

Currently released so far... 12648 / 251,287
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
2011/05/01
2011/05/02
2011/05/03
2011/05/04
2011/05/05
2011/05/06
2011/05/07
2011/05/08
2011/05/09
2011/05/10
2011/05/11
2011/05/12
2011/05/13
2011/05/14
2011/05/15
2011/05/16
2011/05/17
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy Niamey
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sapporo
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
AORC
AF
AU
ASEC
AMGT
AS
APER
AR
AG
ARF
AJ
AA
AINF
APECO
AODE
ABLD
AMG
ATPDEA
AE
AEMR
AMED
AGAO
AFIN
AL
ASUP
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
AID
ASCH
AM
AORL
ASEAN
APEC
ADM
AFSI
AFSN
ADCO
ABUD
AN
AY
AIT
AGR
ACOA
ANET
ASIG
AMCHAMS
AGMT
AADP
ADPM
ATRN
ALOW
ACS
APCS
AFFAIRS
ADANA
AECL
ACAO
AORG
AROC
AO
ACABQ
AX
AMEX
AFGHANISTAN
AZ
AND
ARM
AQ
ATFN
AMBASSADOR
ACBAQ
AC
AUC
ASEX
AER
AVERY
AGRICULTURE
AFU
BR
BTIO
BY
BO
BA
BU
BL
BN
BM
BF
BEXP
BK
BG
BB
BTIU
BBSR
BRUSSELS
BD
BIDEN
BE
BH
BILAT
BC
BX
BT
BP
BMGT
BWC
CS
CA
CH
CD
CO
CE
CU
CVIS
CASC
CJAN
CI
CPAS
CMGT
CDG
CIC
CAC
CBW
CWC
COUNTER
CW
CT
CY
CNARC
CACM
CG
CB
CM
CV
CIDA
CLINTON
CHR
COE
CR
CIS
CDC
CONS
CF
CODEL
COPUOS
CIA
CFED
CARSON
CL
CROS
CAPC
CTR
CACS
CN
CBSA
CEUDA
COM
CONDOLEEZZA
CICTE
COUNTRY
CBE
CKGR
CVR
COUNTERTERRORISM
CITEL
CLEARANCE
CARICOM
CSW
CITT
CDB
CJUS
CTM
CAN
CLMT
CBC
EAID
ECON
EFIS
ETRD
EC
ENRG
EINV
EFIN
EAGR
ETTC
ECPS
EINT
ES
EIND
EAIR
EU
EUN
EG
EPET
ELAB
EWWT
EMIN
ECIN
ESA
ER
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
EAIG
ET
ETRO
ELTN
EI
EN
EUR
EK
EUMEM
EPA
ENGR
EXTERNAL
EUREM
ELN
EUC
ENERG
ENIV
EZ
ERD
EFTA
ETRC
ETRN
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EEPET
EUNCH
ESENV
ENNP
ENVI
ETRDECONWTOCS
ECINECONCS
EFINECONCS
ELECTIONS
ENVR
EXIM
ERNG
ECA
EINVEFIN
ETC
EAP
ECONOMY
EINN
ECONOMIC
EXBS
ECUN
ENGY
ECONOMICS
EIAR
EINDETRD
ECONEFIN
EURN
EDU
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ECIP
EFIM
EAIDS
EREL
EINVETC
ECONCS
ETRA
IC
IV
IAEA
IR
IO
IT
IN
IS
IZ
IMO
IPR
IWC
ICAO
ILO
ID
ICTY
ICJ
INMARSAT
INDO
IL
IMF
IRS
IQ
IA
ICRC
IDA
IAHRC
IBRD
ISLAMISTS
IGAD
ILC
ITU
ITF
INRA
INRO
IDP
ICTR
IEFIN
IRC
ITRA
ITALY
INRB
INTELSAT
IBET
IRAQI
ISRAELI
IIP
ITPGOV
ITALIAN
INTERNAL
INTERPOL
IEA
INR
IZPREL
IRAJ
IF
ITPHUM
ISRAEL
IACI
KBTR
KPAO
KOMC
KCRM
KDEM
KHIV
KBIO
KTIA
KMDR
KNNP
KSCA
KTIP
KWMN
KIPR
KCOR
KRVC
KFRD
KPAL
KWBG
KE
KTDB
KUNR
KSPR
KJUS
KGHG
KAWC
KCFE
KGCC
KOLY
KSUM
KACT
KISL
KTFN
KFLU
KSTH
KMPI
KHDP
KS
KHLS
KMRS
KID
KN
KU
KAWK
KSAC
KCOM
KAID
KIRC
KWMNCS
KMCA
KNEI
KCRS
KPKO
KICC
KPOA
KV
KDRG
KIRF
KSEO
KVPR
KSEP
KTER
KBCT
KFIN
KGIC
KCIP
KZ
KG
KWAC
KRAD
KPRP
KTEX
KNAR
KPLS
KPAK
KSTC
KFLO
KSCI
KIDE
KOMS
KHSA
KSAF
KPWR
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KFSC
KRIM
KVRP
KENV
KNSD
KCGC
KDDG
KPRV
KTBT
KWMM
KMFO
KMOC
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KPAI
KO
KVIR
KREC
KX
KR
KCRCM
KBTS
KOCI
KGIT
KNUP
KPAONZ
KNUC
KNNPMNUC
KERG
KTLA
KCSY
KTRD
KNPP
KJUST
