İsmailağa explains its 'organizational' structure: 'Even to taverns...'

Following the death of Hasan Kılıç, Abdullah Kılıç of the İsmailağa Community, which has been on the agenda for some time due to leadership debates, spoke to Yeni Şafak columnist Ersin Çelik.

"WE ARE A DERVISH LODGE"

Kılıç said the following:

“We are a dervish lodge, not a commercial enterprise. People will help us, and this is how this work will continue,” the teachers said, adding these details: “The İsmailağa Foundation has no inn, bath, or commercial business. It has no revenue stream. We have a publishing house. Our publishing house also has to provide many books to students for free. People have given their zakat and alms, and we have brought our services to this day by using the donations as required. We have no baggage in financial or political terms. We have an extremely open, clear, and transparent structure. We are a dervish lodge, not a commercial enterprise. We have no political interests.”

"OUR ORGANIZATION IS IN THE FIELD"

We will discuss the consequences of FETÖ establishing a state within a state under the guise of a community and attempting a coup for many years. The İsmailağa teachers specifically emphasized that they are far from such a debate as an institution: “The İsmailağa Community has not entered into such a structuring process within the state, including the Diyanet, to this day. We do not have an organization within the Ministry of Justice or the Ministry of Health. Our organization is in the field; our teachers go to coffeehouses, grocery stores, greengrocers, and even to taverns. They go and say, ‘Listen to us for five minutes.’”

"THUS WE DO NOT INFILTRATE THE STATE"

There is also the issue of attire. İsmailağa is a community identified with the garb consisting of a turban, robe, and baggy trousers, and it occasionally experiences “representation” problems. Their attire, which is in accordance with the Sunnah, was interpreted as a challenge to the state during the February 28 process. Salih Topçu Hoca made a substantial comment on this matter that had not been made until now: “This attire of ours is not a challenge. We do not want to mingle with society and camouflage ourselves. This attire of ours is to reveal ourselves. We do this so that our educational activities are visible and so that it is seen that we have no ulterior motives in the back of our minds. We make this attire a condition. We give the message ‘Thus we do not infiltrate the state’ in a way that everyone can see.”

News Source: 12punto