The weapon of the Turkish revolutionaries in the summer of 2013 is a cobblestone and a gas mask that saves the police from gas attacks.
Midnight over the Bosphorus. European coast. In the drunken stupor of a trendy Istanbul restaurant, I bend over to my interlocutor, a successful journalist, to hear his words. Shrouded in cigar smoke, he philosophizes: “To hell with them, with protests! The crowd comes and the crowd leaves. It's like the ebb and flow of the sea. It doesn't matter who makes the revolution. Usually, these are horny, hot young people with an excess of hormones. It is important who will use its fruits”.
“I don’t see who is the winner yet,” I shrug. - Yes, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan resisted, but cracks appeared in the foundation of his power. Yes, the opposition actively used protests, but it is too weak and devoid of charm to score points. Yes, the protesters were literally "washed away" from the streets with water cannons, but the authorities are actively planting flowers in the saved Gezi Park, demonstrating good intentions. So who is it?"
Strong wine has already hit my counterpart's head. He squeezes my hand as hard as if he wants to break my fingers.
"Have you heard anything about Fethullah Gülen?"
“Of course,” I say. - An internationally renowned Islamic preacher who has lived in the USA for fifteen years in Pennsylvania. Fled Turkey after being accused of attempted coup. Likes to talk about world peace and about the dialogue of civilizations. Offers his version of soft "beardless" anti-Wahhabist Islam, ready to cooperate with the West and Israel. Few doubt that the CIA is behind him, which is quite logical. It would be foolish to grant him asylum without receiving anything in return."
"And it's all? - a crooked grin in response. “And you Russians ought to know more. It concerns you too."
In the morning I received a panicky letter from my sober drinking companion with incantations to forget our night conversation and not mention his name.
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THEY DIDN'T SHARE THE POWER
Noon over the Bosphorus. Asian coast. Villa from the "Thousand and One Nights" fairy tales, immersed in the Gardens of Eden. The owner of the villa is a real Istanbul effendi ("lord, master") with the refined manners of an aristocrat. Guru of Turkish journalism, editor-in-chief of the Sabah newspaper Mehmet Barlas. Speaks slowly, knowing well the value of words. He is an old friend of Prime Minister Erdogan, a devout Muslim. Moreover, Mr. Barlas himself is a great liberal. I am allowed to drink very good cognac. “The fact that I drink rakia, and the Prime Minister - tea, believe me, does not interfere with our communication at all,” laughs Mr. Barlas. "Erdogan does not impose his views."
Then he gets serious. “What happened in Turkey is not a revolution. Call it a rebellion, a riot. Turkey has changed in the last decade. And who changed her? Prime Minister Erdogan. When he came to power, the average income per person was $ 2,000 a year, and now it is $ 11,000. Exports have grown from $ 35 billion to $ 150 billion. Cities and villages have risen, roads and infrastructure have improved."
“Actually, no one, not even the opposition, denies that Turkey has grown incredibly economically and politically over the past ten years,” I note. "People worry about personal freedoms, about the slow Islamization of the country."
“Let's not forget that Turkey is a Muslim country. Before Erdogan, the country was ruled by a secular, secular minority led by an army. Erdogan changed the system and abolished, abolished this so-called "military democracy". People from small towns of Anatolia came to power”.
“Well, they are provincial, awkward, conservative, they love national clothes, honor traditions, their wives wear hijab,” I say. "Urban classes consider them a redneck."
“But even these people from the village have changed! They accepted European rules. Turkey changed the Constitution at the behest of the EU. Our criminal law is Italian, our commercial law is German, our civil law is French. We are Europeans! Erdogan changed Turkey, but he is conservative. He is a Muslim. He considers alcohol a sin. And when he speaks, his speech reflects his faith. The city classrooms in Taksim Square are secular people. They don't go to the mosque, they don't pray five times a day. But they are a minority!
Where did your Putin come from? From the KGB. Where did Erdogan come from? From the world of Islam. Both firmly believe that discipline and order are paramount. Both hate chaos. Putin sees a strong, great Russia, and in the name of this goal he demands obedience. Erdogan is the same. He believes that people must obey strict moral rules. I drink, I don't pray, but I support Erdogan because I see changes in the country. Yes, I criticize him when he tells the voters: you must have three children. How can you invade people's privacy? But he won the elections honestly three times in a row, gaining more and more votes. And I am sure that he will win the next elections as well. Five or even ten years of power is guaranteed to him, in one capacity or another - the prime minister or the president of the country."
