Once against Kurdish initiative, Gülenists turned into sympathizers of Kurds

If you want to attract the attention of Western public opinion through media about Turkey, there are some key words one should use. 

If you use Kurds, Alevis, non-Muslim minorities, gender equality, extremists, radicals, salafists and are critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, you will certainly have an audience more willing to lend an ear to you.

 "It is deeply disappointing to see what has become of Turkey in the last few years. Not long ago, it was the envy of Muslim-majority countries: a viable candidate for the European Union on its path to becoming a functioning democracy that upholds universal human rights, gender equality, the rule of law and the rights of Kurdish and non-Muslim citizens," wrote Fethullah Gülen in an opinion article published in the New York Times on Feb. 3, 2015.

After talking about how the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) reversed that course, he continued "We are not the only victims of the AKP's crackdown. Peaceful environmental protesters, Kurds, Alevis, non-Muslim citizens and some Sunni Muslim groups not aligned with the ruling party have suffered, too."

This is before the coup attempt. He used a similar rhetoric in another opinion article that was published after the coup attempt last year in the New York Times. 

"Mr. Erdoğan in recent years has arbitrarily closed newspapers; removed thousands of judges, prosecutors, police officers and civil servants from their positions; and taken especially harsh measures against Kurdish communities," he had said.  

And this is what he wrote in an opinion article published in the Washington Post on May 15: "Since July 15, following a deplorable coup attempt, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has systematically persecuted...