Turkish media that extensively covers Islamist sect leader Fethullah Gulen’s acquittal by Turkey’s top court, and the U.S. federal case that he filed against the U.S.Department of Homeland Security and USCIS for refusing to grant him a “green card”, continue to provide details of these cases.
According to press reports 27 people submitted letters of reference to support his case in U.S. federal court. Among the names are a George Fidas – retired CIA director of analysis and production, presently works at Joint Military Intelligence Council and teaches International Relations at Washington University; Graham Fuller - former CIA agent and deputy chair of National Intelligence Council who presently is a consultant for RAND Corporation; Morton Abramowitz – former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, presently with The Century Foundation; Alexander Karloutsos – priest at New York based American Greek Orthodox Church; John L. Esposito – founding director at Georgetown University; and many priests and theologians of various denominations.
Among the Turkish supporters were Yildirim Akbulut - former PM of Turkey [of center-right Homeland Party ANAP]; Ali Yurtsever of Rumi Forum, U.S., that is affiliated with Fethullah Gulen; former Minister of Education and AKP MP Mehmet Saglam; and journalist/writer Mustafa Akyol - an active advocate of the Islamist AKP and of Fethullah Gulen who often attacks Turkey’s secular establishment.
All of the above names praised Fethullah Gulen in their letters to the court and described him as an "extraordinary educator" which was not found convincing by the U.S. prosecutors.
Source: Vatan, Turkey, June 26, 2008
