Foreign observers of Turkey believe in the myth that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul are at odds, even rivals — a notion that some quarters are trying to promote. As part of their perception marketing campaign, these quarters are trying to create the impression that Gul is on good terms with Fethullah Gulen and Gulenists organized within the state. The Gulenist media, too, are constantly feeding this impression, and Gulenists tell international platforms that they oppose Erdogan and have very good ties with Gul. That’s not true.

According to a source close to Gul, the president was already ill-disposed toward the Gulenists in 2009, when Erdogan tolerated their entrenchment in the state. Gul was irked by the situation and worried about Gulenist dominance in certain institutions. Yet, he chose to express his concerns in a moderate and diplomatic language.

Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay, long at loggerheads with the Gulenists, is closer to Gul than Erdogan. Any Turkish journalist is aware of the close Gul-Atalay relationship, but it is hardly known to the foreign media. Just mention Atalay’s name to a Gulenist in Turkey and you will instantly hear insults.

In Gulenist ideology, it is a serious insult to call someone pro-Iranian or a “crypto-Shiite.” The examples are abundant. The Gulenists gave bizarre reactions, even to Erdogan’s latest trip to Iran.