The FBI raided the offices of the Kenilworth Science & Technology charter school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana this past week according to the The Times Picayune. Like the Indiana Math & Science Academy charter schools in Indianapolis, the charter school in Kenilworth has ties to the controversial education movement inspired by Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish exile once accused of trying to overthrow the Turkish government who now resides in Pennsylvania under a grant of asylum. Gulen has amassed a multi-billion dollar fortune from explained sources while living in virtual seclusion in a rural Pennsylvania community, rarely appearing in public and primarily communicating to his followers through recorded video messages.
The FBI and school are not talking about the cause for this past week's raid, but a Philadelphia Inquirer report in 2011 indicated that the FBI was investigating whether teachers employed by schools associated with the Gulen movement are required to kick back part of their taxpayer-supported salaries to Hizmet, a Turkish Muslim movement.
The Gulen-affiliated charter schools have been criticized for hiring Turkish immigrant teachers the schools sponsor for H-1B non-immigrant visas and permanent resident status rather than hiring available American teachers. The Indiana Math & Science Academy's three charter schools in Indianapolis filed 37 applications for H-1B visas between 2001 and 2012, two of which were denied. It filed another 4 applications for green cards, two of which were denied during the same period.
Advance Indiana previously reported how many Indiana politicians and reporters have been wined and dined and taken on free trips to Turkey by a front group for the Gulen Movement, the Niagara Foundation, to promote the movement's agenda in the U.S. One of the group's leaders, Bilal Eksili, seems to show up wherever prominent Indiana politicians can be found to present awards to them for their past support and to have his photo taken with them, which he proudly displays on the group's website and his Twitter account, describing the politicians as his "friend." The organization had former Indiana Supt. of Education Tony Bennett, a big proponent of charter schools, wrapped around their finger.
Showing posts with label Gulen Movement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gulen Movement. Show all posts
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Ballard Administration Approved Third Gulen-Sponsored Charter School After Indiana Charter School Board Rejected Its Application
The Indiana Math & Science Academy is a Gulen-sponsored charter school operated by Concept Schools, Inc., a Chicago nonprofit organization affiliated with the Gulen Movement that operates more than 30 charter schools throughout the Midwest. Ball State University authorized the Math & Science Academy's first charter school in Indianapolis on the city's west side at 4575 W. 38th Street in 2007. Mayor Greg Ballard's charter schools office authorized its second charter school in Indianapolis on the city's north side at 7435 N. Keystone Avenue in 2010.
When Concept Schools applied for a third Math & Science Academy for the city's south side with the Indiana Charter School Board in May, 2012, their application was denied along with two other applications. A little more than six months after being rejected by the state charter school board, Concept Schools presented a new application to Ballard's charter schools office, it was approved along with five other new applications for charter schools. "Mayor Greg Ballard’s office has approved seven more charter schools for Indianapolis—more than half as many as he approved in his previous five years in office," the IBJ reported on December 6, 2012.
It should have come as little surprise that the Math & Science Academy's application with Ballard's charter school office would fare well. In March, 2012, Ballard announced the appointment of Jason Kloth to a new cabinet level position as Deputy Mayor of Education in charge of his charter school office. Kloth joined the Ballard administration after a seven-year stint with Teach For America, a nonprofit national education organization. When Kloth joined the Ballard administration, he had a reason to look favorably on a Gulen-sponsored school. After all, he was one of more than 400 public officials, education, community, religious and business leaders from Indiana who had accepted an invitation to travel on an all-expense paid trip to Turkey courtesy of the Niagara Foundation, yet another Gulen-backed nonprofit organization.
