Claim that 'Süleymancı Community will support Yavaş and İmamoğlu'
A news site appearing close to the Süleymancı Community announced in a statement on its social media accounts that they will support Ekrem İmamoğlu in Istanbul and Mansur Yavaş in Ankara in the local elections. Given that the claim of support was made by the Süleymanlı Haber site, which has a limited number of followers and is a news site created by volunteers, it is highly likely that this support does not encompass the entire community.
12punto
Hours before the March 31, 2024 local elections, a statement of support for Yavaş and İmamoğlu has arrived.
'WE ARE NOT VOTING FOR THE AKP'
A statement titled "As Süleymanlıs, we are not voting for the AKP" was published on a website called SüleymanlıHaber, which presents an image of being close to the Süleymancı Community.
The fact that no similar statement of support has come from institutions of the Süleymancıs such as the Aziz Mahmut Hüdayi Foundation, the İlim Yayma Foundation, or the Fatih Foundation suggests that the claim of support does not cover the entire community. It is noteworthy that the phrase "Süleymanlı Haber, which we established as lovers of Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan" appears on the site's social media account.
'DO NOT BE DECEIVED BY THEIR GAMES'
In the statement, which recalled that they supported the Nation Alliance's Presidential Candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu in the May 14, 2023 Presidential and Parliamentary elections, it was stated, "We kindly ask our dear brothers and sisters not to be deceived by the political games of the current AKP government."
It was specifically stated that "they support Mansur Yavaş in the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality and Ekrem İmamoğlu in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality."
The statement said, "We kindly ask our dear brothers and sisters not to be deceived by the political games of the current AKP government, and we state that, as the Süleymanlı Haber family, we will support Mr. Mansur Yavaş in the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality and Mr. Ekrem İmamoğlu in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
In a period where justice and merit are disappearing day by day and our state's resources are being wasted, we, as the Süleymanlı Haber family, state to you, our precious brothers and sisters, with importance and repeatedly, that we will not support the AKP government.
We importantly announce that this notification we have made binds the entire Süleymanlı Haber family."
IN THE GOVERNMENT'S CROSSHAIRS
The Süleymancıs have recently become a target of the People's Alliance as well. Former AKP deputy and close friend of President Erdoğan, Metin Külünk, recently targeted the Süleymancıs in a post with the following sentences:
"Is imperialism, which learned important lessons from July 15 and does not want to abandon religious psychology, preparing the Süleymancıs as a backup instead of FETÖ?
Then we believe that the state mind and politics are following these developments.
We do not have the chance to be bitten from the same hole a second time.
Politics, I express with regret, especially loves to act as if nothing is happening in extremely strategic matters at times."
Aydınlık, the publication organ of the Vatan Party, has also drawn attention recently for its reports targeting the Süleymancıs.