to take their jobs.
Another point of interest is Sam’s assertion that there are not any current federal investigations of Concept/Horizon schools currently going on. Well, Sam exactly how sure are you? We hope Sam realizes that the “federal” government includes the Department of Labor, the FBI, and Homeland Security. And Sam, we would be happy to share our contacts with you for verification purposes.

It also seems that Sam is really upset about Mary Addi. In his rebuttal, he states, “Third, Mr. Regan’s report on Channel 5 Cleveland, which is used as a reference in other stories, included an interview with a disgruntled former employee named Mary Addi who was terminated in 2009 after she was discovered working a second job on company time. She later filed a complaint with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, which was investigated and denied."

The part that Sam left out is that Mary Addi was employed by Horizon/Concepts Schools at 3 different times. That’s right 3. So if Mary Addi was such a bad --  bad -- bad --"disgruntled " employee – then how is it that Horizon hired her not once, not twice, but instead -- 3 times?

According to Sam, Mary Addi, “Later filed a complaint with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, which was investigated and denied.”

In fact, Mary Addi filed discrimination charges (retaliation, discrimination based on nationality, age, and gender, and harassment), with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (also a federal agency Sam) in July 2008, prior, not after, her termination of employment, or as Sam would say, “Upon being released.” And the findings were not “denied,” as Sam alleges, in fact, the findings were inconclusive, allowing for Ms. Addi to sue in civil court in the future...

Here’s another excerpt from Sam’s rebuttal, and more specifically, his explanation about “Marry Addi and her husband". Sam states, “Upon being released, Marry Addi and her husband, who was an H1B employee at one of our schools, Horizon Science Academy Denison, filed a complaint to US Department of Labor in 2008. Since then Department of Labor has been auditing/investigating this complaint in a particular school, Horizon Science Academy Denison. We hereby underline one more time that there is no federal Investigation on our schools or Concept as the news stories suggests. "

So which is it Sam, is the federal government investigating or not? First you admit that there is an ongoing DOL investigation, and then “underline one more time that there is no federal investigation on our schools.”  Sam – one more time – the Department of Labor is a federal agency.

And Sam, wasn't "Marry Addi released," in February 2009, but according to your statement, the complaint was filed with the DOL in 2008, making it once again -- before and not after --Marry Addi's release."

Sam’s explanation about the 9% H1B visa holders either teaching or “administrating” in Concept Schools is that “Whenever it makes sense, Horizon Science Academies hire Ohio teachers and support staff.” We would really like to know what “makes sense,” to Sam, because it does not makes sense to us when Ohio’s unemployment rate in 2010 was hovering at 10%, and there was an abundance of unemployed, qualified, and licensed American teachers ready and willing to work, then why there are still 9% H1B staff members employed at the Ohio Concept Schools. Surely Sam, with all of the unemployed teachers in Ohio, Concept could find 9% more American teachers to fill those spots.

Further, how does it “make sense,” that  99%, if not 100% of their schools, do not currently have, nor have they ever employed -- a female -- American Director, Business Manager, or Dean of Academics (except for the phantom position Sagnak gave out when he was having his "Identity Crisis" -- but that's another blog),  and instead, have filled those positions with Turkish or other foreign national men?

And talk about “sensationalism,” how about Sam’s pitch about the success of Concept schools. Sam states, “Our results speak for themselves with Blue Ribbon Awards, “Excellent” and “Excellent with Distinction” ratings, demand by parents and students, and most importantly 100% college acceptance for many years.” But Sam forgot to include the state’s school ratings of all of the Concept schools which does not include all “Excellent, and Excellent with Distinction Ratings.” In fact, some of their schools are on “Academic Watch, and “Continuous Improvement status.”

Here’s the real deal Sam, and it is not “sensational,” except to say that you guys have been operating under the radar for the past 10 years and the gig is up. It’s not going to be business as usual anymore. So suck it up and expect that those federal agencies and ensuing investigations  -- that you so loudly protest do not exist --  do in fact, and will continue as long as you guys continue to violate the rights of American employees, misuse taxpayer funds, and participate in the other nefarious acts that your organization has been so comfortably accustomed to.