"Who is Fethullah Gulen, what is his influence in Turkey, and where did he not agree with Erdogan?" - I ask directly.
A long pause that allows Mr Barlas to light a cigarette.
“Gülen started out as a preacher and later became the leader of the international Islamic community,” he replies. “But now it's not just a religious organization. These are banks, schools, universities, shopping centers, large companies around the world. It is a giant corporation whose size is difficult to imagine."
"Can I call Gulen a Muslim Soros?"
(With a grin). “You can. Correct definition."
"There are persistent rumors in Istanbul that it was Gülen who, thanks to his influence in police circles, provoked a tough forceful response to the protests of environmentalists in Gezi Park, thereby setting Erdogan up?"
"I do not know. Hardly. But it is true that Gulen has a serious influence in the police, in the prosecutor's office and in general in the law enforcement agencies of Turkey."
“Why did Gulen criticize Erdogan in the Zaman newspaper just a couple of days after the protests? What does he want?"
“He wants to share power with Erdogan, have more influence in Turkey and move his people to the right positions. But they have different visions of the country's future. Gulen dreams of Islamic Turkey, Erdogan dreams of a developed Turkey. Gülen lives in the US and has no intention of returning home."
"Why does the US patronize an Islamic preacher?"
“Gülen believes in dialogue. He gets along well with Jews. He met with the Pope. Most importantly, the US is planning to use the giant Gulen network against al-Qaeda and Hezbollah."
WHO ARE YOU, MR. GULEN?
How did a rural boy born in 1941 near the provincial town of Erzurum in Eastern Anatolia become one of the most influential people in the world? How a humble madrassa student, but in fact a self-taught, who began to read sermons at the age of fifteen, topped the list of the world's 100 leading intellectuals in 2008 (according to Foreign Policy magazine)? Who is he - a humble, sickly hermit from Pennsylvania, who cooks his own potato dishes and is content with olives and cheese, or the head of a mysterious, powerful multinational corporation that has entangled all five continents with its network of educational institutions?
“I have known Gulen for many years,” says the editor-in-chief of Kanalturk TV and an enthusiastic admirer of Gulen, Mr. Tarik Toros. - He lives in a tiny room surrounded by his associates, constantly prays and does not want personal benefits for himself. He does not want to return to Turkey for fear of provoking political chaos in the country. When he wants to send a message to the world, he does so via video messages on the Internet. Gulen is one of the most effective leaders in the world, but he doesn't want personal power. He just created his educational system through thousands of schools around the world."
“What is Gulenism? This is a kind of "Islam-light", - says Russian Islamic scholar Rais Suleimanov. - This is an attempt to present Islam to Europeans and the West in an accessible and understandable form, in a nice wrapper. That is, these are not bearded men calling for jihad, but very intelligent educated people who actively talk about dialogue and mutual understanding of civilizations. Gulenism is the kind of Islam the Western world would like to see it in."
"So this is tamed Islam?" I ask.
Right. Where did Gülen himself come from? From denme (these are Turkish Jews who converted to Islam)”.
1998 year. Fethullah Gülen (right) meets Pope John Paul II. Experts are convinced that Gulen is building his Islamic sect-empire in the image of the Catholic Church.
(Denme is a mysterious Kabbalistic Jewish sect that arose in 1683 in Thessaloniki, in the Ottoman Empire. Founder - Shabtai Zvi, a Kabbalist, one of the most famous Jewish false messiahs, who caused a massive euphoria, close to insanity, in the Jewish communities of Europe at that time. and was brought before the Sultan's court, which offered him a choice - death or conversion to Islam. Together with his wife he converted to Islam. Followers of Shabtai Tzvi, Denme - a small but extremely influential community in Turkey. Proponents of conspiracy theories claim that the father of Ataturk, who turned Turkey into a secular the state and drove Islam underground - a native of Denme. The Turks themselves consider Denme insincere Muslims who converted to Islam on pain of death and for the sake of penetration into power. Most of the Jews consider Denme apostates, but there are also those whowho sees in the adoption of Islam by Shabtai Zvi his great sacrifice for the sake of freeing Jews from the rule of other nations. However, blood is not water. It was Gülen (who is said to be a Denme native in Turkey) who was the first to condemn the Freedom Flotilla, which tried to break through the Israeli blockade of Gaza in 2010, which included the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara. - YES.)