KCMR
KRCM
KCFC
KCHG
KREL
KFTFN
KLIG
KDEMAF
KICA
KHUM
KSEC
KPIN
KESS
KDEV
KWWMN
KOM
KWNM
KRFD
KMIG
KRGY
KIFR
MARR
MOPS
MASS
MX
MNUC
MCAP
MO
MR
MEPP
MTCRE
MAPP
MEPN
MZ
MT
ML
MA
MY
MIL
MD
MASSMNUC
MU
MK
MTCR
MUCN
MAS
MEDIA
MAR
MC
MI
MQADHAFI
MPOS
MTRE
MASC
MG
MARAD
MRCRE
MW
MP
MOPPS
MTS
MLS
MILI
MEPI
MEETINGS
MERCOSUR
MCC
MIK
MAPS
MV
MILITARY
MDC
NATO
NZ
NL
NO
NK
NU
NPT
NI
NG
NEW
NSF
NA
NPG
NSG
NE
NSSP
NS
NDP
NSC
NAFTA
NH
NV
NP
NPA
NSFO
NT
NW
NASA
NORAD
NATIONAL
NGO
NR
NIPP
NZUS
NC
NRR
NAR
NATOPREL
OEXC
OTRA
OPRC
OVIP
OAS
OIIP
OSCE
OREP
OPIC
OFDP
OMIG
ODIP
OVP
OSCI
OIC
OECD
OIE
OPDC
ON
OCII
OPAD
OBSP
OFFICIALS
OPCW
OHUM
OES
OCS
OTR
OSAC
OFDA
PGOV
PREL
PM
PHUM
PTER
PINR
PINS
PREF
PARM
PL
PK
PU
PBTS
PBIO
PHSA
PE
PO
PROP
PA
PNAT
POL
PLN
POLITICAL
PARTIES
PCUL
PAK
PGGV
PAO
PSA
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PAS
PGIV
PHUMPREL
PCI
PG
POGOV
PHUMPGOV
PEL
POLITICS
POLICY
PINL
PP
PREO
PAHO
PBT
PMIL
POV
PRL
PDOV
PTBS
PRAM
PREFA
PSI
PAIGH
POSTS
PALESTINIAN
PARMS
PROG
PTERE
PRGOV
PORG
PS
PGOF
PKFK
PSOE
PEPR
PPA
PINT
PMAR
PRELP
PINF
PNG
PFOR
PUNE
PGOVLO
PHUMBA
PSEPC
PNR
POLINT
PGOVE
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PDEM
PECON
PROV
PGOC
PY
PHUH
PF
PHUS
RU
RS
RO
RW
RP
RFE
REGION
REACTION
REPORT
ROOD
RCMP
RM
RSO
ROBERT
RICE
RSP
RF
RIGHTS
RIGHTSPOLMIL
RUPREL
RELATIONS
SENV
SU
SCUL
SOCI
SNAR
SL
SW
SMIG
SP
SY
SA
SHUM
SZ
SYRIA
SF
SR
SO
SARS
SN
SC
SIPRS
SI
SYR
SEVN
SG
SPCE
SK
STEINBERG
SH
SNARCS
SAARC
SCRS
SENVKGHG
SAN
ST
SIPDIS
SNARIZ
SNARN
SSA
SPCVIS
SOFA
SEN
SANC
SWE
SHI
TW
TU
TBIO
TSPL
TPHY
TRGY
TC
TT
TSPA
TINT
TERRORISM
TX
TR
TS
TN
TD
TH
TIP
TNGD
TI
TZ
THPY
TP
TBID
TF
TL
TV
TK
TO
TRSY
TURKEY
TFIN
TAGS
UN
UK
UNSC
UNGA
US
UNESCO
UP
UNHRC
UNAUS
USTR
UNDP
UNEP
UY
UNCHR
UG
UZ
UNPUOS
USEU
UNMIK
UNDC
UNICEF
UV
UNHCR
UNCHC
UNCSD
USOAS
UNFCYP
USUN
USNC
UNIDROIT
UNO
UNCND
USPS
USAID
UE
UNVIE
UAE
UNODC
UNCHS
UNFICYP
UNDESCO
UNC
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 08ANKARA1331, TURKISH GULENIST SCHOOLS: "BE EVERYWHERE OR BE
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #08ANKARA1331.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
08ANKARA1331 | 2008-07-25 10:01 | 2011-03-17 15:00 | CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN | Embassy Ankara |
Appears in these articles: http://www.taraf.com.tr/haber/abd-belgelerinde-fethullah-gulen.htm |
VZCZCXRO6073
PP RUEHDU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHROV RUEHSR
RUEHTRO
DE RUEHAK #1331/01 2071001
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 251001Z JUL 08 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6943
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J-3/J-5// PRIORITY
RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001331
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/03/2018
TAGS: PGOV PHUM SCUL SOCI TU
SUBJECT: TURKISH GULENIST SCHOOLS: "BE EVERYWHERE OR BE
NOWHERE"
