Gulen the Ghost -- Tiptoeing Through the Tulips
This article appeared in De Standaard, a major newspaper in Belgium (it has been translated from Dutch to English):
De Standaard, Saturday November 7, 2009 Author: Pieter Lesaffer
Integration – or Ghetto School ? Behind the curtains of the Lucerna College
Something is brewing in the Lucerna College . The criticism of the Dutch-Turkish school is increasing: the quality of education is declining Islam is gaining influence. The State Security Agency is not at ease. In one report, they discussed possible links of the school with the Gülen movement, a somewhat shadowy Turkish Muslim organization, and with creationism. "I once had a student from another school, who did not speak good Turkish. At the end of the school year he spoke fluent Turkish, but his Dutch had not improved," said an ex-teacher of Lucerna College . He and four other (ex-) teachers of the school, who only wanted to testify anonymously to the newspaper, were all of the same opinion. All were concerned about the education in the Lucerna College . At its inception in 2003, the Dutch school, founded by the Turkish community, was praised for its methods, but last year the criticism increased. The teachers were unanimously of the opinion that the level of the Dutch language of the students was poor: the children are very weak in Dutch; and that there was little improvement in the course of their training. This is mainly because they only come into contact with other Turks. "On the playground, the students, in theory, are not allowed to speak Turkish. But once the teachers are away, they switch over to Turkish - which is normal, since they are all Turks. At home they hear only Turkish and they watch only Turkish TV channels. In fact the class is the only place where they speak Dutch, but that is not the way to learn a language. " The testimonials are harmful for a school that prides itself on the fact that students learn more Dutch than in other schools. The day of classes begins with a requirement that the students read a Dutch book for a quarter of an hour. The first year students have seven hours of Dutch, two hours more than in any other school. And in the last year they spend one hour each week in academic reading. However, the inspector who evaluates the language level in the school, in her review in 2007, called the language skills of the students 'improved' - in general, the inspector gave a favorable opinion. "Turkish speaking by pupils in the playground is almost inevitable", was the reaction of Özkan Cetin (30), the general manager of the Lucerna College . "But because we prohibit it, it is not widespread. Furthermore, we test all students who enter the first year for language deficiency. During the first two years we try to catch up. " "We would like nothing better than to be a melting-pot school," he says. “We actually work hard to accomplish that. We have recruited teachers of Moroccan descent, in order to attract students of Moroccan origin. For even with them the language deficiency is very high. Already, 22 percent of our students are of Moroccan descent. They are mainly found in the branches of Antwerp and Brussels . "
The real test for the Lucerna college is yet to come. This school year, the first 36 graduates will go for higher education. They are the guinea pigs for the quality of the education. For progression into higher education is exactly the objective of the Lucerna College . If the admission test can be a barometer, then there is cause for pessimism. None of the three former students who took part succeeded. Little Fundamentalists
The Lucerna college was not founded with the aim of becoming a Muslim school, but because there are only Muslims, it begins to look like it is. This is also the opinion of Sinnaeve Rudi, who taught physics for three months in the Lucerna College of Genk. He is the only witness who did not object to have his name mentioned in the newspapers. "I took the students on a Wednesday to a midday sport event. The following day the physical education teacher was summoned by the director”, he said. "We had obviously done something wrong. I had girls and boys together riding in my mini van, and that was not permissible. I was totally flabbergasted." Özkan Cetin was director of the school in Genk at the time of that incident. He did not understand the fuss. "Our parents would have complained if they knew that their children were in a mixed group sitting in the car," he said. "That type of discussion I would rather avoid. It is also logical that parents would protest, because the sport classes at school are segregated. Then can you have it that the school has sport activities that are mixed-gender? In the buses that take the students to and from school, boys and girls sit together. Then it is obvious that we do not mind " Is there is a danger that the Lucerna college becomes a ghetto school, where ordinary people become strict Turkish Muslims? According to the State Security Agency that has created a dossier about the