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Rabat – Morocco’s Ministry of the Interior announced on Thursday that it is shutting down all the institutions of Mohammed Al-Fatih that are linked to Fethullah Gülen, the alleged mastermind of the July 15th coup d’état attempt, that aimed to overthrow Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The ministry has set a deadline of one month for institution officials to comply with its decision. Countdown to the deadline started on Thursday.
The ministry has said that “Investigations have revealed that the schools were spreading the ‘ideology’ and ideas of Gulen’s movement, ideology and ideas which contradict the educational system and religious principles of Morocco.”
“After officials of the schools have not responded to the alerts from the Ministry of Education as the ministry in charge of the educational system in Morocco […], the ministry decided to shut down all institutions that are under the auspices of Gülen,” the ministry said.
Last August, a Turkish delegation consisting of three deputies of the Turkish ruling party, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to Morocco to warn Moroccan authorities about the “danger” of the movement and to expound on the risks that Gulen’s movement may pose to the interests of the countries in which it is present. During their visit, the deputies met with several Moroccan officials, including members of the Justice and Development Party (PJD), leading party in the coalition government in Morocco.
Following the July 15th attempted coup d’état, Turkey’s Ambassador to Morocco, Ethem Barkan Öz, said that “Turkey is ready to cooperate with Morocco to shut down the institutions of Gülen, noting that Gülen’s organization, known in Turkey as FETO, emerged as a religious movement in 1970 when it began working on education and inter-religious dialogue by establishing private schools and accommodating students who were members of the organization.”
