How did the sect gaining power in the police force extend from Erzincan to Dikili?

Utku Beycan- 12punto

It has been alleged that the sect known as the Erzincan Group or "Reyhani" is gaining power within the police force. According to information in the Trade Registry Gazette, the olive farm named AR Zeytincilik, located in the village of Bahçeli in the Dikili district of İzmir, belongs to Adem Aydemir and the family of the sect leader Abdurrahim Reyhan.

The sect is affiliated with the Khalidiyya branch of the Naqshbandi order. Sheikh Abdurrahim Reyhan was born in Keleriç, Erzincan, in 1930 and settled in Istanbul in 1986. The Reyhan Culture Foundation, established to spread his ideas, has 6 branches in Turkey.

Reyhan, who had three children named Vehbi, Hüseyin Avni, and Rabia, died in 1998. His name has been given to mosques and KYK dormitories in Erzincan.

THEY GAINED POWER IN THE POLICE FORCE

It had been alleged that the Erzincan Group was gaining power within the police force. Journalist Tolga Şardan, in his column on T24, claimed that with the appointments in the Police and Gendarmerie, the Erzincan Group and some other sects were gaining power within law enforcement. İsmail Saymaz also shared information he received from a police official in his article on HalkTV, stating that the Erzincan Group was steadily gaining power.

CHP İzmir Deputy Murat Bakan, in his statement to the Gerçek Gündem newspaper, said, "I know that a director from the Erzincan Group, who was not promoted to first-class Police Chief, took a stance against the Minister of Interior and had the commission reconvened for the appointment and promotion list, ensuring his own promotion to first-class."

HIGH-LEVEL BUREAUCRAT CHANGED

The name of the Erzincan Group has also been mentioned in Parliament several times. İYİ Party Deputy Ömer Karakaş, in his speech in Parliament on December 14, 2024, warned, "While nationalist, patriotic police chiefs are being purged, members of an Erzincan-based sect are staffing the Police."

In his statement to 12punto, Karakaş said that he had also conveyed the issue specifically to Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya. Karakaş said, "It was a high-level bureaucrat who formed this sect structure. In our meeting, I told Mr. Yerlikaya who the bureaucrat in question was. Afterwards, the Minister changed the relevant bureaucrat."

"WHERE POLITICS, COMMERCE, AND INTERESTS COEXIST, THERE IS NO JUSTICE"

Stating that all sect structures in Turkey are dangerous, Karakaş said, "All communities in Turkey are interested in commerce and interests alongside politics. There is no justice anywhere these things coexist. These things should be done for the sake of Allah."

The Reyhan Culture Foundation did not respond to our question regarding the allegations that the community is structured within the Police.

THE OLIVE COMPANY IN DIKILI BELONGS TO THE REYHANIS

Karakaş added that sect activities are carried out at A.R. Zeytinlik in Dikili, İzmir. According to information in the Trade Registry Gazette, Adem Aydemir and Halil İbrahim Reyhan founded an olive company named Ar&Reyhan in Akhisar, Manisa, on June 18, 2009.

In 2010, the company's name was changed to Arreyhan Zeytincilik. İsmail Reyhan and Hüseyin Reyhan became partners in the company.

The company opened a branch in the Bahçeli village of the Yukarı Beylik area in Dikili, İzmir, on June 22, 2011.

In 2015, Adem Aydemir transferred most of his shares to Avni Reyhan. In 2021, İsmail Reyhan transferred most of his shares to Vehbi Reyhan.

Adem Aydemir, a partner of the Reyhani family, had also founded a company entirely owned by himself in 2019, the Adem Aydemir AR Zeytincilik Company. This company also opened a branch in 2021 at Bahçeli Neighborhood, 32nd Street, Number 12 in Dikili.

The company, which Adem Aydemir named after himself, transformed from a Sole Proprietorship to a Limited Company in 2022 and its name became AR Zeytincilik.

IS IT AN OLIVE COMPANY OR A DERGAH?

The olive grove has frequently appeared in pro-sect accounts. Political Islamist writer Murat Bahadır Akkoyunlu wrote in a social media post in 2020 that Reyhan wanted an olive grove to be established in Dikili while moving to Istanbul, and that the "Naqshi khatm-i khwajagan was never neglected there."

Photos of the olive farm in Dikili were also previously shared on the social media account bearing Abdurrahim Reyhan's name.

CONDOLENCES FROM THE DIKILI MUFTI'S OFFICE

Abdurrahim Reyhan's son, Hüseyin Avni Reyhan, passed away in April 2024. Circles affiliated with the İsmailağa and Menzil communities published condolence messages for Reyhan. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called Hüseyin Avni Reyhan's son, Hüseyin Reyhan, to express his condolences. AKP local administrators, governors, mayors, and former ministers paid condolence visits to the family, published condolence messages, and attended Reyhan's funeral. Among those who attended the funeral was former Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım.

One of those who published a condolence message for Reyhan was the Dikili Mufti's Office. The Dikili Mufti's Office used the following expressions in a post on their social media accounts:

"We wish patience and condolences to the family, relatives, and loved ones of Hüseyin Avni Reyhan Efendi, the spiritual leader of the Reyhan Culture Foundation and the son of the late Abdurrahim Reyhan Efendi, who was one of the spiritual opinion leaders of our country and our district, and who pioneered many religious and charitable services in our district. May his place be heaven, and his rank be high."

News Source: 12punto