ISTANBUL — Since the massive corruption scandal broke out on Dec. 17, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been covertly blaming the Fethullah Gulen religious movement — better known as the Cemaat — painting it as a subcontractor of the United States and Israel, accusing it of engaging in a conspiracy to remove him from power. He even accused the Cemaat — without openly stating its name — of establishing a “state within the state,” and vowed not to allow it to supersede government authority. In short, there is an undeclared but open war between the Erdogan camp and the Cemaat.
Therefore, Al-Monitor decided to interview investigative journalist Nedim Sener. He argues that he has been targeted by the Cemaat and fell victim to a plot by its members in the police and the judiciary, who have tied him to the infamous Ergenekon case, where military officers, intellectuals and other civilians have been convicted of establishing a terrorist organization to bring down the Erdogan government. During those days, the Erdogan camp and the Cemaat were in a relationship of convenience to finish off the military’s tutelage, and Erdogan certainly did not experience discomfort with the Cemaat’s establishment in state institutions. In fact, the Cemaat lived its best years in state institutions since the Erdogan government came to power.
