Turkish Media Targets Ecumenical Patriarchate Bartholomew I of Constantinople

Turkish media is once again targeting the ecumenical patriarchate of Constantinople.

 
On May 4, a pro-government Turkish magazine published a special edition falsely alleging that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople (Istanbul) helped stage the July 15, 2016, coup attempt.

Following this attempt, the Turkish government blamed the US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen and his followers. A state of emergency was declared, and a massive purge targeting thousands of people began in Turkey.

The state justified the purge by announcing a new “terrorist group”—the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization/Parallel State Structure or FETÖ/PDY—was responsible for the coup:

The Turkish magazine Gerçek Hayat’s latest 176-page special edition is entitled “FETÖ: Who is the Chief Terrorist Fethullah Gülen? The 100-year history of the most vicious terrorist organization.” The magazine edition, which is expected to remain in circulation until December 31, refers to Gülen “as Islam’s biggest enemy in the last 10 centuries.” It also alleges that key religious leaders, including Bartholomew, are FETÖ co-conspirators and were behind the attempted coup.

The magazine targets other leading members of religious communities and includes their photos. For instance, it targets Ishak Haleva, Turkey’s chief rabbi; Shenork I Kaloustian, the former Armenian patriarch of Constantinople; Pope John Paul II, the former head of the Catholic Church; George Marovitch, the former Vatican representative in Turkey; and Abraham Foxman, the former director of the Anti-Defamation League.

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Πηγή: providencemag.com