Lucerna College , it does not seem likely to immediately happen, but it is still something to watch for. On the influence of Islam in education, she wrote in her report: "Nothing indicates that little fundamentalists are being formed within the schools. On the other hand, many questions can be raised regarding the focus of the movement on creationism (the belief that the world was created by a god or a higher power goes against the theory of evolution). " The theory of evolution is clearly an issue. According to director Cetin it is part of the curriculum as shown in the final requirements. "If parents protest about it, I oppose that. We have had many audits in recent years. Had there been a problem the inspector would have noticed it, don’t you think so? " One of our sources, however, has already been summoned because he proclaimed aspects of the theory of evolution in class. "Parents had complained about that, and the board took their side" he says. The other teachers with whom we spoke have never had any problems in that area, but one of them alluded to it in the following way: "The students are very skeptical, and go against the ideas of Darwin . I try to discuss this, but it would not surprise me if the members of Turkish descent think otherwise." Lucerna college has a problem especially when it comes to teaching Islam. From the study materials that we could examine it clearly shows that students learn to oppose the "evolutionists". According to the study documents that we examined, the theory of evolution is one expressed by people who do not believe in the existence of Allah." It is an "illogical belief, which has no scientific basis". "You have all seen turtles, lizards and snakes. Evolutionists claim that these reptiles have been accidentally changed into birds. " About this text, the students have to answer a series of questions. For example: "What can we say to people who claim that everything is created by coincidence? " and "Give some examples that prove that natural selection is wrong." Recruiting souls
From its report on the Lucerna College , the State Security Agency takes the position that the College has links with the so-called Gulen Movement. Chances are that you have never heard of that movement or its leader Fethullah Gülen, but it inspires more than five million Turks in the world. In Turkey the Gülen movement is controversial, writes the State Security Agency in its report: "The secular Turkish establishment believes that the organization has a secret Islamic agenda and ultimately the desire to subvert Turkey 's secular republic and replaced by a theocracy. So far, those allegations could not be irrefutably proven. On the other hand, one cannot deny that the organization has had in recent decades enormous power and influence and thus became an important social player. " What precisely the Gülen Movement has achieved is rather vague. His supporters call Fethullah Gülen an important contemporary source of inspiration and a conciliator. But according to the State Security Agency the 'key objectives' of Gülen are "the Islamization of Turkish nationalism, the development of a Turkish Islam that is superior to that of Arab Islam, and the Islamization of modern society." The religious leaders who live in the United States also advocate "interfaith dialogue," so it can be read in the report. Gülen also supports the idea of Turkey as a regional superpower, and endorses the principles of free market and democracy. Certainly the Gülen Movement exerts a large amount of effort to raise funds and to recruit souls. 'The movement puts people under pressure everywhere and wants maximum impact," say critical voices in the Turkish community. It makes a lot of effort to win over talented young people. Gülen supporters put pressure on them and their parents. Turkish businessmen were also under pressure to make financial contributions to the movement. Whoever fails to contribute can expect a boycott by the Gulen sympathizers in the neighborhood. "That might have already happened", said Bahattin Koçak. Koçak is the brother of the Bering SP.A-ships Selahattin Koçak and is a teacher of Islam in the Community Education Association. He is an influential sympathizer of Gülen movement in our country. "Maybe an enthusiastic volunteer already applied pressure. But that is certainly not the intention. Everyone does what he wants. And we do not win souls. That is also against the Gülen philosophy: Everyone must decide for himself what he thinks. " The Gülen network