Below is Sam’s rebuttal:
Concept’ s rebuttal of recent news stories in Ohio

May 19, 2011

To our Faculty, Parents, Friends and Supporters:

Recently, there have been news stories on local channels in Ohio about Concept managed schools; Horizon Science Academies and Noble Academies. Those stories use Ron Regan’s story on Cleveland’s Channel 5 that aired on Monday, May 16, 2011 as a reference. As often happens with television news, those stories, including Ron Regan’s Channel 5 story, are edited in a way that, in our view, mislead viewers about the operation of Horizon Science Academies in Ohio. As those stories seem to revolve around a few same issues I am writing to set the record straight and clarify any confusion raised by those reports.

First, such reports attempt to sensationalize the repayment by Horizon Science Academy employees of certain immigration fees and expenses as documented in various school audits.

As most people know, charter schools in Ohio are audited annually by the Auditor of State’s Office. Back in 2001 when Betty Montgomery was the Auditor of State, several Horizon Science Academies voluntarily disclosed to the Auditor’s Office certain expenses associated with the immigration of math and science teachers from Turkey who were going to teach at our new schools in Ohio. Horizon Science Academies were founded by Turkish mathematicians and scientists who wanted to raise the bar for math and science education in Ohio. At the time, there was a nationwide shortage of math and science teachers, so we recruited some highly qualified math and science teachers from Turkey. Just as the Cleveland Municipal School District did when it recruited teachers from India in the 1990s and paid for their travel and immigration expenses, so did we. Additionally, we paid these expenses for the spouses and children of our new employees, just like any private company would. The Auditor of State’s Office permitted the expenses for the employees but not their dependents. Audit reports from 2001 show that three Horizon Science Academies, Cleveland High School, Toledo High School, and Columbus High Schools, paid these expenses for 19 employees and some of their family members totaling up to about $13,000. All of these funds were reimbursed at the time the Auditor’s Office made its ruling, not recently as suggested by Mr. Regan and other reporters. Some stories do not even mention the fact that these funds were reimbursed on a timely and swift manner once the auditors brought it to our attention.

Second, these reports raise concerns about hiring out of state teachers and the issuance of H1B visas to some of our employees. These visas are issued to certain workers with skills in short supply in the United States. The Federal Government determines the criteria for issuing these visas. The Horizon Science Academies simply took advantage of a federal visa program at a time when math and science teachers were in short supply. Currently, less than 9% of the workforce in all of the Horizon Science Academies are participating in this government authorized program. Whenever it makes sense, Horizon Science Academies hire Ohio teachers and support staff.

Third, Mr. Regan’s report on Channel 5 Cleveland, which is used as a reference in other stories, included an interview with a disgruntled former employee named Mary Addi who was terminated in 2009 after she was discovered working a second job on company time. She later filed a complaint with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, which was investigated and denied.

Upon being released, Marry Addi and her husband, who was an H1B employee at one of our schools, Horizon Science Academy Denison, filed a complaint to US Department of Labor in 2008. Since then Department of Labor has been auditing/investigating this complaint in a particular school, Horizon Science Academy Denison. We hereby underline one more time that there is no federal Investigation on our schools or Concept as the news stories suggests.

Fourth, such reports raise concerns about the Horizon Science Academy in Dayton, which is leasing its facility from an Ohio limited liability company that is owned by a Turkish businessman who was willing to take a risk on the development of this property as a school, when Dayton area banks and others were not. The Dayton school leases the property for $3.78 a square foot, which is a bargain compared to medium grade office space in Dayton, which is leased for $10 a square foot or more. News stories that make this sound like hundreds of thousand of dollars go oversees is nothing but part of an agenda of sensationalizing their stories.

Fifth, some of those reports raise concerns about borrowed money that was repaid to individuals overseas. When our first school opened in Cleveland in 1999 there were financial challenges. The State of Ohio does not provide any facilities funding for charter schools and banks as a rule will not lend to start up charter schools. After attempting to obtain funding in Cleveland, the founder of Horizon Science Academies, Taner Ertekin, reached out to businessmen in Turkey to find short-term non-interest bearing loans. The school paid the loans back. A portion of the loan ($36,000) was paid back via wire transfer. The Auditors never raised any questions about the loan. Instead, the Auditors questioned the method of repayment. We provided the loan documents to the Mr. Regan at Channel 5 Cleveland. It is ridiculous to present this repayment of a non-interest bearing loan as “practice of spending Ohio school tax dollars overseas” and is far from objective and true journalism.

