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… - Fethullah Gülen

The West must help Turkey return to a democratic path. Tuesday’s meeting, and the NATO summit next week, should be used as an opportunity to advance this effort.

The greatest characteristic of the Hizmet movement is that they do not aspire to political power, but instead seek solutions to problems that threaten the future of their societies and require long-term efforts. At a time when the Islamic geography was characterized by terrorism, bloodshed and backwardness, they focused on raising educated and dialogic generations who actively contribute to the society they live in. Since I believe that the biggest problems of this geography are ignorance, strife and poverty, I have always advised my followers to "open schools, not mosques or Quran courses." Participants in the Hizmet movement are involved in education, health and humanitarian aid activities not only in Turkey but also in 160 countries around the world, from Asia to Africa. The most important feature of these activities is the effort to provide the same services not only to Muslims but also to people of all religions and ethnicities. It opened girls' high schools in the most difficult regions of Pakistan and continued to provide education in the Central African Republic during the civil war. In Nigeria, Boko Haram has taken girls hostage, while Hizmet participants have opened schools educating girls. I have encouraged people who share my ideas, both in France and in the French-speaking world, to fight against groups that espouse radical Islam and to support the country's authorities in this struggle. I have encouraged Muslims living in these countries to become free-willed individuals who produce added value for the societies in which they live, who are recognized for their contributions rather than being associated with problems. Unfortunately, the Turkish government is complaining to world governments about these people and the schools they opened, who had no involvement in the bloody terrorist attack of July 15, and who categorically opposed violence. My call to all world governments is to not take these unfounded claims seriously and reject irrational demands.

The rhetoric used by the ruling party repeatedly to crack down on Hizmet participants is nothing but a pretext to justify their own authoritarianism. Hizmet participants have never formed a political party nor have they pursued political ambitions. Their participation in the movement is driven by intrinsic rewards, not extrinsic ones.