How Gulenists played the Kurd card to gain academic influence
Dicle University's reputation as an academic hub for the Gulenist movement made it one of the Turkish government's first targets after the abortive July 15 coup.
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey — As the Turkish government continues its purge of alleged coup plotters in the Fethullah Gulen movement, many people are asking: How did Dicle University become a sanctuary for the movement?
Dicle University was one of the government's first targets after the failed July 15 coup. Five days after the attempt, university President Aysegul Jale Sarac was detained and then arrested. Then 15 others were detained — six of them, including some of the school's top names, were arrested.
A bit of history is needed to understand why this university in the predominately Kurdish area of Diyarbakir province suddenly became the primary target of security operations.
When Sarac was named president in 2008, Dicle University became synonymous with the Gulen movement. All of Diyarbakir was aware of it, but no action was taken and there was no reaction from the government. Only in December 2013, when conflict surfaced between the government and the Gulenists, did the university first come under scrutiny.
