Fethullah Gulen is a Turkish Islamic scholar who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania. Followers are generally referred to as the Gulen Movement. There's growing concern about his movement and possible connections to Gulen-inspired charter schools in America. There may be four in Oklahoma.
On March 11th, a story appeared in the Hurriyet Daily News titled FBI investigating Gülen schools in US:
The FBI and other U.S. federal agencies have been investigating whether a Turkish religious community operating hundreds of schools worldwide is involved in visa fraud to bring teachers from Turkey to the United States.
The claim was made in a broad analysis by the Philadelphia Enquirer on religious leader Fethullah Gülen, who the paper describes as “a major Islamic political figure in Turkey,” and the more than 120 charter schools in the United States that are are linked to his movement..."
Based on a "broad analysis" the paper claimed there may be a connection to the Gulen movement and a good number of charter schools across America. In an April 4, 2011 article at Philly.com, WikiLeaks files detail U.S. unease over Turks and charter schools there's more eye-opening information:
Classified documents recently released by WikiLeaks recount U.S. officials' growing concern over large numbers of Turkish men seeking visas to work at American charter schools founded by followers of Fethullah Gulen, a powerful Turkish Muslim political figure who lives in the Poconos.
"Gulen supporters account for an increasing proportion of [the] . . . nonimmigrant visa applicant pool," a consular official in Istanbul, Turkey, wrote in 2006, according to one of the documents posted by WikiLeaks two weeks ago.
...Gulen, who is in his early 70s, lives in self-imposed exile in an enclave in Saylorsburg, Pa. A federal judge in Philadelphia granted Gulen a green card in 2008 after Gulen appealed a Department of Homeland Security ruling that he did not meet the criteria to qualify as an "alien of extraordinary ability."
...Many scholars consider Gulen's movement a peaceable, moderate strain of Islam, and the federal inquiries have nothing to do with terrorism.
...In Turkey, however, Gulen's followers have been accused of pushing for an authoritarian Islamic state.
...A disaffected former Turkish teacher who had worked at one of Gulen's charter schools told federal authorities that the movement had divided the United States into five regions. A general manager in each coordinates the activities of the schools and related foundations and cultural centers.
The former teacher also provided a document called a tuzuk, which resembles a contract and prescribes how much money teachers employed on H1-B visas are supposed to return to Hizmet.
According to a website which I have no way of knowing is providing accurate information, at this point, the List of Gulen linked-U.S. Schools includes four in Oklahoma operated by the Sky Foundation which is located in Oklahoma City:
Organization: Sky Foundation
- Discovery School of Tulsa http://www.discoveryok.org/
- Dove Science Academy- Oklahoma City http://www.dsaokc.org/
- Dove Science Academy Elementary School http://www.dsaelementary.org/
- Dove Science Academy-Tulsa http://dsatulsa.org/
The president of the board of education for these schools is listed on one of the school's websites to be Dr. Bilal Erturk who also appears to be an OSU professor who has the exact same name. Erturk participated in a Tulsa Interfaith panel discussion called Clash of Civilizations in March of 2010 where he praised Gulen influenced schools as a solution to ignorance:
"...Erturk focused on the need to start with the youth of the world to navigate away from conflict. He gave examples of Gulen inspired schools in the Philippines and Bosnia where children of different cultures, religions and ethnicity learn and grow together. He believes examples such as these will serve an an antidote to the ignorance and misunderstanding that Dr. Randle highlighted..."
Hummm...
Erturk is also listed as the president of Sky Foundation in a 2009 letter of intent to apply for an open-enrollment charter school in Arkansas that was denied a few months later.
A 2006 Fethullah Gulen Conference was held at the University of Oklahoma to promote his movement!
An unfortunate and tragic crime took place at the Dove Academy in Tulsa in 2008 when an 11 year-old student was raped by a 17 year old who plead guilty to the crime last year. In October of 2009 the Tulsa School Board voted to end their sponsorship of Dove Science Academy in Tulsa over deficiencies but approved it for a one year period in Jan 2010. Today, the school is sponsored by Langston University.
And for some reason, Carla Hinton, the religious editor for the Oklahoman was interviewed in 2008 by the Gulen Movement which is on the Gulen Movement's YouTube page and titled it as if she was talking about the movement.
Today, NewsOK posted a story, Schools' backers say Islamic ties pose no threat, about these schools in Oklahoma. The Sky Foundation, it turns out,was started in 2000 by five Turkish graduate students. These schools apparently receive tax-payer money to operate, folks. So, it's possible many foreign teachers could be brought into Oklahoma on the tax payer dime:
"...Those teachers, along with many others on the school's four campuses, came to America on H-1B visas. Federal law allows employers unable to find qualified American employees to fill positions with foreign labor through a visa application process.
"...Last year, according to U.S. Department of Labor records, Sky and its charter schools had 53 H-1B visa applications, of which eight were withdrawn or denied and 45 were certified. The certified applications were sent to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Department of State for further approval. Some were approved, others not..."
Defenders of the charter schools in question claim it's just the far-right freaks who are making up allegations.
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Also see:
Gulen Charter School Investigated by the FBI WJIAC TV (PA)
"...local teachers were let go to bring in foreign teachers...
