Does Harmony Science Academy have a connection to Fethullah Gulen?
Two Turkish journalists weigh in.
July 20, 2010
by C.A.S.I.L.I.P.S. - Citizens Against Special Interest Lobbying in Public Schools
In an article entitled "Harmony Schools answer claims" that appeared in the newspaper Odessa American on June 4, 2010, Harmony Superintendent Soner Tarim issued a flat denial of any connection to Gulen:
"Tarim said they do not discuss religion in Harmony schools and neither the schools nor the Cosmos Foundation have any ties to Gulen."
http://www.oaoa.com/news/harmony-48165-group-lot.html
This claim is refuted by writings of two Turkish journalists.
On March 4, 2009, Today's Zaman printed a summary of an article by Mahmut Ovur entitled "Why is Fethullah Gulen in Texas?" which originally appeared in the Turkish newspaper Sabah. Here is a quote:
"We are at the Turkish Olympiads in Houston, Texas, sponsored by the Cosmos foundation, a nonprofit organization that the Fethullah Gülen movement is involved in."
The original article can still be found on Sabah's website:
http://www.sabah.com.tr/Yazarlar/ovur/2009/03/03/Teksas_ta_Fethullah_Gulen_in_ne_isi_var
Sabah is a widely-read daily newspaper in Turkey.
Today's Zaman is an English-language daily newspaper in Turkey that is known to be owned by Gulen's followers.
Hikmet Cetinkaya is a columnist for one of Turkey's major national newspapers, "Cumhuriyet" ("Republic"). Below is an excerpt from his 2007 book entitled "Fethullah Gulen, ABD ve AKP." (Turkish on left, English translation on right; we have also included a snapshot of the book cover) Note his statement that "the Gulen followers have founded the Harmony Science Academy."
[Note: Cetinkaya's assertion of a relation between the CIA and Gulen may seem controversial to some here in the US. Interestingly, it is widely considered credible in Turkey and other parts of the world.]
Are the Followers of Fethullah Gulen Laundering Money?
How are the U.S. Department of Defense and the CIA using the followers of Mr. Fethullah Gulen? This is a frequently asked question. The followers of Fethullah Gulen, whose economical power allegedly exceeds 5 billion dollars, are opening schools in the U.S., Russia and Germany, and teachers with U.S. passports are teaching at their two schools in Northern Iraq. Fethullah Gulen has been living in the U.S. for eight years now. The Gulen followers who have made the U.S. their home are forming associations at the universities and opening schools. They are assisting the CIA by drawing the road map of “moderate Islam.” The Gulen followers have founded the Harmony Science Academy in Forth Worth, Texas. This academy has opened branches in four other towns in the state of Texas. The Harmony Science Academy, a “charter” school integrated within the Texas educational system (for those interested, the website of the school is http://www.hsatx.org), is providing education with emphasis on science and technology. All the expenses of the school are subsidized by the state of Texas, and the students pay no tuition. This school is in line with Fethullah Gulen. All the teachers are male and citizens of the Republic of Turkey. My source of information says, “There are also those with dual nationality among the teachers”, and added: “The salaries of these teachers are also paid by the state of Texas…” The Gulen followers who are supported in the U.S. by the CIA and the Department of Defense are using a different approach in Russia. Mr. Putin has ordered close scrutiny of the schools and companies belonging to the Gulen followers, and several schools have been shut down. The companies are being monitored too. There are claims that certain companies belonging to the Gulen followers are “laundering money” in Russia. Fethullah Gulen’s “Light Cavalry” speak at least two foreign languages and they are organized all over the world, from Russia to the U.S., from Germany to Romania, from Sub-Saharan countries to Malaysia, with the American support. The Gulen schools are not present in Egypt, Syria, Sudan, Iran, Algeria and Libya only. But the countries I listed are countries governed according to the Islamic laws. Then, why cannot the Gulen followers enter these countries? Years ago, Fethullah Gulen was a promoter of the “Turkish-Islamic synthesis” who adopted “chauvinistic nationalism.” After 1990, he underwent a transformation and started to promote the “Americanist Islamic Model”, just like Mr. Esad Cosan, the Nakshi sheik. Gulen and Cosan supported Mr. Turgut Ozal’s ANAP Party in the 1983 elections. After the February 28 Memorandum, Esad Cosan, a Nakshi, escaped to Australia while Fethullah Gulen, a follower of the Nur sect, escaped to the U.S. Esad Cosan was killed, along with his son-in-law Ali Yucel Uyarel, in a traffic accident in 2001. The Nakshis and the Gulen followers, just like the followers of the Suleyman sect, are enemies of the secular and democratic Republic and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. These three sects have never been able to get along well. The representatives of these three communities that hold the ministerial offices under the AKP government or have been elected members of parliament would not even allow an eye contact with those who belong to the parties originating from the “National Vision” manifesto. When the Higher Education Council (YOK) was assigned to select the students who would be sent abroad to pursue master’s or Ph.D. degrees on state scholarships, the Minister of Education, Mr. Huseyin Celik, intervened and said that “he will make the selection himself, which will give twenty-five percent weight to the interview.” * * * I am absolutely sure that when the Ministry of Education selects and sends the university graduates of the “Golden Generation”, educated by the “Light Cavalry”, abroad, this is a message they send to Fethullah Gulen: “Worry not, Master, your disciples are doing exactly as you said…” The doors are “opened wide” to the young Gulen followers who speak foreign languages, in spite of YOK’s resistance! The “religious sectarian structure” capturing the state manifests itself in every aspect of life. The imams are first appointed as “teachers of religion”, and then they are appointed as heads of medical establishments. And the public is merely an observer. While the “religious sectarian discussions” on TV channels are just bringing grist to the mill… |