There are 17 Horizon Science Academies and 2 Noble Academies in Ohio. Together they educate about 5000 students each year. More than 95% of Horizon Science Academy students graduate from high school 100% of those students are accepted to college. Our results speak for themselves with Blue Ribbon Awards, “Excellent” and “Excellent with Distinction” ratings, demand by parents and students, and most importantly 100% college acceptance for many years.

Charter schools including ours are high regulated with increased accountability and autonomy. Annual audits by the state auditors and ongoing reporting and oversight is in place. All of the Concept managed schools are not-for-profit organizations with transparency. All of our records and documentations are available for public review. We take pride in the diversity of our community and are proud of every single of our employees, as they are the ones making unprecedented differences in urban communities. What has made successful is our uncompromising focus on our students not on adults as a diverse community. We assure everyone that we will continue doing so and not let anything take away our focus from student achievement.

Should you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact me via e-mail, ucan@conceptschools.org or phone, 224 388-9953 (cell).

Sincerely,

Salim Ucan

Gulen Turkish Olympiads 2011-12 A Message to Parents Gulen Charter Schools

With a growing enemy base the Fethullah Gulen schools in Turkey have been targeted by the PKK as well as over 300 Kurdish children under the age of 15 are in Turkish prison. Meanwhile the Gulenists prepare for the 9th Annual Gulen Turkish International Olympiad June 15-30, 2011 which will feature over 750 children from 120 countries that attend Gulenist ran schools. This will coincide with the elections in Turkey as well as the arrests of over 50 Turkish journalists who dare speak the truth about exiled Gulen. Not to mention the growing hatred in the Turkish community toward America and Israel. Ask yourself, is this a safe place for your children to be?

Gulen issues threat to those that smear the promoters of Turkish culture (aka Turkish Olympiads)

So Gulen issues a direct threat to the "smear campaign" or is it the truth campaign regarding his sheep that blindly follow his movement. We thought that the promoters of these Turkish culture Olympiads were not directly related to the Gulen Movement? To Gulen, you receive the CRY BABY AWARD for your lies and threats. Bring it on you fool! What are you going to do - Jail the whole world that dare speaks the truth about you and your 5th grade education? Enjoy yourself in exile, you might be deported out of the USA before you know it.  Should you decide to follow through with your threats or fatwa, we await with subpeonas for discovery of all your records.  

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-243407-gulen-smear-campaign-targets-those-promoting-turkish-culture.html

Turkish intellectual and scholar Fethullah Gülen has said a smear campaign – with accompanying propaganda -- is under way against people who exert the utmost efforts to introduce Turkish culture to the rest of the world, calling for common sense in reaction to the makers of the campaign and the propaganda.

“We can resort to self defense in the face of ruthless smear campaigns, accusations and attacks or make explanations or refutations against them. If there are people who insist on wrongdoing, then we can sue them for damages. These are our legal rights. But we will never act in a violent manner as they do. We will not show them our fists as they do to us. Even if they threaten to slap us, we will not respond to them with slaps,” Gülen said on Monday in his latest speech broadcast on website Herkul.org. Gülen's remarks came in clear response to a recent smear campaign against the Gülen movement and its followers. The Gülen movement is a group of volunteers engaged in interfaith and intercultural dialogue inspired by the ideas of Gülen, whose teachings promote mutual understanding and tolerance between cultures. Now residing in the US, Gülen has pioneered educational activities in a number of countries, along with efforts to promote intercultural and interfaith activities around the world. According to Gülen, there are some circles that wish to defame the Gülen movement around the globe. “They cause mischief in some place and spread it to the entire world thanks to the Internet and television.” However, he said his movement will never resort to unlawful or violent methods when responding to the bad deeds of those people. “The ones who show you their fists are not people of mind, soul or heart. They put humanitarian values under pressure and try to suppress those values. As a necessity of their character, such people may resort to hatred, aggression or using their fists. But you [followers of the Gülen movement] will display your own character, and you will never do the same [acts of violence] to them. … Since we are doing everything in a human-centric manner, then we have to become ‘handless’ to whom hits us and ‘tongueless’ to whom swears at us as Yunus [Emre, a great mystical Turkish poet] said. Even though others do not treat us in a humanitarian manner, we will never engage in efforts to retaliate against them. We will not even think of responding to their bad deeds with other bad deeds. We will fulfill the requirements of being a Muslim,” he added. Commenting on the requirements of being a Muslim, Gülen said “A real Muslim forgets all good things he did for people. When you try to remind him, he will not remember. But he remembers about all the bad things [he did to other people] even if it was 70 years ago. He repents to God as if he committed a murder any time he remembers them [bad things done to other people.] This is a real Muslim.” Additionally, Gülen said the movement became the target of attacks when it grew bigger and more popular. “They are fulfilling what their character requires them to do. They are attacking violently. There were fewer attacks in the past. It was not the center of much interest then. Thus, it was not much envied. … But one day came, and they [opponents of the Gülen movement] started to take the issue more seriously. They entrusted the issue [attacks against the movement] to international [intelligence] services.” The scholar also said followers or members of the movement should be very careful with regard to plans and attempts of opponents of the movement to “throw mud at the movement.” “These people [members of the Gülen movement] are serving in all corners of the world. If some people intend to throw mud at the movement, we should not allow them or provide them with expected means. A tiny mark on one of us may be attributed to the entire movement. No individual [member of the movement] should carry marks. He may lose his arm, head or life, if necessary, but he should avoid any mark on himself. We need to pay extra attention,” he stated. In addition, Gülen said he has been subjected to smear campaigns and insults for the past 40 years, but he did not even complain to God about bad deeds or mistakes of wrongdoers. He said he prayed to God to make those people return from their wrong deeds and mistakes. “This is our philosophy. Even if it seems hard to us and even if we are subjected to injustice, we should think in this way. I have been rolled over [subjected to injustice] after every coup d’état since 1960. It was what happened to me after the March 12 [1971] and Sept. 12 [1980] coups d’état. I am ready to give my life 50 times to a handful of soil of my country. I am yearning for my country here, but I have never asked God to send people who did all this to me to hell. I always prayed for them, asking him to show them his mercy.” Gülen added that if people treat one another with good feelings, then goodness will dominate the world. “I suppose that we need alliance and cooperation more than at any other time these days when we are all in bits due to secession and disaccord.”