Yesterday, Advance Indiana told you just how deeply the Gulen Movement's efforts through the Niagara Foundation extended to influence opinion of key influence leaders on Turkey and Islam in the Hoosier State by offering them free trips to Turkey, special recognitions and honors, gifts. luncheons, dinners and State House events. Bilal Eksili is the front person for the Niagara Foundation's activities in Indiana. Eksili was instrumental in launching both schools of the Math & Science Academy in Indianapolis, on both of whose boards he sits. According to the Math & Science Academy South's application, Eskili will serve as its board president, along with Salim Ucan, a founding team member, David Holt, Vice-President of Connexus Indiana, Bulent Guler, associate professor at IU-Bloomington, Oznur Dundar, instructor at ELS Indiana, Jeanette Moody, consultant for Scholastic, Inc. and Virgil Madden, a former policy adviser for former Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman and recipient of one of the Niagara Foundation's free trips to Turkey with Eksili.
According to FireDogLake's Doug Martin, the Math & Science Academy, like other Gulen-sponsored charter schools, relies heavily on Turkish immigrants to fill the ranks of their teaching staff. Two years ago, Martin wrote that the schools had filed at least 17 visa applications for teaching and other personnel at its two Indianapolis charter schools. Martin's report also noted the gifts, dinners and trips the Niagara Foundation has lavished on Indiana officials. At the time of his report, he claimed an FBI investigation had been opened to look at the group's activities, although the local FBI office declined to confirm such an investigation when Martin inquired at the time.
Sharon Higgins of The Perimeter Primate blog recently discussed the use of all-expense guided trips to Turkey by Gulen Movement leaders as a means of influence peddling. As Higgins noted, persons who travel on those trips are not always aware of the intention of the persons sponsoring the trips. "As one photo journalist from Colorado noticed on the fourth day of travel, 'We are beginning to understand the reason for the cultural exchange; it is not simply to meet local leaders and learn about Turkish culture, but also to gain an understanding of the Gulen Movement," Higgin writes, quoting the photo journalist. 'Gain an understanding' as in acquiring the perspective fed to them by members of the Gulen Movement over the coarse of nine of 10 straight days of tightly controlled immersion.'"
News media in other states have questioned public officials accepting these junkets from the Gulen Movement. The Boise Guardian reacted sharply after learning that a group of its state's lawmakers were in Ankara, Turkey during a bomb blast there.
UPDATE: I missed this one. The Journal-Gazette's Karen Francisco had this story two years ago:
When Concept Schools applied for a third Math & Science Academy for the city's south side with the Indiana Charter School Board in May, 2012, their application was denied along with two other applications. A little more than six months after being rejected by the state charter school board, Concept Schools presented a new application to Ballard's charter schools office, it was approved along with five other new applications for charter schools. "Mayor Greg Ballard’s office has approved seven more charter schools for Indianapolis—more than half as many as he approved in his previous five years in office," the IBJ reported on December 6, 2012.
It should have come as little surprise that the Math & Science Academy's application with Ballard's charter school office would fare well. In March, 2012, Ballard announced the appointment of Jason Kloth to a new cabinet level position as Deputy Mayor of Education in charge of his charter school office. Kloth joined the Ballard administration after a seven-year stint with Teach For America, a nonprofit national education organization. When Kloth joined the Ballard administration, he had a reason to look favorably on a Gulen-sponsored school. After all, he was one of more than 400 public officials, education, community, religious and business leaders from Indiana who had accepted an invitation to travel on an all-expense paid trip to Turkey courtesy of the Niagara Foundation, yet another Gulen-backed nonprofit organization.
Yesterday, Advance Indiana told you just how deeply the Gulen Movement's efforts through the Niagara Foundation extended to influence opinion of key influence leaders on Turkey and Islam in the Hoosier State by offering them free trips to Turkey, special recognitions and honors, gifts. luncheons, dinners and State House events. Bilal Eksili is the front person for the Niagara Foundation's activities in Indiana. Eksili was instrumental in launching both schools of the Math & Science Academy in Indianapolis, on both of whose boards he sits. According to the Math & Science Academy South's application, Eskili will serve as its board president, along with Salim Ucan, a founding team member, David Holt, Vice-President of Connexus Indiana, Bulent Guler, associate professor at IU-Bloomington, Oznur Dundar, instructor at ELS Indiana, Jeanette Moody, consultant for Scholastic, Inc. and Virgil Madden, a former policy adviser for former Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman and recipient of one of the Niagara Foundation's free trips to Turkey with Eksili.
