A massive cleansing operation has been underway in Turkey since the July 15 coup attempt, targeting the Gulen community — now called “the Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organization” (FETO). The purge, conducted through legislative decrees made possible by the state of emergency, has landed thousands of people behind bars, including former or incumbent governors, bureaucrats, army generals, university presidents, academics, journalists and businessmen. Yet not a single known politician has been detained. This has sparked debate over the missing “political leg” and led to some intriguing developments and confessions.
Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus was among the first to bring up the issue of FETO’s political connections. “There is certainly a political leg. Which coup in Turkey has been without a political leg? All legs of the coup must be uncovered,” Kurtulmus said in a TV interview last week. Stressing he knew no names and did not allude to anyone, he added, “All these things must be investigated. The interrogations [of detainees] must be meticulously conducted and [the investigation] must go as far as it takes.”
In the same interview, Kurtulmus described democratization, pluralism and inclusivity as the best antidote of coups, and he emphasized the need “to see the state not as something to be seized but as a place to serve.” He branded Fethullah Gulen, the US-based cleric accused of masterminding the coup, as a “bloody murderer” and claimed FETO’s understanding of Islam was no different from that of the Islamic State.
It was a remarkable outburst, for the same Kurtulmus had rushed to Gulen’s defense back in 2011 when Devlet Bahceli, the head of the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), called for a ban on all activities of the community. He was not alone. Labor Minister Suleyman Soylu, Agriculture Minister Faruk Celik and former Youth and Sports Minister Suat Kilic all hit back at the MHP leader. This is just one example of how the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) viewed the Gulenists in the past. A full overview of friend-turned-foes would take volumes to narrate.
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