OKLAHOMA, Okla. (A.W.)—The family of Turkish professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Oklahoma City Thunder Enes Kanter has publicly disowned him, after he pledged his allegiance to exiled Pennsylvania-based Turkish cleric and founder of the Gülen movement (known as Hizmet meaning service in Turkish) Fethullah Gulen.
Gulen (L) and Kanter (R)
“Today I lost my mother, father, brothers and sisters, my family and all my relatives. My own father asked me to change my surname. My mother, who has given me life disowned me. My brothers and sisters with which we have grown together ignore me. My relatives don’t want to see me again,” Kanter said in a tweet on Aug. 8, which he signed Enes (Kanter) Gulen.
The tweet, which was written in Turkish, went on to praise Gulen’s work and expressed Kanter’s readiness to be sacrificed and to sacrifice his family for the cleric. “For Gulen’s work, which has been grown by the tears of loyal and devoted people, not one but thousands of Enes could be sacrificed. I would sacrifice my mother, father and whole family for Gulen’s sake. I would give my head for this case. I hope my God would take from my life and give it to Gulen. I would sacrifice my heaven and I would laugh through hells for this service. My love for Gulen is more than my love to my mom, father, brothers and sisters and all other loves,” read a part of the tweet, as translated by European basketball website Eurohoops.net.
Twenty-four-year-old Kanter’s father, Mehmet, publicly disowned his son in an open letter published in Turkey’s pro-government newspaper the Daily Sabah on Aug. 9. In his letter, Mehmet said that his son was “hypnotized” by what he called the “Gülenist Terror Organization.” “I apologize to the Turkish people and the president for having such a son… His statements and behavior trouble our family. I told Enes that we would disown him should he not change his course. He did not care,” read a part of Mehmet’s letter.
Gulen was a supporter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before 2013. Their alliance was destroyed after Erdogan accused Gülen of being behind the 2013 Turkish corruption investigations. Shortly after the botched July 2016 coup attempt in the country, the Turkish government claimed that the attempt had been organized by Gulen and his movement. The cleric is currently on Turkey’s most-wanted-terrorist list and Turkey has officially demanded his extradition from the United States.
The 6-foot 11-inch Kanter, played for the Utah Jazz for four years before joining the Thunder in 2015. He has also played for the Turkish National Men’s Basketball Team since 2008.
Source: Armenian Weekly
Link: NBA Star Disowned by Family for Supporting Fethullah Gulen