According to FireDogLake's Doug Martin, the Math & Science Academy, like other Gulen-sponsored charter schools, relies heavily on Turkish immigrants to fill the ranks of their teaching staff. Two years ago, Martin wrote that the schools had filed at least 17 visa applications for teaching and other personnel at its two Indianapolis charter schools. Martin's report also noted the gifts, dinners and trips the Niagara Foundation has lavished on Indiana officials. At the time of his report, he claimed an FBI investigation had been opened to look at the group's activities, although the local FBI office declined to confirm such an investigation when Martin inquired at the time.
Sharon Higgins of The Perimeter Primate blog recently discussed the use of all-expense guided trips to Turkey by Gulen Movement leaders as a means of influence peddling. As Higgins noted, persons who travel on those trips are not always aware of the intention of the persons sponsoring the trips. "As one photo journalist from Colorado noticed on the fourth day of travel, 'We are beginning to understand the reason for the cultural exchange; it is not simply to meet local leaders and learn about Turkish culture, but also to gain an understanding of the Gulen Movement," Higgin writes, quoting the photo journalist. 'Gain an understanding' as in acquiring the perspective fed to them by members of the Gulen Movement over the coarse of nine of 10 straight days of tightly controlled immersion.'"
News media in other states have questioned public officials accepting these junkets from the Gulen Movement. The Boise Guardian reacted sharply after learning that a group of its state's lawmakers were in Ankara, Turkey during a bomb blast there.
The local news outlets played it pretty straight yesterday when news was received that a delegation of Idaho legislators and their spouses was safe following a terrorist blast in Ankara, Turkey. This was nothing more than a junket paid for by the Turkish government in our opinion. It could be only a tourist promotion, but the Turks have been hustling public officials for several years. WHY? . . . There is also an Islamic group called the “Gulen movement” which may be using local officials as pawns in an international chess game centered around charter schools of all things.We got a call from one local official who said he turned down the offer for a free trip to Turkey–airfare was NOT covered–because it was simply against the law. The local guy told us there was so much value in the gift that it would have clearly violated the Idaho ethics law. He was invited solely based on his official position.A South Carolina blog noted an unusual participant among eight state senators who took one of the junkets to Turkey, who had good reason to not report his all-expense paid trip as required by state ethics rules:
Two weeks ago, a local political blog broke the story of eight S.C. Senators who received an all-expenses paid trip to Turkey last October. We promptly picked up the scoop … although at this point no one seems to know the purpose of the trip, which was paid for by a little-known group called the “South Carolina Dialogue Foundation.”
Also unclear? Why one lawmaker – S.C. Sen. Mike Fair (RINO-Greenville) – failed to disclose this lavish gift on his statement of economic interest, as he is required to do by law.
What gives? Well, we may have picked up a scent …
Fair, one of the state’s most notorious panderers when it comes to social issues, has been the lead sponsor of legislation aimed at eradicating the nonexistent menace of sharia (i.e. traditional Islamic) law from South Carolina courtrooms. Is sharia law currently being used in South Carolina’s courtrooms? No. Is there a snowball’s chance in hell that it ever will be? No . . .
This group isn’t just sending State Senators to Turkey, it’s sending South Carolina students, teachers and educrats there, too. In fact, the organization recently sponsored an “art and essay contest” which will send four high school students, their teachers and their superintendents on … wait for it … an “all expenses paid” trip to Turkey . . .
“The South Carolina Dialogue Foundation is one of the many organizations associated with the Gulen movement, a religious group which emerged in Turkey during the 1970s,” Higgins writes in the email. “Members follow the teachings of Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric. Many people who know about the Gulen movement find its activities to be highly concerning and controversial. In some circles, the Gulen movement is viewed as a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” . . .