Last year a report on Gülen in the Dutch television program Nova caused quite a stir. The conclusion was that the main purpose of the Dutch Gülen Movement is the Islamization of society as a hidden agenda. The schools and organizations have good contacts with policymakers, making generous donations to them. But in the meantime the Movement indoctrinates students, said anonymous witnesses in the program. Indoctrination in the Flemish education is not currently addressed, but in its report, the State Security Agency still seems to indicate a certain risk: "Central to the ideas of Gülen is the attention being given to education. In Turkey , the Central Asian republics, the U.S. and Europe , the movement founded numerous schools, colleges, universities, boarding schools and counseling centers. The teachers in these schools come from Turkey and promote primarily Turkey and Turkish culture. " Elsewhere in the report of the State Security Agency states: "Especially in the field of education, it appears that the Gülen movement is very active. Educational initiatives are twofold in nature: first there were tutoring centers in the second half of the nineties and then they established full pre-schools and primary and secondary education were offered. In Flanders and Brussels they are called "Lucerna Colleges." Lucerna is certainly not a Gülen school in the sense that it imports teachers from Turkey and promotes Turkish culture - a large part of the teaching profession is of Flemish origin. Yet the school reacts frantically when it comes to Fethullah Gulen. Last year the school board applied pressure to try to delete any reference to that movement from an article in Klasse, the magazine of the Ministry of Education. In its official communications Lucerna College makes no mention of the Turkish religious leader. The school brochure states that the word "Lucerna" comes from the Latin which means 'light' "The Lucerna College wants its students to be enlightened." But the reality about this name choice is less inspired. Lucerna is derived from "Nurcu", another name for the Gülen Movement. 'Nur' means 'light' in Turkish. General Manager Cetin denies that the Lucerna College is a Gülen school. "I myself am surely a sympathizer of Gülen, just as are some founders of the school - hence the name of the school. But that does not mean the ideas of Gülen are forced on our students. We are not a Turkish Islamic school. The Lucerna College is a Dutch non-denominational school which is subsidized by the government." "The Life and Work of Gülen" is indeed not on the curriculum. But the students know the religious leader through organizations related to the school. Some of these organizations are Meridian in Ghent , Horizon in Heusden-Zolder and Tempus in Beringen. According Bahattin Koçak these are perhaps inspired by Fethullah Gülen, "but that does not mean that pupils are brain-washed.” Koçak calls it "logical" that young people read the newspaper Zaman, and watch STV (Samanyolu Television), the channel of the Gülen movement. "Their parents have deliberately chosen to be guided by the Movement," he says. "Then it is natural that the newspaper and the TV station play an important role, as do the books of Gülen. Though of course they read other books as well - they need to know what others write. " The tutoring of students in the associations is done by Turkish students, often in groups of three to five living together in dershanes which are Turkish student apartments. These "study houses" exist in Turkey , where they often are inspired by Gülen. In Flanders there are at least five in Hasselt . Leuven also has one. In the dershanes as well, Zaman and STV are the preferred media. Moreover, the Turkish students are encouraged to sell subscriptions to the Benelux version of Zaman. This gets them some extra income. Others say they are under very heavy pressure to sell subscriptions. It can even go so far as forcing students to pay for the subscriptions out of their pockets. Healthy mix There is almost certainly a link between the Lucerna College and Gülen, but if this has resulted only because Turkish students receive better education and have a better chance of continuing on to higher education, as Cetin and Koçak claim, then why must the school be so frantic about this? According to Koçak, the reason is that the school wants to not deter Turks that are not sympathizers of the Gülen movement. "Although two out of three Turks in our country are pro-Gülen." "We just want to avoid having people think that we are a Gülen school," says director Cetin. "The fact that we have mainly Turkish students is accidental, since the founders of the school are Turks. But ultimately we will have a healthy mix. This integration is beneficial. Our goal is to enroll more indigenous students within four or five years. " "Moreover, I dispute the conclusion that we would respond frantically. Yet I have come out as a sympathizer of Gülen? I answer all questions related to this matter. You cannot expect me to make public my beliefs? You do not expect that also from directors of other non-denominational schools?" About the criticism of the school in general, the director wants also to give his opinion: "It is unfortunate that the efforts in recent years of all concerned – the organizing body, the board, the teachers, the sponsors - in the Lucerna College have not been recognized. It is not healthy to deal with a school in such a way. This is the largest integration project of recent years. What is the school doing wrong?”ph.