Classified By: Political Counselor Daniel J. O'Grady, reasons 1.4 (b,d)
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. Gulenist-administered Turkish schools are
inspired by the same humanistic philosophy no matter where
they operate in Turkey or the world, according to teachers
and students at a leading Gulenist math and science school in
Ankara. The teachers underscored that these schools must
adhere to the education system of the host country, while the
students emphasized the full-time attention the teachers at
their schools provide them and their families. The
opportunity to study and teach abroad is a major attraction
for many, both students and teachers alike. The Gulenist
communities on campuses in cities hosting Turkey's major
universities are a key source of recruitment for new
teachers, central to advancing Fetullah Gulen's humanistic
"movement." The schools are already well established in
Turkey, with growth now focused on the country's East.
Overseas, the schools are concentrated in Africa, Central
Asia and the Balkans, but are also found in the United States
and elsewhere. The Gulenists plan continued growth.
According to Gulen, in order to open up to humanity, one must
be everywhere. END SUMMARY.
¶2. (SBU) We met recently on two occasions with
administrators, teachers and students at Ankara's Samanyolu
High School, one of Turkey's leading math and science
schools, administered by a Fetullah Gulen
community-associated foundation. According to the teachers,
eight of Turkey's one hundred top math and science high
school graduates came out of Samanyolu last year, including
the top math and science graduate in the country. (There
were approximately 1.5 million Turkish high school graduates
in 2007.) Many Samanyolu boarding students come from
Turkey's provincial cities, and the school also hosts a
number of foreign students on exchange programs. A large
percentage of Samanyolu teachers, including those we spoke
to, have taught abroad.
"AFFECTION FOR HUMANITY IS OUR PHILOSOPHY"
------------------------------------------
¶3. (SBU) The Samanyolu teachers we met with, Mehmet and
Servet, had previously taught in Ukraine and Vietnam
respectively, before returning to Turkey. They emphasized
that their schools strictly follow the educational system of
the host countries. Most programs are taught in English or
the local language; Turkish history and religion is not
taught abroad, and Turkish language is only an elective at
some schools in some countries. Thumbing through pictures
from schools in Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine, we noted that many of
the teachers appeared to be local and mixed-gender (unlike
this particular Samanyolu school, which is all male). Mehmet
and Servet emphasized that most teachers are, in fact, local
residents and not Fetullah Gulen adherents. The common
denominator, they said, is a love for humanity.