Wow … and these guys have set up shop in South Carolina? And took the state’s preeminent Bible-thumping politician on an all-expenses paid trip? One which he failed to report?
Not only that, Gulen solicited donations to pay for these trips from Islamic donors with the promise that their money would go toward a “faithful” cause.
Hmmmm … is it becoming clear why Fair refused to follow the law and disclose his participation in this junket? We think so …See also this recent report on the Turkey trip for Tennessee lawmakers. Is there anyone in the mainstream media in Indiana who will report on the Niagara Foundation's lavish spending on our public officials and business, education, religious and community leaders to influence their opinions who hasn't already been bought off with free trips, dinners and gifts? We'll see.
UPDATE: I missed this one. The Journal-Gazette's Karen Francisco had this story two years ago:
The blog Charter School Scandals has been posting for some time on the Gulen charter schools, founded by exiled Turkish iman Fethullah Gulen. Now the reports of the schools' unusual ties and operations are coming from sources like the Philadelphia Inquirer.
There are Indiana ties. Blogger Doug Martin pulls it all together here, with some fascinating connections outlined . . .
You won't find a direct reference to Gulen on the school web site, but you will see the connection fairly quickly if you check out the links on Doug Martin's post. The most interesting is the connection between the school and the Indiana chapter of the Niagara Foundation, which seems to enjoy giving awards to powerful political leaders like Gov. Mitch Daniels, Congressman Dan Burton and former Secretary of State Todd Rokita.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Gulen Movement Influence Invading Hoosier State From The State House To The Schools, Media And Beyond
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| Fethullah Gulen |
Since Gulen's self-imposed exile from Turkey in 1999, he has built a multi-billion dollar network of organizations and businesses throughout the United States and around the world promoting his version of Islam from a large compound he built tucked away in the Poconos. Gulen, who seemingly never emerges publicly from his private compound, choosing instead to communicate to his followers via the Internet and video recordings, encourages his followers to praise Allah by making lots of money, mostly for him, instead of building new mosques. The so-called Gulen Movement has sought to influence American politicians, business, education and civic leaders in a relatively short period of time with profound results, an effort that has reached deep into the Hoosier state.
Although the charismatic imam has grown into the most powerful religious cleric in Turkey, Gulen hasn't set foot in Turkey since he arrived in the U.S. to receive medical treatment in 1999. After arriving in the United States, he was indicted by Turkey's secular government for attempting to organize a stealth Islamic coup by urging his supporters within the Turkish government to take control of the government. Gulen insisted his statements were taken out of context, and he was later acquitted after he was tried in abstentia. Nonetheless, many inside Turkey and within the U.S. government view his growing web of activities and influence with suspicion.
Despite serious misgivings by the FBI about his motivations and intentions, Gulen found top officials within the CIA and State Department to vouch for him to allow him to remain in the United States and obtain lawful permanent residence here. FBI whistle blower Sibel Edmonds has reported the fact that among his top sponsors was a former top CIA official, Graham Fuller, who was exposed as having close family ties to Ruslan Tsarni, a Russian immigrant and uncle of Boston Marathon bombing suspects Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. According to Edmonds, Fuller, a chief architect of the Iran-Contra scandal that rocked the Reagan administration, has been behind CIA efforts to recruit radical Islamists to carry out terrorist activities to destabilize Russian and Chinese influence in Central Asia. Edmonds included Fuller on her rogue gallery of U.S. officials, in large part, due to his role in propping up and handling Gulen and his $20 billion plus network of non government organizations.
In addition to promoting a large network of charter schools, Gulen's nonprofit organizations in the United States have largely focused on: promoting Turkish culture through festivals and classes; seeking access to public officials, academics and other influential people in the community; providing all-expense paid guided trips to Turkey to American public officials and persons of influence; engaging in interfaith dialogue and outreach; hosting lectures, luncheons and dinners; and offering gifts and special recognition to American public officials and persons of influence. A 2008 RAND National Defense Research Institute report described the Gulen movement as being "highly nationalistic and heavily involved with promoting Turkish language and culture. It has been accused of spreading pan-Turkism and neo-Ottomanism."