Gulen Movement- Time to Counter Global Lies - Today's Zaman Gulen's Journalism

Our current “Gulen Cry Baby Award” goes to Editor of Today’s Zaman, Gulenist Ekrem Dumanli.  Todays article is a sad reflection of where journalism in Turkey is going.  In fact, it is SO pathetic we are honoring Gulenist Ekrem a double award of the WAAAaAmbulance award.

Ekrem see below for your award and please enjoy your special song for you and Hocaefendi.

Get out the tissues it is worse than the rantings, wails and crying of a Gulen sermon.  Basically in this article Gulen controlled Today’s Zaman complains about everything, everybody and everyone.  From Finkel, CNN, false Journalism, Ergenekon, AK Party, putting labels on ODATV “Dark Room” Orhan Kemal Cengiz, Dani Rodrik, the son-in-law of retired Gen. Çetin Doğan, a suspect in the Sledgehammer case, Taraf Daily.

WHEW..Ekrem please take a chill pill……Geez and to think Journalists with talent are sitting in Turkey's jails. 

Start looking at the mirror of the deficiencies of your journalism which serves only to protect The Gulen Movement and the AK Party.  Time to practice some of that “Fair Balance” that you rant about.  Even the most inexperienced of readers can spot your journalistic flaws.  

http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist-243219-time-to-counter-global-lies.html\

Time to counter global lies

At one time in this country, the media would write lies, distort stories and mislead the public and no one would be able to say anything against them. Coups were staged, memorandums were released, groups of people were discredited and individuals were defamed with those lies. For several decades, the public was misguided because there wasn't an alternative news source.

