As the mystery unravels

4/29/2010

Our website has been receiving many letters from parents and teachers who are concerned about what is going on in the United States Gulen-sponsored charter schools. As a result, we will soon publish their letters anonymously, due to their concern over retaliation from the Turkish administrators/teachers running the schools.

Please feel free to contact our website and send your concerns to us via our website submission link and be assured that your name will not be used under any circumstances. Likewise, we will not publish the location of the school site that you are reporting.

Although, this is a blog, for the protection of our blog contributors, we will preview the blogs before publishing, removing names and locations.

We value your input and concerns and realize that our collective efforts will pay off if we can continue to amass an active support group and force our legislators and federal agencies to take a long and well overdue look into the administration and operation of these schools.

Click on the "comments" box on the top of the page to read comments from readers.

12 Comments

J.S

4/29/2010 07:58:56 am

I prefer to use initials as I have been reading about this movement for four hours, and if I can do so, no doubt they are reading this site. I've also read about intimidation of whistle-blowers.

The short story is that my daughter was going into 6th grade, and I took a tour of LISA Academy here in Arkansas, and was impressed by what I saw. Yes, I noted that 99% of the teachers and all of the bigwigs are Turkish, but it didn't register. I was impressed by the test scores and the experiences of a friend who sends her children there, and so my very blond, very blue-eyed daughter started last fall.

While I know they are good at math and science, it has overall been a frustrating and now a frightening experience. Here we go:

1. I can never talk to the principal. The front desk receptionist calls him, but he never comes out nor can I go back there.

2. As soon as you have issues with a teacher-especially a Turkish one-they clam up. My daughter is taking something called "character education". Each week there is a short essay or a worksheet to do in class. She was getting an A until she was out of class for a week following surgery. She missed one or two assignments, and her grade dropped to a D. It has since come back up, but there was no call, no note of concern about daughter's excused absense.

At the beginning of the spring semester, daughter and her class started Turkish. At the very beginning, they were given a Turkish test "from Houston". Of course, nobody knew any Turkish, but the teacher told them to "guess" (apparently it was multiple-choice). After the test, the students found out that those who scored over a certain mark could go on a summer camp trip to Turkey for $780. Regular price of this non-advertised trip was $1900. Only three students got the discount. When I went to the office to find out more information and to see the test itself, no one would tell me anything except about the parents' trip (which was advertised). How would the front office not know about something so ambitious as a trip to Turkey for the students? The son of a friend of mine who "earned" the discount has never seen his score or the test.

For a lot of other, small things going on since September, my "hinkey" meter has been off the charts. I passed it off as a culture clash; now I know I was correct. Thank you for your site.

4/29/2010 08:32:39 am

Crowd expected for hearing on Islamic center
Thursday, March 09, 2006
By Jan Ackerman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A Turkish nonprofit organization seeking approvals to establish an Islamic Center in a vacant South Park elementary school would have preferred establishing a permanent home somewhere within Pittsburgh.

But real estate prices were too high in places such as Oakland, said Bekir Duz, a board member of the Western Pennsylvania Cultural Center.

He said that was why the cultural center bought the old Broughton Elementary School for $100,000 last year from one of its members.

At 7 p.m. today, township supervisors will hold a hearing on the Western Pennsylvania Cultural Center's proposal to turn the former school into an Islamic center. The proposal has generated opposition from neighbors, who have gathered signatures on a petition, expressed concern about traffic and questioned the real purpose of the center.

To accommodate larger crowds, the hearing will be held in the auditorium of South Park High School, Eagle Ridge Road.

After a planning commission meeting Feb. 22, the cultural center's attorney, Dwight Ferguson, invited South Park residents to an open house at the group's Snowdrop Elementary School in Monroeville.

Mr. Duz and Yuksel Korkmaz, director of the cultural center, said no one showed up, much to their disappointment.

Mr. Duz said the Western Pennsylvania Cultural Center has about 35 members who live in the Pittsburgh area and want a place to worship and to preserve their traditions, culture and language. He said some Turkish university students might join while they are here.

"The Turkish population here is very small," he said.

Mr. Duz said Western Pennsylvania Cultural Center follows the teachings of M. Fethullah Gulen, an influential Islamic scholar, writer and religious thinker from Turkey now undergoing medical treatment in the United States.

Mr. Gulen, who was trained in Islam and in social and physical sciences, has created a movement which puts strong emphasis on education and interfaith dialogue with other religions, including Christians and Jews.

He hopes for a single civilization based on inter-cultural dialogue and the sharing of values.

His ideas, taught in thousands of schools, have generated controversy in Turkey: strongly secular sects say he is trying to establish an Islamic state; radical religious groups say his methods are contrary to Islam.

Mr. Duz and Mr. Korkmaz are happy to distribute publications outlining his teachings.

Locally, the group is known for bringing together public officials and clergy from different faiths for interfaith dialogue.