“Gulen's organization operates in 180 countries around the world,” says Fehim Tashtekin, a leading journalist for the Radikal newspaper. - In Turkey alone, they have at least five million followers, and there are rumors about ten million secret supporters! You have to understand the mentality of these people. These are statesmen who oppose anarchy and chaos. They believe in the system, but they create the system themselves. They didn’t start the protests in Turkey, but they used Erdogan’s mistakes to raise their prestige. The only one who scored points in the internal struggle is Gülen. Where does the organization get the money? A wide network of sponsors and benefactors. Where do they recruit people? They have created a system of language courses, schools and universities around the world. This is a very cheap or even free education with excellent teaching in English, mathematics, physics. The best teachers,wonderful atmosphere! The teachers are religious, but the education system does not impose Islam. Everything is done very gently. Gulen had and still has schools in all the former Soviet republics and in Russia - in Karachay-Cherkessia, Chechnya, and Tatarstan. A school has recently opened in Abkhazia. The authorities are closing schools, but they are reopening under different names and on behalf of other foundations."
“The Gülenists staked on education,” says Russian Islamic scholar Rais Suleimanov. - You need to spread your views through a very extensive network of quality education, where people will send their children. Thus, they educate a generation of people strictly oriented towards them. Children of all nationalities are accepted to schools. Often from very poor families. Religious propaganda is conducted at the elective level. There are no obligatory Muslim rituals, no one insists on the hijab, even ballet is allowed. Over time, these children, the most gifted, dedicated and hardworking of them all, will occupy key positions in the bureaucratic and business elite. They will be helped with money, connections, whatever they can. And they will owe everything to the organization that raised them and gave them a start in life, and to their spiritual leader. They will enter Gulen's empire."
Well, why not Boris Akunin's novel "Azazel" about Lady Esther's pupils? “Inhumans? Martians? Aliens from the underworld? No matter how it is! They are all pets of the estates, that's who they are! They are foundlings, only thrown not at the doors of the orphanage, but on the contrary - from the orphanage they were thrown into society. Each was appropriately trained, each had a skillfully identified and carefully nurtured talent! If the world knew how many brilliant careerists are leaving the nursery of Lady Esther, it would inevitably be on the alert. And so everything happens as if by itself. A push in the right direction - and the talent will certainly show itself. That is why each of the "orphans" cohort has achieved such amazing career successes! And it is quite natural that truly all these geniuses are devoted only to their community - after all, this is their only family, family,which protected them from the cruel world, nurtured, revealed in each of his unique "I".
HOW ARE MODERN SECRET SOCIETIES
“I am a dead donkey in politics, and I am not afraid of blows with a stick,” says my friend, political scientist and journalist Altai Unaltai. - Blame everything on me, most importantly, do not mention the names of my friends. They don't want to lose their jobs."
Clever, lazy and important, this big man in every sense is drinking his tenth cup of tea in a teahouse, while his friend (let's call him political scientist D.) draws diagrams on a napkin.
“How does the ordinary religious movement work? Take, for example, the Muslim Brotherhood organization, - says D. - It's like a peach, inside of which there is a bone, a kernel. Pure ideologues, holy people, often fanatics, are the core. The next circle is people in power who share and promote the views of mentors, using them for their own political purposes. The third circle is people from the world of crime who need to forgive their sins. It is no secret that many mafiosi regularly go to church. Killed, robbed and donated part to charity. These two circles - people of power and bandits - are closely related and mutually beneficial. But it is precisely the third, criminal circle that contributes to the degeneration, degeneration of the movement and compromises it in the eyes of society.
This system worked before the religious Turkish preacher Gulen came. He built his pyramid. It is based on honest, poor, deeply decent people, sincerely believing teachers in its many international schools, activists, preachers, ready for sacrifice and suffering for the sake of faith. But they are below. Among the students, the smartest, most ambitious, money-hungry and power-hungry careerists are selected, who go to the next level. They become officials, administrators, businessmen. But they have no going back because they can corrupt and corrupt the people below. The smartest of them get to the top of the pyramid - generals, senior police officers, bankers, politicians. And above all this stands Gulen - like a good shepherd for bad sheep."
"But the sheep are bad!" - I notice.
“I’ll ask you a simple question: is the Pope a bad guy or a good one? - Altai Unaltai laughs. "The entire Gülen empire is built on the principle of the Catholic Church."
“Guys, don't fool me! This is Islamic Cosa Nostra!"
“First, unlike Cosa Nostra, Gulen’s people try to refrain from direct violent action,” Unaltai says. - Secondly, what is wrong with the very principle of Cosa Nostra? We help you, but one day you will help us. This is the point of joining any community. Why no one calls Soros the head of the mafia, who prepares future thinkers and politicians through his Open Society charity? The problem is that Gülen has already recruited and recruited so many businessmen, intellectuals, journalists, officials that they no longer obey him. The organization has grown so much that it is out of the control of its founder."