De Standaard, Saturday November 7, 2009 Author: Pieter Lesaffer
Integration – or Ghetto School ? Behind the curtains of the Lucerna College
Something is brewing in the Lucerna College . The criticism of the Dutch-Turkish school is increasing: the quality of education is declining Islam is gaining influence. The State Security Agency is not at ease. In one report, they discussed possible links of the school with the Gülen movement, a somewhat shadowy Turkish Muslim organization, and with creationism. "I once had a student from another school, who did not speak good Turkish. At the end of the school year he spoke fluent Turkish, but his Dutch had not improved," said an ex-teacher of Lucerna College . He and four other (ex-) teachers of the school, who only wanted to testify anonymously to the newspaper, were all of the same opinion. All were concerned about the education in the Lucerna College . At its inception in 2003, the Dutch school, founded by the Turkish community, was praised for its methods, but last year the criticism increased. The teachers were unanimously of the opinion that the level of the Dutch language of the students was poor: the children are very weak in Dutch; and that there was little improvement in the course of their training. This is mainly because they only come into contact with other Turks. "On the playground, the students, in theory, are not allowed to speak Turkish. But once the teachers are away, they switch over to Turkish - which is normal, since they are all Turks. At home they hear only Turkish and they watch only Turkish TV channels. In fact the class is the only place where they speak Dutch, but that is not the way to learn a language. " The testimonials are harmful for a school that prides itself on the fact that students learn more Dutch than in other schools. The day of classes begins with a requirement that the students read a Dutch book for a quarter of an hour. The first year students have seven hours of Dutch, two hours more than in any other school. And in the last year they spend one hour each week in academic reading. However, the inspector who evaluates the language level in the school, in her review in 2007, called the language skills of the students 'improved' - in general, the inspector gave a favorable opinion. "Turkish speaking by pupils in the playground is almost inevitable", was the reaction of Özkan Cetin (30), the general manager of the Lucerna College . "But because we prohibit it, it is not widespread. Furthermore, we test all students who enter the first year for language deficiency. During the first two years we try to catch up. " "We would like nothing better than to be a melting-pot school," he says. “We actually work hard to accomplish that. We have recruited teachers of Moroccan descent, in order to attract students of Moroccan origin. For even with them the language deficiency is very high. Already, 22 percent of our students are of Moroccan descent. They are mainly found in the branches of Antwerp and Brussels . "
The real test for the Lucerna college is yet to come. This school year, the first 36 graduates will go for higher education. They are the guinea pigs for the quality of the education. For progression into higher education is exactly the objective of the Lucerna College . If the admission test can be a barometer, then there is cause for pessimism. None of the three former students who took part succeeded. Little Fundamentalists
The Lucerna college was not founded with the aim of becoming a Muslim school, but because there are only Muslims, it begins to look like it is. This is also the opinion of Sinnaeve Rudi, who taught physics for three months in the Lucerna College of Genk. He is the only witness who did not object to have his name mentioned in the newspapers. "I took the students on a Wednesday to a midday sport event. The following day the physical education teacher was summoned by the director”, he said. "We had obviously done something wrong. I had girls and boys together riding in my mini van, and that was not permissible. I was totally flabbergasted." Özkan Cetin was director of the school in Genk at the time of that incident. He did not understand the fuss. "Our parents would have complained if they knew that their children were in a mixed group sitting in the car," he said. "That type of discussion I would rather avoid. It is also logical that parents would protest, because the sport classes at school are segregated. Then can you have it that the school has sport activities that are mixed-gender? In the buses that take the students to and from school, boys and girls sit together. Then it is obvious that we do not mind " Is there is a danger that the Lucerna college becomes a ghetto school, where ordinary people become strict Turkish Muslims? According to the State Security Agency that has created a dossier about the Lucerna College , it does not seem likely to immediately happen, but it is still something to watch for. On