One supporter of their effort is the Rev. Daniel Valentine, pastor of Holy Spirit Church in West Mifflin, who sat with them during a three-hour planning commission meeting in South Park on Feb. 22.

"We want to see this group succeed," said Father Valentine, who has been working with different organizations for 25 years to improve interfaith relations.

Father Valentine is featured in the cultural center's brochure, showing clergy from various faiths who participated in their Iftar dinner at a Downtown hotel last year

The event marked the breaking of the Ramadan fast in the Islamic calendar.

"They have been to my church three times in small groups," he said. "They are here to reach out and to bridge the cultural gap of misunderstanding."

The cultural center bought the Broughton Elementary School for $100,000 from Abdullah Nakibogulu, Upper St. Clair, who bought two vacant South Park schools for $480,000 in 2002.

Mr. Duz said Mr. Nakibogulu was a member of the cultural center but has returned to Turkey.

Neighbors who live near the former school are concerned about such basic problems as extra traffic on Schang Road.

First published on March 9, 2006 at 12:00 am
Jan Ackerman can be reached at [email protected] or 412-851-1512.

Read more: file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Bill/Local%20Settings/Temp/7zO3E3C.tmp/connects%20CJCP%20to%20ozhabes%20to%20OZ%20to%20Duz%20CJCP%20principal%20to%20WEst%20penn%20to%20Gulen.mht#ixzz0mWyCu0vt

bill

4/29/2010 08:54:05 am

I was just curious about SSA's magical fund raider. They supposeably raised over 50,000 in tax credit donations. How is this possible? Tax credit donation are capped at 500.00 per family. This would not seem likely. Is there a way to get a copy of that donar list and how much they donated? I am sure there will be a lot of Turkish names.

Also, one of the founding fathers names was mentioned in the article. Is there a way to get the other two. I am sure with a google search there will be a Gulen connection.

Also is there an email where I can submit a document to you? I have a screen shot that was taken off the gulen websight shortly ( about two days) after I strated giving it out on the internet. an you post these pictures? I believe this will really help our cause

Education

4/29/2010 11:48:40 am

I find this whole world wide Gulen Movement disturbing and dangerous.
1) There is a lack of transparency at these schools, they censor their information via Public Relations (boasting of high test scores, etc.,) They also censor all materials that are taught to children. Especially when it comes to history and the dark days of the Ottoman Turkish Empire that brutalized and murdered over 8 million people. People that were the true original inhabitants of the area 3,000 years before the mongolian invasions (Mongolians are the ancestors to the modern Turk)
Gulen doesn't use the same names for his schools in the USA they have different names in different states: Magnolia (CA) Coral Academy (NV) Horizon (OH) Beehive (UT) Dove (OK)Harmony (TX) and many many more sweet and cutesy names.
They fall under different foundations one foundation is Daisy Education Corporation. If you look up the 990 IRS Tax returns for free at www.guidestar.com you will see that Daisy grossed over $6 million in revenues. Why hide behind layers of names and foundations? Why does Gulen hide in PA on 200 acres with guards?
2) The Gulen worldwide movement, or Gulen Institute also receives funds from Corporations like Raytheon that have million dollar military contracts with the Islamic Republic of Turkey. One school in AZ even boasts of having their campus on a military base.
3) The teachers are 1/2 from Turkish countries like: Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ubekistan, Tajikistan, Krygyzstan and the other 1/2 have CREDENTIALED AMERICAN TEACHERS. With all of the great teachers receiving pink slips, I find it very hard to believe that we cannot find qualified teachers in America.
The American Charter schools that are paid for with my tax dollars is exploiting Americans and brainwashing the students. This is a crock
Ask Mr. Gulen why he wouldn't hire a Christian Russian, Armenian, Greek, Assyrian, Kurds, etc., ?
3. Gulen has spun a nice public relations and originally in TX went after poor neighborhoods with high minorities 45%+. Touting a "state of the art" education. Frankly, many of these parents are uneducated and bought into the twisted logic that their child would be attending an elite private school except they wouldn't have to pay a tuitition.
4. Turkification was and is always the goal of Turkish nationals http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkification Any of you should never romance the notion there is a democracy in Turkey, they have article 301 that forbids the discussion of anything that would be described as insulting "Turkishness". Our American tax paid for -Islamic Turkish run schools even have a Turkish American club in them. Not an "American Club" not a "Native American Club" Turkey is still trying to show the world they are a kind and good country and religion.
The children at these schools are even rewarded with a trip to Turkey.

If Christian Americans tried to open 90 schools in Turkey - they would be killed and the schools burnt down.
Turkey assaults Christian minorities and has murdered Christian missionaries, they also are responsible for the attempted assaination of the last Pope.