“So Gülen created a monster that began to live its own life? I say. - This is clear. But why did the Turkish authorities and the United States support Gulen so much?"
“Why did the ex-Prime Minister of Turkey Turgut Ozal put his stake on the famous preacher in his time? - says the political scientist D. - Islamic ideology was supposed to facilitate the transition of rural provincial Turkey to capitalism. How to explain to little people from the village that they need to take out loans from banks, pay interest, use credit cards? They needed a respected person who spoke a religious language. And someone had to help government officials learn the language of transnational corporations."
“But Islam and capitalism contradict each other! I exclaim. - What about the ban on usury?
“Yes, it's like in Christianity,” Altai Unaltai grins. - Few Christians follow the covenant: give your property to the poor. Ex-Prime Minister of Turkey Ozal came and immediately established Islamic banks to see how the poor Turkish population adapt to international capitalist standards. How does a normal bank work? You want to open a factory, you come to the bank to take out a loan to buy equipment. And then you pay off the loan with interest. And the Islamic bank says: we ourselves will buy the equipment, and you will gradually pay us its cost over several years. But a loaf of bread can be bought for two lira, or four. It's the same with the equipment - you buy it out at the bank price."
"That is, this is usury covered by Islam?"
“Exactly. This is hypocrisy, - says the political scientist D. - Gulen is the religious leader of the era of global capitalism. Outwardly, it looks like a return to Islam, but behind it all lies - international banking capital, transnational corporations, total privatization."
“In fact, we are dealing with neoliberal Islam. I don’t know which is worse! Outspoken Jihadists or Capitalist Washington Islam? But where did Gulen not agree with Prime Minister Erdogan?"
“Here's an example of the Pope for you again,” grins Unultai. - The dad, as a shepherd, must control not only the sheep, but also the kings. From the point of view of Gulen as a religious leader, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan is a presumptuous king who needs to be put in his place. There is a conflict between religious and political power."
IF I WAS A SULTAN
More recently, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan was a supporter of decisive actions in Syria, which should certainly lead to the overthrow of his former "brother" Assad. Turkey opened the borders to hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, all significant Syrian political emigration settled in Istanbul, and camps of the so-called "Free Syrian Army" appeared on the border with Syria, to which the Turks, and through them Saudi Arabia and Qatar (which has long been no secret) are actively helping money and weapons.
A little more than a month ago, the “fateful” meeting between Erdogan and President Obama took place. After America, Erdogan returned to Turkey quieted, and his anti-Assad rhetoric diminished in ardor. What happened?
“The Turkish government lied to Obama that the conflict in Syria could be resolved in a couple of weeks, well, months,” says Fehim Tashtekin, a leading columnist for the Radical newspaper. - The Turks presented the Americans with a fake scenario, in which the main argument was the fact that the majority of the population of Syria are Sunnis. The victory of the anti-Assad forces looked quite likely. Obama told Erdogan: approx. Do you want Turkey to become the main regional power in the Middle East and you promise us to settle this conflict? Forward! We will support you in any way we can, but not by military means. In fact, the United States gave Erdogan a credit of confidence. All weapons went to the rebels through Turkey. Salafi (Wahhabi) groups have practically destroyed the Syrian Alawite cities. The fact that Syria is in ruins is due to Turkish politics. And a month ago Obama asked Erdogan:you promised me to end Assad in a couple of months, and where is the result?"
"But why is Erdogan so persistent in supporting the overthrow of Assad, even though 68 percent of Turkey's population opposes the country's involvement in the Syrian conflict?"
“Firstly, Turkey will receive huge benefits from the destruction of Syria, because according to the plan, it was she who was supposed to get the main contracts for its reconstruction. It's like with Iraq: the Americans were still bombing Baghdad, and large construction companies were already receiving orders. Secondly, being in Damascus is politically extremely important. This is where the keys to the Middle East lie. And Lebanon and Beirut are historically and politically only a part of greater Syria. Being in Damascus means having influence on the Palestinian question, and therefore on Israel, it is control over Lebanon and Hezbollah, as well as influence on Iran and Iraq. Understand, this is Erdogan's great dream! Ideal scenario for Greater Turkey within the borders of the Ottoman Empire. I'm talking, of course, not about territorial boundaries, but about the boundaries of influence - political and economic."