the influence of Islam in education, she wrote in her report: "Nothing indicates that little fundamentalists are being formed within the schools. On the other hand, many questions can be raised regarding the focus of the movement on creationism (the belief that the world was created by a god or a higher power goes against the theory of evolution). " The theory of evolution is clearly an issue. According to director Cetin it is part of the curriculum as shown in the final requirements. "If parents protest about it, I oppose that. We have had many audits in recent years. Had there been a problem the inspector would have noticed it, don’t you think so? " One of our sources, however, has already been summoned because he proclaimed aspects of the theory of evolution in class. "Parents had complained about that, and the board took their side" he says. The other teachers with whom we spoke have never had any problems in that area, but one of them alluded to it in the following way: "The students are very skeptical, and go against the ideas of Darwin . I try to discuss this, but it would not surprise me if the members of Turkish descent think otherwise." Lucerna college has a problem especially when it comes to teaching Islam. From the study materials that we could examine it clearly shows that students learn to oppose the "evolutionists". According to the study documents that we examined, the theory of evolution is one expressed by people who do not believe in the existence of Allah." It is an "illogical belief, which has no scientific basis". "You have all seen turtles, lizards and snakes. Evolutionists claim that these reptiles have been accidentally changed into birds. " About this text, the students have to answer a series of questions. For example: "What can we say to people who claim that everything is created by coincidence? " and "Give some examples that prove that natural selection is wrong." Recruiting souls
From its report on the Lucerna College , the State Security Agency takes the position that the College has links with the so-called Gulen Movement. Chances are that you have never heard of that movement or its leader Fethullah Gülen, but it inspires more than five million Turks in the world. In Turkey the Gülen movement is controversial, writes the State Security Agency in its report: "The secular Turkish establishment believes that the organization has a secret Islamic agenda and ultimately the desire to subvert Turkey 's secular republic and replaced by a theocracy. So far, those allegations could not be irrefutably proven. On the other hand, one cannot deny that the organization has had in recent decades enormous power and influence and thus became an important social player. " What precisely the Gülen Movement has achieved is rather vague. His supporters call Fethullah Gülen an important contemporary source of inspiration and a conciliator. But according to the State Security Agency the 'key objectives' of Gülen are "the Islamization of Turkish nationalism, the development of a Turkish Islam that is superior to that of Arab Islam, and the Islamization of modern society." The religious leaders who live in the United States also advocate "interfaith dialogue," so it can be read in the report. Gülen also supports the idea of Turkey as a regional superpower, and endorses the principles of free market and democracy. Certainly the Gülen Movement exerts a large amount of effort to raise funds and to recruit souls. 'The movement puts people under pressure everywhere and wants maximum impact," say critical voices in the Turkish community. It makes a lot of effort to win over talented young people. Gülen supporters put pressure on them and their parents. Turkish businessmen were also under pressure to make financial contributions to the movement. Whoever fails to contribute can expect a boycott by the Gulen sympathizers in the neighborhood. "That might have already happened", said Bahattin Koçak. Koçak is the brother of the Bering SP.A-ships Selahattin Koçak and is a teacher of Islam in the Community Education Association. He is an influential sympathizer of Gülen movement in our country. "Maybe an enthusiastic volunteer already applied pressure. But that is certainly not the intention. Everyone does what he wants. And we do not win souls. That is also against the Gülen philosophy: Everyone must decide for himself what he thinks. " The Gülen network