A "60 Minutes" report by Lesley Stahl last year reported on how Gulen's network had established more than one hundred charter schools throughout the United States, the largest collection of charter schools in the country, including Indianapolis' Math & Science Academy. Together, they receive more than $150 million in public funding annually. Although the schools are not religious, Stahl reported on festering questions about Gulen's motivations. Stahl's report noted that many of the schools are staffed with Gulen followers from Turkey, who are brought here on work visas sponsored by the Gulen-backed schools to teach in a variety of areas, including English. That's led critics to accuse the Gulen charter schools of committing visa fraud by claiming a lack of qualified American teachers to fill teaching jobs at the schools. Stahl even learned that Turkish immigrant teachers at the schools are required to donate up to 40% of their salaries to Gulen's organization. Stahl found it difficult to find any critics to speak out about Gulen in Turkey for fear of reprisal, noting that his critics often wind up jailed.
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| Bilal Eksili presenting Sen. Richard Lugar Lifetime Scholarship Award |
Eksili sits on the board of trustees for Indianapolis' Math & Science Academy, a publicly-funded charter school he was instrumental in establishing. Eksili ran Indiana's chapter of the Niagara Foundation until last year when he became the Vice President of the Turkish American Federation of Midwest, another Gulen-funded organization. Despite efforts at one time by the FBI to kick Gulen out of the United States, FBI Director Robert Mueller presented to Eksili's organization the 2008 Community Leadership Award.
Eksili, who has made large campaign donations to several Hoosier public officials, including Gov. Mike Pence and U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, has hosted numerous lunches, dinners and other events on behalf of the Niagara Foundation at which many of Indiana's top political, business, education, religious and community leaders have participated. He also solicits public officials and other leaders to accompany him on all-expense paid trips to Turkey. Advance Indiana obtained an e-mail solicitation that Eksili sent out in 2011 to persons who he sought to accompany him on a trip to Turkey. The following is a partial text of that e-mail, boasting about the number of influential persons who have accompanied him on past trips to Turkey:
You are cordially invited to join our Inter-Cultural Friendship Trip to Turkey. Every guest is responsible only for purchasing his/her Indianapolis - Istanbul airfare. We will cover all travel, lodging and food costs in Turkey. Your spouse is also invited.
Other than our regular tour program, we will be welcomed by the Turkish academics, media members, government officials and by the leading businessmen of Turkey. In each city we will have a chance to have dinner with local families at their residents too.
The Niagara Foundation (formerly known as Holy Dove Foundation) is a Non-profit foundation and aims to forge bonds of lasting friendship between Hoosiers and Turkish people by identifying what it is we have in common, by learning to appreciate and honor our differences, and by collaborating on mutually beneficial projects.
In 3 years over 400 leaders from Indiana including many State Senators, Representatives, academics, media members and leading businessmen have experienced this life changing opportunity and they all came back with remarkable memories.
We believe what makes Turkey particularly attractive as a travel destination is the fact that it has historically been one of the most interesting meeting places of different civilizations, not to mention its marvelous natural beauties, warm hospitality and world famous cuisine, which attracts approximately 25 million of foreign tourists every year.