It's impossible for lies to go on forever. And they didn't. Fortunately, Turkey was able to end the practice of false journalism. A casually released piece of information no longer becomes the subject of serious analysis 10 minutes later. When lies are told, they become exposed instantly. It is for this reason that fictional stories about reactionaryism are no longer written. Those who fabricate stories know very well that other media organizations will quickly access the people, places and witnesses mentioned in the false story and expose the true side of the story.   With the lie machine broken and incorrect information being defeated by correct information, some people have changed their strategies. Now false information and distorted analyses are being made abroad. Some people are knocking on the doors of think tanks and reporting developments in Turkey incorrectly, some people are providing analyses to prominent newspapers and magazines based on groundless information, and some are disclosing information about Turkey to foreign diplomats even though they know it is untrue.   Certain people (and even some institutions and organizations) who are speaking with certain lobbies and trying to take control of Turkey with the help of outsiders are relentlessly trying to undermine two social realities. Firstly, they want to spread animosity toward the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) among the global public, and secondly they want to infect foreigners with paranoia about the Gülen movement. The sad part is that neither of these two structures is fully aware of the terrible game they are up against. They approach the issue with the courage brought on by being honest and continue on their democratic and peaceful ways believing that "a lie never lives to be old." In a sense, they are right. The public conscience always sees the truth sooner or later. But what if the mud that is thrown leaves a stain? There's always a possibility that journalist or academicians can misinterpret events. But an honorable intellectual should never submit to false information. The dreadful situation before us stems from misinformation rather than misinterpretation. The most upsetting part is that some people are creating false information on purpose and are trying to distort historical facts. Unfortunately, some of the efforts out there have nothing to do with journalism or academic studies -- instead they are the works of agents of influence.   For example those who could not undermine the Ergenekon case in Turkey are trying to achieve this objective abroad. While this may engender an opportunity that foreign forces have been waiting for, what's important is the truth. Several coups have been staged in this country, several memorandums have been released, and several interventions have been made into democracy. There have been torture cases, assassinations and mysterious murders. The deep structure that killed people and sparked clashes between Kurds and Turks, Alevis and Sunni, rightist and leftist, secularist and anti-secularist for their own purposes became exposed in the Ergenekon case. There are weapons, bombs, assassination plots and plans, murders, and projects to destroy individuals and groups of people.   Some people try to portray Ergenekon as an innocent association despite all the evidence and concrete information, and some even say the cases filed against journalists for writing about the Ergenekon are efforts to pressure the secular segment of society by the party in power. After all, how is a European or American supposed to know that some members of the judiciary who see themselves as a part of the deep structure are punishing people who write about the Ergenekon reality and that the democratically elected government of this country can't even stop it. Those who tell foreigners that around 5,000 to 6,000 cases have been launched against journalist in Turkey are doing so thinking they are hurting the AK Party. But neither the hostility toward the AK Party nor community paranoia can be used to explain these cases.   For example, they don't mention the link between the Ahmet Şık and Nedim Şener incident and the dark room known as OdaTV.com. They don't talk about how plans were made at the office of OdaTV.com on how to defame people and how to intervene in politics nor do they explain the duties that were assigned to Şık and Şener in these plans. They have become obsessed with the "community." They are making people targets even though there is no evidence against them. Why is a group of people, who ignore concrete information and documents, blaming people without any information or evidence?   For many years, the perceptive media in this country has fought against false news stories and has cracked down on lies and slander. Fortunately, a new absurdity does not emerge every day like it used to. Now there is another test waiting for us: hunting down lies and distortions regardless of what part of the world it happens and regardless of whether it is being carried out behind a reputable brand or under the wings of a certain lobby. It's unimaginable for people who believe in Turkey's role in global balances and the honor of the profession of journalism to surrender to global lies. Just as we got rid of the roots of false news in Turkey we must eradicate it from the rest of the world as well. This is the only way to uphold the virtue of "searching for truth" which is the spirit of journalism.   If prime suspect's son-in-law is "objective" then   A conference was organized at Harvard University last week. According to the program, Orhan Kemal Cengiz was speaker. Dani Rodrik, the son-in-law of retired Gen. Çetin Doğan, a suspect in the Sledgehammer case, tried to dissuade people from listening to the writer speak at the conferences. This was not the first time he did something like this. Why? Apparently, Cengiz, who has worked as a lawyer on behalf of non-Muslim citizens who were killed in the Zirve massacre, who is known for his work on human rights and who writes for Today's Zaman, was "biased." Etyen Mahçupyan, who was earlier invited to a similar conference was also declared biased by Rodrik.   Mr. Rodrik does this all the time. He tries to prove that the Sledgehammer case is rubbish by writing for reputable newspapers and magazine. He targets the "AKP" (the acronym AKP is generally preferred by opponents of AK Party) and the community; he criticizes liberals and downgrades democrats.   So who is Rodrik? He is the son-in-law of the primary suspect in the Sledgehammer coup case. In other words, the son-in-law of a suspect can be objective, but Cengiz and Mahçupyan can't? Perhaps Rodrik's efforts to support his father-in-law are admirable, but isn't it disgraceful for him to pretend he's unbiased when he's writing articles left and write and trying to prevent people from attending a conference? A shame and an injustice   Today's Zaman parted ways with Andrew Finkel. Things like this happen in journalism. The writer either loses faith in his newspaper or the newspaper feels the writer has become detached from its publication principles. Both reasons are valid in Finkel's departure. At this point, it doesn't matter who is right. The relationship cannot be forced. The sides talk and then part ways.   Finkel was a writer I valued and followed as well. His departure saddened me, but it did not surprise me. I could see from his latest articles published in Today's Zaman that he had lost faith in the newspaper. In such cases I think an honest journalist should shake hands with the editor-in-chief after parting ways. An "I don't believe in you any more, but I am going to continue writing for you anyway" type of attitude does not befit an honorable journalist.   For some reason Finkel's departure made some journalist working for Doğan Group very happy. They wrote articles about and conducted interviews with him. We didn't say, "If you're so interested in him, give him a column." We knew they wouldn't. After all they probably didn't forget what he said about Aydın Doğan. Anyways. In his interview with Doğan Group, Finkel blamed the Zaman daily. He also said the Taraf daily was Zaman's vanguard. That was shameful, very shameful. It was an injustice to Zaman and to Taraf. Apparently, I didn't know Finkel very well.   A few days ago I learned that Finkel has started writing for the Taraf daily. Congratulations. I'm happy for him. His decision to start writing for the vanguard must be a new phase of his honorable struggle in his career. It would have been better if he had explained why Zaman and he parted ways to foreign media without distorting the facts. But let's say he said what he believed; then he should also come out and say, "Now I am working for Zaman's vanguard." Isn't this an injustice to Zaman, Taraf and journalism in general? GULEN CRY BABY AWARD goes to Ekrem Dumanli Gulenist Editor of Today's Zaman WAAMBULANCE FOR EKREM DUMANLI