Last year a report on Gülen in the Dutch television program Nova caused quite a stir. The conclusion was that the main purpose of the Dutch Gülen Movement is the Islamization of society as a hidden agenda. The schools and organizations have good contacts with policymakers, making generous donations to them. But in the meantime the Movement indoctrinates students, said anonymous witnesses in the program. Indoctrination in the Flemish education is not currently addressed, but in its report, the State Security Agency still seems to indicate a certain risk: "Central to the ideas of Gülen is the attention being given to education. In Turkey , the Central Asian republics, the U.S. and Europe , the movement founded numerous schools, colleges, universities, boarding schools and counseling centers. The teachers in these schools come from Turkey and promote primarily Turkey and Turkish culture. " Elsewhere in the report of the State Security Agency states: "Especially in the field of education, it appears that the Gülen movement is very active. Educational initiatives are twofold in nature: first there were tutoring centers in the second half of the nineties and then they established full pre-schools and primary and secondary education were offered. In Flanders and Brussels they are called "Lucerna Colleges." Lucerna is certainly not a Gülen school in the sense that it imports teachers from Turkey and promotes Turkish culture - a large part of the teaching profession is of Flemish origin. Yet the school reacts frantically when it comes to Fethullah Gulen. Last year the school board applied pressure to try to delete any reference to that movement from an article in Klasse, the magazine of the Ministry of Education. In its official communications Lucerna College makes no mention of the Turkish religious leader. The school brochure states that the word "Lucerna" comes from the Latin which means 'light' "The Lucerna College wants its students to be enlightened." But the reality about this name choice is less inspired. Lucerna is derived from "Nurcu", another name for the Gülen Movement. 'Nur' means 'light' in Turkish. General Manager Cetin denies that the Lucerna College is a Gülen school. "I myself am surely a sympathizer of Gülen, just as are some founders of the school - hence the name of the school. But that does not mean the ideas of Gülen are forced on our students. We are not a Turkish Islamic school. The Lucerna College is a Dutch non-denominational school which is subsidized by the government." "The Life and Work of Gülen" is indeed not on the curriculum. But the students know the religious leader through organizations related to the school. Some of these organizations are Meridian in Ghent , Horizon in Heusden-Zolder and Tempus in Beringen. According Bahattin Koçak these are perhaps inspired by Fethullah Gülen, "but that does not mean that pupils are brain-washed.” Koçak calls it "logical" that young people read the newspaper Zaman, and watch STV (Samanyolu Television), the channel of the Gülen movement. "Their parents have deliberately chosen to be guided by the Movement," he says. "Then it is natural that the newspaper and the TV station play an important role, as do the books of Gülen. Though of course they read other books as well - they need to know what others write. " The tutoring of students in the associations is done by Turkish students, often in groups of three to five living together in dershanes which are Turkish student apartments. These "study houses" exist in Turkey , where they often are inspired by Gülen. In Flanders there are at least five in Hasselt . Leuven also has one. In the dershanes as well, Zaman and STV are the preferred media. Moreover, the Turkish students are encouraged to sell subscriptions to the Benelux version of Zaman. This gets them some extra income. Others say they are under very heavy pressure to sell subscriptions. It can even go so far as forcing students to pay for the subscriptions out of their pockets. Healthy mix There is almost certainly a link between the Lucerna College and Gülen, but if this has resulted only because Turkish students receive better education and have a better chance of continuing on to higher education, as Cetin and Koçak claim, then why must the school be so frantic about this? According to Koçak, the reason is that the school wants to not deter Turks that are not sympathizers of the Gülen movement. "Although two out of three Turks in our country are pro-Gülen." "We just want to avoid having people think that we are a Gülen school," says director Cetin. "The fact that we have mainly Turkish students is accidental, since the founders of the school are Turks. But ultimately we will have a healthy mix. This integration is beneficial. Our goal is to enroll more indigenous students within four or five years. " "Moreover, I dispute the conclusion that we would respond frantically. Yet I have come out as a sympathizer of Gülen? I answer all questions related to this matter. You cannot expect me to make public my beliefs? You do not expect that also from directors of other non-denominational schools?" About the criticism of the school in general, the director wants also to give his opinion: "It is unfortunate that the efforts in recent years of all concerned – the organizing body, the board, the teachers, the sponsors - in the Lucerna College have not been recognized. It is not healthy to deal with a school in such a way. This is the largest integration project of recent years. What is the school doing wrong?”ph.