“The personal goal and ambition of Erdogan is to become the leader of the Muslim world, and for this it is necessary to abandon the idea of one country - one nation,” says journalist and producer Gokhan Eren. - He cannot go on stage only as the father of the Turkish nation, because most Muslims are Arabs. Therefore, he is negotiating with the Kurds and preparing to recognize the rights of minorities. His dream is the Muslim Union."
“In essence, Erdogan wants to play the role of the father of nations - Ataturk, but the Islamic Ataturk,” says the famous TV presenter Reha Mukhtar. “But the project of the neo-Ottoman empire, which includes Armenians, Greeks, Kurds, Arabs, is a dangerous, albeit exciting game. His critics say that if Turkey again intervenes in the affairs of the Middle East, it will collapse just like the Ottoman Empire collapsed. We do not want to turn into the "sick man of Europe" again. We do not know whether we will become a regional empire, or whether we will fall and be dismembered again. And among the urban classes that took to the Taksim Square, the conviction prevails: it is advisable for Turkey not to interfere in anything. Not to Syria, not to Iraq."
WE ARE ALL LONG AT WAR
The religious war between Sunnis and Shiites has long ceased to be a "personal affair" in the Middle East. The Sunni belt includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Turkey and, oddly enough, potentially Shiite pro-Western Azerbaijan (the closest relative of Turkey, which in the event of a war with Iran was promised a fat piece of Iranian territory inhabited by indigenous Azerbaijanis). The main patron is the USA. The Shiite arc is represented mainly by Iran, Lebanon, Iraq (the majority are Shiites) and Syria (the Shiites are still in power, fighting for life or death. They perfectly understand that if they are defeated, they will simply be cut out like rabbits). The main ally is Russia. (One of the reasons for our sympathy for the Shiites is that we saw nothing but nasty things from the Sunnis in the person of Saudi Arabia and Qatar. They were the ones who promoted and sponsored terrorism and the "Wahhabization" of the Caucasus. It was they who raised the detachments of radical Islamists who now preach in our mosques). In essence, the hot war in the Middle East is again escalating into a cold war between the two great powers.
“Why is the United States against Shiism? The Shiite arc is completely hostile to US influence, says columnist Fehim Tashtekin. - The US is using Turkey and the secret empire of the religious preacher Gulen against Iranian influence. Saudi Arabia and Qatar, temporarily uniting against Iran, are investing huge amounts of money in Turkey as an ally. (And Erdogan now desperately needs money from the Persian Gulf, since the main trading partner in the person of the EU has been hit hard by the financial crisis.) The main goal of the Sunni crescent is to stop Iran. The Sunnis have already lost Iraq, where the Shiites are in command, and want to compensate for this at the expense of Syria. But what did Turkey get by interfering in Syrian affairs? One headache. Our famous policy of "zero problems with neighbors" has turned into a policy of "zero neighbors", only enemies. Things are going hard with Iraqwith Iran it has become very complicated, not to mention Syria. And most importantly, our relations with Russia have deteriorated."
“The fact that the United States supported the protests in Taksim Square and then connected the empire of a 'Muslim Soros' named Gülen to this is a way to punish Erdogan for the failure of his Syrian policy and for his attempts to become the new sultan,” says Russian Islamic scholar Rais Suleimanov. - The title of Sultan still needs to be earned. The Americans were not going to remove Erdogan. It just had to be put in place. And for this they used the richest resource that they have right next to their side - the network of "Saint" Gulen from Pennsylvania."
“Listen, we are fighting in every possible way against the Wahhabisation of Russia sponsored by the Gulf countries,” I say. - Gülen, through his network of schools, offers "soft" Islam, which has renounced jihad. Why is that bad?"
"Illusion! The goal of the Gulen schools in Russia is to reorient the Muslim elite toward Turkey and the United States, and in a global sense, to build a caliphate, albeit reasonable and liberal, but in which non-Muslims will be assigned the role of a humiliating minority. The Russian authorities have long understood that they are dealing with a cunning ideological enemy. For example, in Azerbaijan, Gülen has already raised a young elite with the help of his schools, which is gradually penetrating the country's leadership. And this is a pro-Western, pro-American elite. Gulen is also actively working with our Azerbaijani diaspora. It doesn't matter who and how comes to us - with a sword or with a word. It is important that Russian Muslims are OUR Muslims, who should not be guided by a foreign religious center. We must place our stake on national Islam. Deadly dangerousif our Muslims become the fifth column in their own country."
DARIA ASLAMOVA