Fethullah Gülen Bad news for Little Mehmet

Fethulla Gulen CNN News. Gulen Charter Schools Gulen attacks Free Press

Gulen is about censorship not dialogue, please support freedom of speech in Turkey and the 60 jailed journalists.

Istanbul, Turkey (CNN) -- The four-year investigation into an alleged plot to overthrow Turkey's government just keeps getting bigger. But as police arrest more and more journalists accused of aiding the coup plot, press freedoms groups are expressing alarm.
With more than 50 reporters currently behind bars in Turkey, activists argue freedom of expression is under fire in a country that is often promoted as a model Muslim democracy for the turbulent Middle East.
Meanwhile, many writers claim that a new taboo has emerged in this Byzantine web of politics, power and press... an enigmatic Muslim cleric who leads a vast network of international schools and businesses from his home in exile, a farm in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Last March, police swept through the Istanbul homes of two high-profile investigative journalists, seizing documents and detaining the reporters: Posta newspaper columnist Nedim Sener and online news editor Ahmet Sik.
These arrests came after police detained the editors of Oda TV, a hard-line secularist internet news portal that often criticized the government of prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The journalists have yet to be formally charged. They join hundreds of other jailed suspects awaiting trial in the sprawling investigation into "Ergenekon," an alleged gang led by ultra-secularist Turkish military officers aimed at toppling Erdogan's Islam-inspired government.
Supporters of the Ergenekon investigation argue it is "demilitarizing" Turkish society.
But the arrests have spread fear among many Turkish reporters.
On a chilly and rain-soaked day last month, several hundred journalists marched through the streets of Istanbul, waving signs saying "Hands Off My Opinion."
"We are here to protest the growing repression over Turkish media by the Turkish government for the last couple of years," said Can Dundar, a well-known columnist and anchorman for Turkey's NTV.
"We want to be free to write. We want to be free to talk and we want to be free to publish our books without any repression or fear," he added.
"At present, 57 journalists are in prison in Turkey and the number of ongoing trials that can result in imprisonment of journalists is estimated to be from 700 to 1,000," said Dunja Mijatovic, the representative on freedom of the media for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in a recent report.
Meanwhile, in a report issued this week on World Press Freedom Day, the Washington-based watchdog organization Freedom House rated Turkey "partly free." Turkey, which is currently negotiating to join the European Union, was ranked 112 out of 196 countries, next to Bangladesh, Congo-Brazzavile, and Uganda.
In an interview with CNN last November, Sener ominously predicted that he might be targeted for his criticism of the Turkish government.
"Today there is direct pressure from the political authority. They can easily corner the reporter they don't like for news they don't like and act in ways that can lead to getting fired," said Sener, who received a World Press Freedom Hero award from the International Press Institute for his book investigating the 2007 assassination of Turkish-Armenian newspaper editor Hrant Dink.
Turkish government officials deny claims the media atmosphere is growing increasingly intolerant.
"The issue here is not the big bad government trying to silence the press," wrote Egemen Bagis, Turkey's European Union integration minister, in the pro-government newspaper Today's Zaman.
"Despite the expression of concern from the highest echelons of the state on the arrest of the journalists, the prosecutors have clearly stated that they have evidence that links the journalists to the Ergenekon terrorist group," Bagis added.
Some observers, including the two recently detained reporters, have observed a pattern of arrests targeting critics of an enigmatic figure on the Turkish political scene... the influential Muslim cleric and powerful supporter of the Turkish government Fethullah Gulen.
