Asking for evidence on FETÖ is insulting to Turks' wisdom

When I say asking for evidence about the role of Gülenists in the failed coup amounts to insulting Turkey, I am not talking about the U.S. authorities asking for official proof to consider Ankara's request for Fethullah Gülen's extradition. 

I'm basically talking about opinion-makers, especially those in Europe. No one asks for evidence when Turkey's opposition parties, academics, NGO representatives, journalists, and businesspeople complain about democratic backpedaling in Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's authoritarian practices. No one questions the validity of the arguments. 

I'm not blaming anyone. Looking at Turkey objectively, it is only natural to see a slide toward authoritarian rule. But that does not mean every piece of information that seems to consolidate this picture should be taken for granted, which is usually the case. These days, every story that consolidates the narrative of Erdoğan's lust for authoritarian power is devoured with great appetite. And it seems that with each step he takes and every statement he makes, Erdoğan provides more than enough to satisfy those appetites.
What I find intriguing is that the same crowd - which is met approvingly when criticizing Erdoğan - is met with disbelief when it says Gülenists were behind the coup. "Yeah, but where is the evidence," they are asked. 

I can understand the confusion. It is normal that there might be difficulty understanding the Gülenists and how their network functions. But the reaction you get from foreign interlocutors is not about a genuine wish to inquire and find out - it's about sheer disbelief.

Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), which has been critical of the government on almost every issue, has no doubt about...