As the presidents of the United States and Turkey meet at the White House on Tuesday, the leader of the country I have called home for almost two dec… - Fethullah Gülen

Turkish voters can of course change their stance. However, elections are not held fairly at the moment. The media is under tutelage, the judiciary is under tutelage, the capital is under tutelage. Under these conditions, it is very difficult to accurately determine what Turkish voters really think.

I have seen all the military coups of Turkey and, like all Turkish people, I have experienced great suffering in all of them. After the coup of March 12, 1971, I was imprisoned by the decision of the junta administration. During the coup of September 12, 1980, an arrest warrant was issued for me and I lived on the run for 6 years. After the military coup of February 28, 1997, a lawsuit was filed against me on the charge of "one-man unarmed terrorist organization" and the death penalty was requested. During periods of military oppression, a lawsuit was filed three times on the charge of "leadership of a terrorist organization". I was acquitted of all these cases. While yesterday I was targeted by military governments with an authoritarian mentality, today I am being subjected to the same accusations, in a much more unlawful manner, by a civilian autocratic regime.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my condolences to all our people, especially the relatives of those who lost their lives. In addition to the loss of life and property caused by these fires, the loss of forests, which are the lungs of our country, is a separate source of suffering for me. I hope this sad picture will prompt us all to be more sensitive about protecting the natural riches, which are a blessing from God Almighty.