Fetullah Gulen's international Islamic movement is for the past few years in the spotlight in Turkey due to his para-state mechanism he was able to orchestrate, with multiple layers of influence within the Police and state security forces and the education apparatus of the country.
Although for years Erdogan's AKP political base was collaborating with Gulen, on a common global platform and in conjunction with the Muslim Brotherhood's global Islamic ambitions, the rift seems to have surpassed the level of compromise and a bitter fight ensues nowadays in Turkey.
Gulen's adherents and networks have flourished in the Balkans for years and constitute nowadays a formidable nexus of NGO's, religious centers, schools and colleges, as well as, private companies. The following passages outline their reach, with a focus in Albania.
Albania
Since the early 1990's and after the collapse of Communism in Albania, Gulen through the support of the Turkish state made his entrance in the country and has since then, created a multilayered parallel educational structure to the country's state school system.
Religious madrassas have been established in Berat, Tirana, Korca, Elbasan, Pogradec. Higher education colleges in Tirana, Durres, Skondra such as Turgut Ozal, Mehmet Akif, Hashan Risa Pasha respectively. Gulen places special attention into reaching out to the country's emerging elite, thus the highly -pursued private school for the local elite, that of the International School of Tirana, is a Gulen-owned one, whose graduates get access to either local or international universities that belong to the global Gullen system.
NGO such as the Yeni Ufuklar, play a crucial role into cementing interpersonal relations between students and alumni, whilst local Sunni religious structures have been effectively influenced to a great extent by the people associating themselves with Gulen in Albania.
Organization: Sema Foundation (Fondacioni Sema)
Mehmet Akif College (Kolegji Mehmet Akif) Tirana (1993)
Hasan Riza Pasha College (Shkolla Hasan Riza Pasha) Shkoder (2001) primary and secondary school, and kindergarten
Institucioni Parashkollor M. Akif, Tirana (2006)
Meridian Course Center, a.k.a. Meridian Foreign Language and Training Courses Center (Qendër Kursesh Meridian) Tirana http://www.meridian.edu.al/
Medresas operated by Sema Foundation in partnership with Komuniteti Musliman:
-Elbasan – Cerrik, Liria
-Kavajë, Hafiz Ali Korça,
-Tiranë, H. Mahmud Dashi
-Buharaja-Berat, Medrese Vexhi
-Korça
Epoka University, Tirana http://www.epoka.edu.al/new/
Beder University http://www.beder.edu.al (opened April 2011; Sema Foundation)
Organization: Turgut Ozal Education Company http://www.turgutozal.edu.al/
Turgut Ozal kindergarten, primary and secondary school, high school, Tirana
Turgut Ozal College, kindergarten, primary, secondary and high school, Durres
Memorial International School of Tirana (secondary and high school) http://www.mistedu.com/
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Organization: Bosna-Sema Educational Institutions www.bosnasema.com
International Burch University http://www.ibu.edu.ba/
Una Sana College (Unsko-Sanski Koledz) http://www.unasanacollege.edu.ba/
International School of Sarajevo - Vraca http://internationalschool.ba/ips/eng/
International School of Sarajevo - Ilidza http://internationalschool.ba/iss/eng/
International School of Tuzla http://internationalschool.ba/ist/eng/
International School of Zenica http://internationalschool.ba/isz/eng/
Bulgaria
Umbrella organization: Drujba Schools http://www.drujba.org
Drujba Private School, Sofia http://www.sofia.drujba.org
Drujba Private School, Plovdiv http://www.plv.drujba.org
Drujba Study Center, Sofia http://www.ec.drujba.org
Drujba Study Center, Plovdiv http://www.ecp.drujba.org
Kosovo
Organization: Gülistan Educatıon Center http://www.gulistan.edu.al/
http://www.gulistankosova.eu/
Mehmet Akif College, Prishtina http://www.mackosova.com/default.asp
Mehmet Akif College, Prizren http://www.mackosova.com/prizren/
International School of Prishtina http://www.ispkosova.com/
FYROM
International Balkan University, Skopje http://www.ibu.edu.mk
Private Yahya Kemal Colleges, Skopje http://www.yahyakemalcollege.edu.mk http://www.ykc.edu.mk
YKC ÜsküpAvtokomanda Lisesi (high school)
YKC Gostivar Lisesi (high school)
YKC Struga Lisesi (high school)
YKC Üsküp Butel Lisesi (high school)
YKC Üsküp İlkokulu (primary school)
YKC Struga İlkokulu (primary school)
YKC Strumica Lisesi (high school)
YKC Tetova Bölgesi Lisesi (high school)
Romania
Umbrella organization: Lumina Educational Institutions http://www.lumina.ro/
Scoala Spectrum Bucaresti http://bucuresti.spectrum.ro
Scoala Spectrum Constanta http://constanta.spectrum.ro
Scoala Internationala Spectrum Iasi http://iasi.spectrum.ro/
Scoala Internationala Spectrum Cluj http://cluj.spectrum.ro/
Scoala Internationala Spectrum Timisoara http://timisoara.spectrum.ro/
Scoala Internationala Spectrum Ploiesti http://ploiesti.spectrum.ro/
International Computer High School of Bucharest (ICHB) (Liceul International de Informatica Bucaresti)www.ichb.ro
International Computer High School of Constanta (Liceul International de Informatica Constanta) www.ichc.ro
International School of Bucharest http://www.isb.ro/
ISB Early Learning Centre http://www.isb.ro/early-learning-centre/early-learning-centre
University: University of Southeast Europe - Lumina University (Universitatea Europei de Sud-Est Lumina) http://www.lumina.org
Serbia
Bejza Educational Center (languages, IT) http://bejza.edu.rs/
Bejza Primary School http://www.bejza.rs/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62&Itemid=34&lang=rs
A safe estimation that can be mad at this point, is that the ongoing struggle between Erdogan and Gulen will spill over to the latter's Balkan networking leading to dissatisfaction of Ankara of his presence in the aforementioned countries, signaling an eventual decrease in Gulen's movement capabilities, especially those in Albania, Kosovo, and Bosnia.
That does not mean that the infrastructure will vanish, on the contrary it will be directed into serving AKP's agenda by pushing out Gulen's directorship over it. As a result that will further enchase anxienty of the local governments of the subversion on long-term basis of the Turkish state in their societies.
Radical Islam Monitor in Southeast Europe
