ТУРЕЦКИЕ УЧЕБНЫЕ ЗАВЕДЕНИЯ В ИРАКСКОМ КУРДИСТАНЕ: ИСТОРИЯ И СОВРЕМЕННОЕ ПОЛОЖЕНИЕ (ШКОЛЫ ГЮЛЕНА И ФОНДА «МААРИФ»)

Abstract

This article is devoted to the activity of Turkish educational institutions in Iraqi Kurdistan, which have been active in the region since the beginning of the 1990s. The article shows the importance of Turkish educational institutions in Kurdistan in promoting a positive image of Turkey and forming a pro-Turkish stratum among the local elite. Fethullah Gülen’s educational structures are present in all the provinces of Kurdistan; they are considered the most prestigious ones and are very popular among the local elite. The Gülen empire system came in full force in 2008 with Işık University (titled Tishk International University since 2018), which has become a centre of attraction not only for residents but also for part of the Kurds of Turkey who come to South Kurdistan to study. The conflict between R. T. Erdogan and the Gülen structures that broke out at the end of 2013 resulted in pressure from Turkey on the Kurdistan authorities to force the latter to close the Gülen institutions. However, the Kurdistan leadership rejected Turkey’s demands, claiming the significant contribution of Gülen schools to the development of the region. It was only after the so-called military coup attempt in Turkey on July 15–16, 2016, which Gülen was accused of organizing, that the Kurdistan authorities formally closed Hizmet educational institutions and transferred their management under the control of the Kurdistan authorities. The Turkish authorities, having failed to get the Kurdistan leadership to either close or hand over Gülen schools, in the autumn of 2018 began a fairly active expansion of the network of schools of the Maarif Foundation, established under Turkey’s Ministry of Education. As a result, the conflict between the Turkish authorities and the Gülen movement only led to the expansion of the Turkish schools’ network in this region, which is an important factor of the foreign policy vector of the authorities in this region.