¶4. (SBU) Both teachers noted that cultural adaptation for
Turkish teachers is not easy, and often takes time, but they
stressed their enthusiasm for learning the local culture and
getting to know students' families quickly dispels any
prejudices and concerns among the local people. Servet noted
that in former Soviet republics, Turks continue to face
prejudices deriving from the Soviet legacy where Turkey was
degraded as part of the West and Turkish culture as
dangerous, but the animosity, he said, is lessening. Mehmet
joked about how intelligence officers in Kazakhstan had been
parked outside a Turkish school each day when it first
opened, but then went on to enroll their kids there.
¶5. (SBU) One student, Salum, from Tanzania, recalled when
the Turkish teachers came to Tanzania in 1998. There was a
huge desperation for schools, but a concern existed about
whether these foreigners would seek to impose a foreign
culture on the students. Soon, the school's teachers were
warmly welcomed and celebrated in the community. Compared to
Tanzanian teachers, who he said are often aggressive, he
found his Turkish teachers to be calm and patient. Moreover,
enrollment at a Turkish school meant you could successfully
complete your exams without having to pay corrupt public
school teachers for private tutoring. Salum, who is 23,
recently completed one year of Turkish language training at
Gazi University, and intends to begin studying math at
Ankara's prestigious English-language Middle East Technical
ANKARA 00001331 002 OF 003
University (METU). His experience, he said, has instilled in
him a desire to serve his country and be a teacher, and
perhaps even Education Minister one day.
BUILDING A "MOVEMENT"
---------------------
¶6. (SBU) Salum's experience, along with that of another
student with whom we met, Bedar, an Albanian graduate of a
Turkish high school currently studying at Hacettepe
University in Ankara, illustrated how the schools' graduates
grow the Gulenist movement worldwide. University students,
like Salum and Bedar, coming from provincial Anatolia or
abroad, are often in need of housing when they attend Turkish
universities in Istanbul, Ankara and other large cities. On
the campuses of these cities there are Gulenist communities.
According to the Samanyolu teachers, the students lodge with
these communities, eventually become "members," join "the
education department," and go abroad as teachers.
¶7. (SBU) Gulenist schools are well established in Turkey and
the procedures for opening a new school are clear, Servet
told us; there are about 300 in operation. The number of
schools in eastern Turkey is growing, but there is no fixed
geographic plan, only "to be everywhere," he said. Local
businessmen facilitate new school openings. For example,
there are numerous schools in commercial centers, like Konya,
Antalya and Istanbul, whereas in Van there is only one. But
the teachers noted proudly that there is now one Gulenist
school in almost every Turkish province. Mehmet underscored
Fetullah Gulen's teaching philosophy that instructs his
followers to "open up to humanity." "Whomever is not
everywhere is nowhere," Mehmet said, quoting Gulen. "You
must be globalized to be localized." Servet added that
teaching is "an activity that places humanity at its center,"
allowing Gulen's followers to set good examples and implement
Gulen's philosophy. The philosophy is more important than
the technique, said Servet.
¶8. (SBU) According to Servet, tuition at top-performing
Gulenist schools in Turkey (about $10,000 per year) is
generally less than at other private schools in Turkey, even
as the schools offer instruction in English and their
graduates generally out-perform other students in Turkey.
Scholarships are available, and many of the schools target
underprivileged students and neighborhoods, both in Turkey
and abroad (though Gulenist schools often educate the middle
class and elite in countries outside of Turkey). We met one
American citizen high school student of Albanian descent who
is on a three-week exchange, residing with the Turkish family
of a Samanyolu student. He described positively his
experience at a Turkish-run math and science academy in
Chicago. His school primarily serves African-American
students and students of Mexican descent, he said. He
emphasized the importance his teachers place on traveling and
competing in math and science fairs, which he said he and his
colleagues often win. Turkish is an elective at his school,
but other foreign languages are also taught.