From his home in exile on a farm in Pennsylvania, Gulen is the inspirational leader of an enormous network of schools and universities operating in more than 120 countries around the world. He speaks to his followers through a small empire of pro-Gulen newspapers, publication houses and TV stations in Turkey as well as over the internet. During his victory speech after winning a referendum on constitutional reform last year, Erdogan took care to thank his "friends across the ocean"...code-words for the Gulen movement.
"The government... and the Fethullah Gulen group are the taboos in Turkey. It is very dangerous to write about these in Turkey and I write about them," said investigative journalist Sener said in his November 2010 CNN interview.
Meanwhile, as he was being led from his house to a waiting police car, the arrested journalist Ahmet Sik yelled out to the crowd of people gathered on the street, "If you touch him, you will burn."
When he was arrested, Sik was in the midst of writing a critical book about the Gulen movement titled "The Imam's Army." Police seized his book as evidence.
Another author of a recent book slamming the Gulen movement is also behind bars. In "Devotees on the Golden Horn: Yesterday's State, Today's Religious Movement," former police commander Hanefi Avci claimed supporters of Gulen had infiltrated the Turkish police force. He also accused the "Gulenists" of illegally tapping telephones. A month after the book was published, police arrested Avci. He now stands accused of being a member of a leftist terrorist organization, a charge Avci denies.
Gulen's supporters deny claims that it is dangerous to criticize the movement in print.
"This is a smokescreen campaign and this is also a psychological war," said Professor Ihsan Yilmaz, a political scientist at the Gulen-operated Fatih University in Istanbul.
Faruk Mercan, one of Gulen's biographers, pointed out that other authors have written dozens of other critical books about the reclusive evangelist without facing prosecution. And he argued that the media had often worked in close collaboration with the Turkish military, when it overthrew four elected governments in coups over the last 60 years.
"When you look at Turkish history you can see there are very famous Turkish journalists involved in military coups," Mercan said. "Now is the time for post-modern coups in which un-armed forces like the media or civil society organizations are basically fulfilling a similar task."
After dominating Turkish politics for decades, the military and its allies in secularist political parties have has been in retreat. Since his Justice and Development Party swept to power in 2002, Turkey's fiery prime minister has repeatedly defeated his secularist opponents both at the ballot boxes and in the courts. Initially, Erdogan made joining the European Union a top national priority.
"I thought that Turkey was becoming a more liberal place," said Andrew Finkel, a Canadian journalist who has lived and worked for years in Turkey. "I thought that if you dismantle the military apparatus... that the country would be freer."
Finkel, a free-lance contributor to CNN, had to defend himself in Turkish courts in 1999 and faced a possible six-year jail sentence, after he was accused of "insulting the military" in an article he wrote. More than a decade later, Finkel said he ran afoul of the new powers-that-be that govern Turkey.
After spending the last four years writing a column for the Gulen-owned Today's Zaman, Finkel was fired last month.
He claimed he lost his job because of his last, unpublished column written in defense of the jailed journalists.
"I was criticizing my own newspaper for not being vocal enough in the defense of freedom of expression. I felt we should be doing more about people seizing books, about being more tolerant even if those books were against us," Finkel said.
The editor of Today's Zaman denied these accusations.
"No newspaper is obligated to work with all of its writers until the end of time," wrote Bulent Kenes in an editorial last month. "What has changed is that some of our writers have come under the influence of the strong and dark propaganda that is at play and have started to stagger. Unfortunately, I feel the same way about Finkel."

The stark polarization of Turkish politics and media is likely to get worse in the final weeks before parliamentary elections on June 12. Polls predict Erdogan will win a third term in office. This week, on World Press Freedom Day, Turkish journalists made another appeal to Erdogan, to better protect a fundamental democratic right.

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