It never ceases to amaze me how stupid and uneducated Americans are to history and cultures. Gulen is laughing his ass off at your ignorance. What kind of message are we putting out to our children that America cannot properly educate our children to become scientists, doctors, lawyers, etc. that we have to pay an Islamic knucklehead who never graduated from high school to start a movement to advance his Turkish agenda? Jihad is alive and well in the USA but this time they will not have to drop 1 bomb to take us over.

What a bunch of losers we Americans are we are financing the Islamization of our children.
Turkey pays $45,000 a month to Gephardt and Hastert to lobby for a clean image of the Turks and to squash any talk of the Armenian Genocide.
Bruce Fein, is also a paid Turkish lobbyist and attorney for the TCA (Turkish Coalition of America) Turkey still has one goal = 1 people, 1 religion and 1 language.
They want everyone to forget about their label as "the Sick man of Europe"
This is not an education your children are getting ....they are getting a brainwashing.

5/1/2010 04:31:06 am

Comments: I am an ex teacher at SSA-Phoenix in AZ. I resigned after many promises of our sick pay being relinquished well (3 months) into the new signed contract. They have inappropriate teachers working there. Touching kids, talking inappropriately and allowing students to play outside on a regular basis. Students are not learning what they need to. Language barrier with students and teachers is an issue. They are bringing more Turkish people on Work Visa's and firing American teachers. Any way I can help to alert the local Charter Board where I will be taken seriously!

5/1/2010 04:36:22 am

Comments: Hello, a group of moms in PA whose children attend YSCP, Young Scholars of Central PA, have the exact same stories to tell. We've been researching our "brothers" and connecting our dots and our dots can be connected to dots in NY, NJ, IN, CA and IL.

Have you seen the Gulen graphic from a Turkish Newspaper? Our logo and the logos of all the schools you talked about are on it. Email me and I'll send it to you.

5/1/2010 04:40:29 am

Comments: What is all of this about? I work at one of these schools. It is a great environment but the pay is extraordinarily low. Really low! Any idea why they don't like to pay the American teachers a good salary? I love the school but we are all feeling run-down by the obvious discrepency in salary.

5/1/2010 04:45:45 am

My friends said it is fine to use our stuff and we will be happy to get it ALL to you. We are so tired of sitting around with all our info and doing nothing with it. We did speak to the school superintendent and the school's rechartering is being held up and investigated, but we don't know what is going to happen. We pointed out over 20 violations of their own charter - high and wholely goals they promised and didn't deliver! We also pointed out the countless Sunshine violations - canceling meetings, not publishing meetings, making decisions not in meetings. We are all waiting to see what is going to happen - the school and the parents. There are some people who are extremely mad at us because they only know the administration's side and are being told that we are just trouble makers. We just want to hand all our stuff over to someone who will know what to do with it. There are a couple of other parents we are in touch with around the country, do you want us to tell them to contact you also?

AmericaTheBrave

5/26/2010 03:58:09 pm

Follow the money my friends! Gulen movement is much bigger than you realize, money,foundations, Public Relations (which Gulen owns) and political affliations within America and Turkey.
Worldwide he has schools all over (Russia and Uzbekistan schools were closed) Beehive (UT-is closing) Chesapeake (MD-Closed)
His foundations that oversea the schools and promotion of Turkish Culture in America are endless: Cosmos, Concept, Niagara, Dialog Foundation, Pacifica, Daisy Education and many more.
Go to www.guidestar.com for free you can pull the IRS 990 tax returns. We are talking in the MILLIONS HERE.
Also go to UTUBE for hundreds of videos producted by Gulen's ERBU TV about his movement: Search the above names and the school names. You will find American Kids in Turkey singing, dancing in Turkish for an end of the year "Dog and Pony" show of brainwashing. Also these big science awards the Gulen kids win are in Gulen sponsored Contests.
Nice huh? Gulen is not transparent, the teachers will never tell you about their associations until you press them for answers.

6/2/2010 11:28:58 pm

My two sons were at YSCP of Central PA and I witnessed how they treated their employees that were not Turkish and their curriculum used to be great however No Structure! No place to send your kids in my opinion. Poor programs for children with learning disabilities and they do not follow the law.

CuriousAbout Harmony

6/3/2010 07:15:31 am

I am interested in any information anyone has on the Texas Harmony Schools. I have been reasearching for about a week now, but I am getting the "no hard evidence" speach.. to me it is plain as day, but others don't see it. Can anyone help?

whoa!

3/20/2011 08:03:59 pm

This is really amazing. I taught at Truebright Science Academy in Philadelphia. As I read through all of the letters written about the schools, I can relate to everything they are saying. We experience the same exact things. One common element is the threats and terminations of whistleblowers. Hence, why I am no longer there. Unqualified, uncertified staff are paid significantly higher than long time, certified American teachers. The principal changed grades and test scores all the time. If we spoke against it, we had "the talk." It was horrible! Those guys are worse than Nazis!

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