Gulen Charter School Investigated by FBI PT 2
Second International Conference on Islam in the Contemporary World: The Fethullah Gülen Movement in Thought and Practice from Fethullah Gülen Dr. Sheryl L. Santos Texas Tech University (conference held at the University of Oklahoma 2006)
A Guide to the Gulen Movement's Activities in the US
Gülen movement an enigmatic mix of Turkish nationalism, religion, education
Hey, you know what's interesting? Your blog has no impact on the real world, and never will. Have fun being a voice in the wilderness, it may distract you from not having a job. Years from now no one will ever remember anything you wrote, because nothing you wrote has any lasting value. When was the last time one of your articles aided our law enforcement agencies? Seriously, I'm asking you. When did your blog ever stop an act of terrorism, indirectly or directly?
The saddest thing is that there are real problems facing Oklahoma - rampant meth use, domestic violence, skyrocketing divorce rates, bridges and roads falling apart, schools consistently at the bottom of the country, a broken health care system, tens of thousands of people on food stamps - and you choose to contribute to society by shrieking about secret Islamists. God help you. I'm secure in knowing that you basically wasted years of your life writing hit pieces that didn't serve any purpose. For the record, I am a parent of two children who graduated from DSA and now have good jobs, making positive contributions to their fellow man. I wish I could say the same of you.
Posted by: lol | May 02, 2011 at 03:45 AM
Use the Gulen Movement does operate in Oklahoma their schools are called Dove Science Academy and Discovery Schools. They were slated to close about 2 years ago as their was a rape on campus (in the bathroom) of a 12 year old girl and they also had horrid financial mismanagement.
But they managed to do the Gulen side shuffle and were granted a 1 year probation.
This group is slippery but slick, they have admitted their affliation with exiled Islamic Imam Fethullah Gulen but are spinning it as "but we pose no threat"
Hizmet or Gulen Movment are manipulators and have a reason for every move they make.
Please do your research. This Oklahoma brance is part of Cosmos foundation in Texas. But there are many Gulen NGOS. Raindrop Turkish House is the one that sends polticians to Turkey for free.
http://www.gulencharterschools.weebly.com
http://www.turkishinvitations.weebly.com
http://www.charterschoolscandals.blogspot.com
http://www.gulencharterschoolsusa.blogspot.com
Posted by: GooseNetworkUSA | May 03, 2011 at 05:41 AM
To the interesting poster above. You know what is REALLY interesting? Is how the Gulen Schools are so poorly run and insignificant they are being shut down in; Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Greece, Russia and under investigation in Moldive, Netherlands, Canada and much more.
They were DENIED expansions in Colorado, Louisana, Arkansas, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, and more.
http://www.gulenschoolsworldwide.blogspot.com
Read more about the insignificant followers of Hizmet they are like sheep BAAAAAAAAA BBAAAA
Posted by: GooseNetworkUSA | May 03, 2011 at 05:45 AM
To the writer of the first comment. First of all you are NOT a parent of two children of DSA. You are an employee of the Gulenist Charter School. Remember me? I can tell by your writing style that you are the one creep who had given me the DEATH THREAT on Tucson's Craiglist for posting on the Gulen Movement. Good to know that you are so diligent in your insults. FOLKS this is just but one example of there use of deciption, pretending to parents on comment sections defending the school the other is threats and intimadation. They will be nice your face but stab you in the back if question the school and or talk about there Baba Gulen. Seriously why would anyone send there kids to this school when they behaive and act like this adults? Nice try Gulenist but let be it known, all eyes are upon you. Your tactics of deception and threats are of no use. We are on to you and stratigies.
Posted by: ohohmrbill | May 04, 2011 at 02:24 PM
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/05/06/turkey.press.freedom/
Turkish Journalists Jailed and the Gulen Movement's control of media.
CNN
Posted by: GooseNetworkUSA | May 06, 2011 at 05:23 PM
islam is dangerous no matter how it is packaged and the "gulen" schools are a propaganda front for islam. muslims do not assimilate into western society, islam is a theocracy and demands supremacy
the twin fogs of political correctness & ignorance must be dispelled before western society realizes what a menace islam & muslims are. even a brief review of islamic theology & history quickly exposes the evil roots of this deadly ideology
see the links in the pdf version below for more accurate info about islam
==========
islam is a horrible ideology for human rights
5 key things about islam
1. mythical beliefs - all religions have these (faith) because its part of being a religion: having beliefs without proof until after the believer dies. the problem is people will believe almost anything.
2. totalitarianism - islam has no seperation of church and state: sharia law governs all. there is no free will in islam: only submission to the will of allah as conveniently determined by the imams who spew vapors to feather their own nests. there are no moderate muslims: they all support sharia law.
3. violence - islam leads the pack of all religions in violent tenets for their ideology & history: having eternal canonical imperatives for supremacy at all costs and calling for violence & intimidation as basic tools to achieve these goals.
4. dishonesty - only islam has dishonesty as a fundamental tenet: this stems from allah speaking to mohamhead & abrogation in the koran which is used to explain how mo's peaceful early life was superseded by his warlord role later.
5. misogyny - present day islam is still rooted in 8th century social ethics: treating females as property of men good only for children, severely limiting their activities, dressing them in shower curtains and worse.
conclusions ??
there really are NO redeeming qualities for this muddled pile of propaganda.
islam is just another fascist totalitarian ideology used by power hungry fanatics on yet another quest for worldwide domination and includes all the usual human rights abuses & suppression of freedoms.
graphics version
http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/5792/dangero.jpg
1 page pdf version - do file/download 6kb viewer doesn't show fonts well, has better fonts header footer links, great for emailing printing etc
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B_UyNP-72AVKYWNiNTFlYTEtMTA1ZC00YjhiLTljMDUtMDhhNDE0NDMzNmYz
Posted by: ecks why | June 05, 2011 at 12:33 PM