Comments on Coup Attempt From Fethullah Gülen

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Gülen Movement leader, US based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen, answering the questions of journalists in a press statement in his house in the United States has denied coup attempt accusations.

Upon being asked “Have your followers played any role in the attempt in Turkey”,  Gülen has answered;

“I actually don’t know my followers. There might be some who have sympathy for what has been done. But I’m telling you honestly, I don’t know even one percent of my followers. I have to know my followers to be able to say whether they have played a role. Those who are allergic against someone can have sympathy for others for that reason. This could be CHP (Republican People’s Party), MHP (Nationalist Movement Party), it could be you or me. I have been in this country for 15-16 years and did not have the opportunity to follow what has been going on there closely”.

Gülen has added; “I have never considered military intervention a positive thing. Democracy cannot be realized that way”.

To the question “There are some remarks in certain media organs, that [President Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan has let this scenario get performed in order to increase his power within the military. What do you think about these?” Gülen has responded;

“Saying that this is a scenario would be a lie for the faithful [Muslims], it would be a slander. But if there are some people who are making such comments referring to what has happened in the past, I can’t say anything against that. [...] We have often experienced that leaders in the world have named and presented opponents in their own favor and attempted conspiracies but claiming that these have done the same thing based on that would be slander, like others do. [...] (ÇT/DG)