The dates will be as follows: June 8th – 19th, and June 19th – 29th. Attached you can find sample itinerary and also you can visit our webpage for further information. Our webpage is www.theholydove.org , www.niagarafoundation.org
The list of prominent Hoosiers participating in Gulen-funded trips to Turkey is astonishing to say the least. It's not surprising that so many politicians would jump at the opportunity to take part in an overseas junket to Turkey, but many people will be shocked that top media representatives, business, religious and community leaders took advantage of the free trips as well. Advance Indiana obtained a sample itinerary for one of the Gulen-sponsored trips, which included stops at a mosque, the Turkish parliament, Turkey's largest TV station and newspaper controlled by Gulen, meetings with government and media officials loyal to Gulen, and dinners in the homes of Gulen followers, along with plenty of time allotted for typical tourist trappings including shopping, boating, swimming and other leisure-related activities.Some of the Previous Travelers:Senator Brandt Hershman, Senator Vi Simpson, Senator Jim Arnold, Senator Karen Tallian, Senator Jim Lewis, Representative Linda Lawson, Representative Vernon Smith, Kevin Rader Channel13 . . . Sherrie Bossung Eli Lilly, Julie Dewitt . . . Jason Kloth Teach for America, Jason Dombkowski Chief of Police Dept in West Lafayette, Tom Harton IBJ, Roland Dorson President of Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, Donald Knebel B&T Law, Bobby Fong President of Butler University, Scott Appleby Director of Kroc Institute at Notre Dame, Patrick & Melissa Mason Notre Dame, Barbara Lockwood Notre Dame, Kent Millard, St. Luke’s United Meth. Church, Dennis & Sandy Sasso, Beth El-Zedeck Synagogue, Suellen Reed, former Superintendent of Public Education, Judy O’Bannon WFYI, Lewis Galloway Second Presbyterian Church, Kevin Armstrong North Meridian United Meth. Church, Bonnie Maurer Printing Editor of IBJ, Virgil Madden Lt. Governor’s Policy Advisor, Chris Crabtree Lt. Governor’s Chief of Staff, Pierre Atlas Marian University, Sylvia Payne IUPUI, Bill Plater IUPUI, Dwight Burlingame Philanthropy Center, Gary Roberts IUPUI, Nancy Chism IUPUI, Grady Chism IUPUI, Valerie Eickmeier IUPUI, Laurie and Bill Schneider IUPUI, Darrel Bailey IUPUI.
In February, Advance Indiana exclusively reported that another prominent Turkish immigrant, businessman Ersal Ozdemir, was accompanying Indiana Commerce Secretary Victor Smith on a four-day trade mission to Turkey during which Smith was planning to attend the Young President's Organization Global Leadership Summit in Istanbul at which Smith was presenting. YPO is an exclusive organization first established by the CIA back in the 1950s, which counts Ozdemir among its members. An IEDC spokesperson told Advance Indiana that Ozdemir accompanied Smith and IEDC officials on the trip to "introduce IEDC staff to leaders in the Turkish business community."
Advance Indiana has previously reported on the meteoric rise of Ozdemir in Indiana during the relatively short time he has lived here. Ozdemir has scored numerous government construction contracts from state and local governments and won tens of millions of dollars in government handouts for his private development projects after emerging as one of the state's largest individual campaign contributors. Ozdemir exerts enormous influence over Mayor Greg Ballard and the Marion County Republican Party, which houses its offices in a building owned by Ozdemir, as well as Carmel Mayor James Brainard. Ozdemir also recently announced that he had landed a professional soccer team franchise for Indianapolis. Speculation now abounds that the CIB, with Mayor Ballard's backing, will build or at least subsidize a new soccer stadium for Ozdemir's soccer franchise.
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| Former Supt. of Education Tony Bennett embracing Eksili |
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| Former Indianapolis Council President Rozelle Boyd on Niagara-sponsored trip to Turkey |
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| Former Gov. Mitch Daniels receiving an honor from Eksili at Niagara-sponsored dinner |
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| WTHR's State House reporter Kevin Rader with group on Niagara-sponsored trip to Turkey |
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| State Rep. Mike Speedy (left) on Niagara-sponsored trip to Turkey |
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| U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Eksili |
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| Former Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman presenting Distinguished Citizen Award to Eksili at State House event You won't want to miss this video produced in 2011 and narrated by WTHR weatherman Bob Gregory to see the extent to which the Gulen Movement has co-opted so many of Indiana political, business, religious and education leaders based on false assumptions about who and what they're all about. |
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