The governor of the central province of Kütahya has admitted that he shut down a mosque because it taught "how to be servants of Israel," sparking criticism from government critics. Kütahya Governor Şerif Yılmaz was confronted by Mevlüt Dönmez, who lives in Germany but visits Turkey on holiday, after Friday prayer at a local mosque. Dönmez demanded to know why authorities had shut down the Hüda Rabbim Mosque in Kütahya. Agriculture Minister veysel eroğlu who was there for Friday prayer, tried to calm Dönmez down and asked to discuss the matter outside the mosque. Governor Yılmaz, however, raised his finger to Dönmez and said that he personally had seen that the mosque was closed. “Tell him that they were teaching how to be servants of Israel there," the governor shouted at Dönmez. The mosque was built 36 years ago by the Akyazı Education Foundation, inspired by the faith-based Gülen movement, and it was donated to the office of the Kütahya mufti, which operated the mosque until its closure. Critics argue that the governor closed the mosque as part of a witch-hunt against the Gülen movement, which is accused of orchestrating two corruption investigations into the government that were made public at the end of 2013. The Gülen movement, popularly known as the Hizmet movement, is inspired by the views of prominent Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen and denies the charges. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has publicly vowed to carry out the witch-hunt against Gülen movement-inspired schools, media outlets, businesses and educational facilities, a crackdown taken to new extremes with the closure of a mosque, a sensitive issue for conservative Turks. “I shut down the mosque and I will shut down all the institutions of traitors,” Yılmaz said, leaving the mosque with Eroğlu. The governor later contradicted his earlier reasoning, claiming that the mosque was closed because it had been operated illegally for years. Dönmez replied to the governor, saying, “Damn those who teach servitude to Israel in that mosque!” “Tell that to [the officials in the Hüda Rabbim Mosque], not to me,” Yılmaz responded. As Dönmez left the mosque, security guards asked him to provide identification. Dönmez asked them, “Am I now under surveillance because I asked a question to the minister?" The guards said it was a routine check. Condemning Yılmaz's accusations, Dönmez stated that he had visited the mosque often and had never witnessed either praise or criticism of Israel, saying, “Accusations of treason, or of promoting servitude to Israel, are an illogical and baseless excuse for shutting down a mosque.” Governor's baseless accusations show his inability to govern Former deputy prime minister and former secretary-general of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Ertuğrul Yalçınbayır told Today's Zaman that Yılmaz must provide evidence to support his claims and start an investigation. “If there is no evidence for an investigation, it shows that the person has lost his ability to govern. It would not be right for him to continue as governor,” he said. According to Yalçınbayır, Eroğlu must also be questioned if he supports the governor in this matter. Emphasizing that citizens have the right to ask questions to those in office, Yalçınbayır said state officials, including governors and members of the ruling party, are obliged to answer these questions. He stated that politicians should not interfere with mosques, as they are holy places where animosity must not be put into words. “If the governor's reasoning were applied to all state administration, all private institutions would be closed,” he remarked. Yalçınbayır added that proper investigations supported by strong evidence must be conducted into any institutions suspected of illegal activity, including mosques. AK Party governors lack the basic politeness of politicians Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Gürsel Tekin also spoke with Today's Zaman, lamenting that governors appointed by the AK Party have no basic politeness when interacting with citizens. Referencing a visit to the office of a different governor, Tekin sarcastically said that Dönmez was lucky to have escaped, describing the attitude of the officials he encountered as unkind and inhumane. “It is clear that this person cannot act as a governor in that province anymore and must be immediately suspended,” Tekin stated, adding that most governors are acting as governors of the AK Party, not of the people. Tekin remarked that the AK Party used governors to pressure citizens to criticize the CHP for its policies during its single-party rule in the 1930s. He stated that democracy and the rule of law will soon be restored, and that state officials behaving as the officials of the AK Party will no longer be able to insult citizens.

• published: 02 Aug 2015
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