NO STRONG TIES BETWEEN GOVERNMENT
AND GULENIST SCHOOLS
---------------------------------
¶9. (SBU) The teachers described a lack of official ties
between their schools abroad, the local Turkish Embassy and
local representatives of other Turkish government agencies,
such as the Turkish Agency for International Development
(TIKA). The local Turkish Ambassador will often attend
school ceremonies and graduations, but that is about the
extent of the relationship. In fact, in many of the
countries where Gulenist schools operate, such as in
Afghanistan, the Turkish Ministry of Education administers an
official Turkish state school. Mehmet noted, however, that
TIKA, for the first time last year, co-sponsored the sixth
annual "Turkish Language Olympics," which brings Turkish
language students from around the world to Turkey, indicating
a renewed GOT interest in these schools' capacity to help
promote Turkish culture, even if it is not a primary
objective. (NOTE: The GOT will sometimes cite indirectly
Gulenist schools -- euphemistically known as "Turkish NGO
schools" -- in their statistics describing Turkish
development assistance abroad. END NOTE.) One exception to
the non-official nature of these schools abroad is northern
Iraq, according to Mehmet. There, the GOT has sought to
ANKARA 00001331 003 OF 003
engage more directly with the schools. He noted that Barzani
and Talabani grandchildren all attend Gulenist schools in
northern Iraq, as do Iraqi Arab, Turkmen and other Kurdish
students.
"THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL MOVEMENT"
----------------------------------
¶10. (SBU) Asked why suspicion of the Gulenist community
exists in Turkey, Mehmet replied that those who accuse Gulen
of surreptitious activities are projecting their own fears
and intentions on him. "I am as I look and I will be the
same," he said, quoting the Mevlana. There is no evidence of
Gulen or his supporters trying to direct politics, he
stressed; this is not a political movement, but a way of
life. "It is only a political problem for certain people."
Mehmet did not shrink away from describing the Gulenist
movement as an "Islamic movement," but noted that its
philosophy stands in contrast to radicalism or
fundamentalism. For example, the movement is restricted by
the governments of Syria and Iran from operating schools
there. Emphasizing the movement's humanistic aspect, he said
Gulen's followers do not preach religious teaching; they only
try to set an example through their lifestyles. (NOTE: In
response to suspicions about the schools, Gulen has said he
would not oppose the state taking over the financing and/or
direct operation of (his movement's) educational activities,
so long as the activities somehow continue. END NOTE.)
¶11. (SBU) Commenting on the ongoing political upheavals in
Turkey, Servet expressed a note of confidence. The Turkish
nation, he said, bounces back quickly from every political or
economic crisis. A political party (i.e., AKP) might be
closed, but better days are on the horizon, followed by
economic growth. Mehmet added that Turkish society is active
and lively, while the state is moribund. This will change
and democracy will succeed. If the EU process is pursued
actively, he said, Turkey will achieve this more quickly.
The government, he opined, slowed down the EU process; if it
had not, Turkey would not be facing the problems it is today.
Both teachers expressed a sense of admiration for the
American political system, observing that whichever political
party is elected, there is a fundamental consensus in the
U.S. about the country's principles and values.
COMMENT:
"DON'T TRUST THE MAN WHO ONLY READS ONE BOOK"
---------------------------------------------
¶12. (C) Samanyolu High School teachers and administrators
have undoubtedly much to be proud of. Their students are
high-achievers; their facility, compared to the average
Turkish public school, is first rate; and they have promoted
valuable -- and rare -- cross cultural exchanges among Turks
and the rest of the world, especially in the developing
world. Given this and other Gulenist schools' concrete,
positive achievements, it is difficult to see how the
schools, or the Gulenist movement of which they are the
vanguard, constitute any threat to Turkey's secular
democratic order. But suspicions run deep among Turks
outside the movement, even among those without a strong
secular pre-disposition. One Ankara University professor, an
ethnic Uighur with whom we recently spoke, who is familiar
with the work of Gulenist schools in Central Asia, offered an
old Chinese saying: "Don't trust the man who reads only one
book." Gulenist school students, especially those who are
boarding away from home, have their reading and television
strictly controlled, he said. He recalled an academic
colleague who sent his son to a Gulenist school. The son has
excelled in physics, but he now, for example, criticizes the
father for drinking raki at dinner (a national pastime for
Turks), and the father laments that he has lost his son.
Analogies between Gulen and the Ayatollah Khomenei, the
professor suggested, are misplaced. Gulenists do not seek to
dramatically overthrow Turkey's secular order; the change
they seek is within.
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey
WILSON