Talking With The Religious Terrorist That Turkey Wants Trump To Extradite

[rug]

BY MARK JUERGENSMEYER
JANUARY 12, 2017

WWho would have thought that a Turkish cleric living in Eastern Pennsylvania would present the Trump administration with one of its first foreign policy challenges. But Turkey wants Fethullah Gulen extradited to face charges that he was involved in the failed coup attempt against the Turkish strong man, Recip Erdogan, several months ago. And Trump’s national security advisor, General Michael Flynn, a former Turkish lobbyist, has suggested that this will be on the top of the agenda for the new foreign policy team.

The extradition will likely trigger a storm of protest from human rights activists around the world because a conviction of Gulen by Turkish courts will be seen as a sham justification for Erdogan’s attempt to purge Turkey of his political opponents. Since the coup Erdogan has rounded up tens of thousands of journalists, teachers, lawyers, police, and others thought to be sympathetic to the Gulen movement.

Since I have made it my habit to study the intersection of religion and politics around the world, Gulen was clearly someone I would like to meet. Recently, I had a chance to do just that.

My visit with Gulen in December 2016 was arranged by people in the movement associated with his teachings—the Hizmet (“service”) movement—who knew that I was interested in meeting him. (Full disclosure: since I had already planned to be on the East Coast on that day, the movement did not provide for my airfare or any compensation for this visit, aside from an omelette at an I-Hop on the road from Newark airport). Three other scholars were also invited to the meeting; we were a group of Christians, Jews, and Muslims.

http://religiondispatches.org/talking-with-the-religious-terrorist-that-turkey-wants-trump-to-extradite/

[struggle4progress]

1. He's been in the US since 1999

... Gülen tells his followers, “Studying physics, mathematics, and chemistry is worshipping God.” In turn, his supporters have built more than 1,000 schools around the world ...