Pro-government media had signaled it... Is an operation against the Süleymancılar imminent? Critical meeting within the community

It is alleged that a significant operation has been carried out against the religious group known as the Süleymancılar. According to a report by Aydınlık, four people were detained in an operation conducted in Ankara. It is claimed that a high-level figure from the judicial bureaucracy is among those detained.

While the report does not include details regarding the content of the operation or the names of those detained, it is being evaluated that the process could be part of a larger investigation.

CLAIMS OF A CRITICAL MEETING WITHIN THE COMMUNITY

Following the operation, claims that a high-level meeting was held within the community have also come to the fore. According to statements previously made by former AKP MP Fatih Süleyman Denizolgun, the leader of the community, known as Alihan Kuriş, held an emergency meeting with his inner circle following President Erdoğan's warnings.

According to Denizolgun's claim, 15 "confidential aides" with whom Kuriş consults attended this meeting. It is alleged that the future of the community's business connections, foundations, and associations was discussed at the meeting.

AFTER ERDOĞAN'S 'CERTAIN COMMUNITIES' MESSAGE

The timing of the operation drew attention. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in his speech at the TBMM Group Meeting last week, used the term "dark organizations" in reference to the investigation into the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) and made the following remarks:

"Because this dark organization has not been limited to Istanbul; it has turned into an octopus that encompasses many municipalities, institutions, and individuals in the country, with arms extending to different places, and even having an international leg... The network of twisted relationships extends from the bureaucracy to the business world, the media, and from certain communities to intelligence agencies."

Following these words, claims emerged that the community targeted by Erdoğan was the Süleymancılar.

SIGNALS OF AN OPERATION HAD COME FROM PRO-GOVERNMENT WRITERS

Statements made by some journalists close to the AKP before the operation were also noteworthy. Fuat Uğur, who writes in his column in the Türkiye newspaper, directly targeted the Süleymancılar in an article he published recently and used the following expressions:

"The FETÖ terrorist organization was destroyed by the state, and the end of the road is also in sight for the Süleymancılar."

WHO ARE THE SÜLEYMANCILAR?

According to a report by BBC Türkçe, experts state that the Süleymancılar are a group affiliated with the Mujaddidi branch of the Naqshbandi order.

In a 2019 report, it is claimed that community members see themselves as "Noah's Ark" and believe that those on this ship are the only ones to achieve salvation, and it is alleged that community members do not pray behind an imam who is not one of them.

It is observed that the community has provided support to different right-wing parties for decades. The 2019 report states that "community leaders have been elected as members of parliament from various parties depending on the conjuncture and the relationships they have established with their own communities."

It is understood that community members have sought to establish good relations with the Nation Party (MP), the Democrat Party (DP), the Justice Party (AP), the Motherland Party (ANAP), the True Path Party (DYP), the Welfare Party (RP), and the Justice and Development Party (AKP) from the past to the present.

Süleymancılar is actually a name given to the community from the outside. Those within the community prefer terms such as "Süleymanlılar" or "students of Süleyman Efendi."