Pro-gov't newspaper Sabah accuses Amazon of donating Black Friday money to Gülenists

The pro-government Sabah newspaper claimed in a story that Amazon has donated some of its Black Friday proceeds to an American organization run by the followers of the U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen. "Did you know that you can support us through Amazon Smile?" Alp Aslandoğan, a Gülen follower who runs the American-based Alliance for Shared Values (AfSV), said in a tweet.

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The pro-government Sabah newspaper claimed in a story on Thursday that Amazon has donated some of its Black Friday proceeds to an American organization run by the followers of the exiled, U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gülen, which the Turkish government refers to as the Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETÖ).

Alp Aslandoğan, a prominent follower of Gülen who resides in the US, runs the American-based Alliance for Shared Values (AfSV). In  a tweet from the AfSV regarding Black Friday, the organization wrote “ Did you know that you can support us through Amazon Smile? Anytime you make an eligible purchase, Amazon donates to AfSV,” in a tweet. 

“Inspired by the work of Mr. Fethullah Gülen, the Alliance for Shared Values is an umbrella non-profit organization serving as a voice for civic, culture and service organizations around the U.S. dedicated to promoting community service, education, and interfaith dialogue,” according to the organization's own description.

Critics of the Gülen movement insist that the interfaith dialogue and education emphasis is an excuse to paint the organization as moderate Islamic movement, and it is widely believed in Turkey that followers of Gülen systematically infiltrated the country's military, bureaucracy and judiciary, and launched a series of infamous trials geared towards eliminating their enemies. 

The online shopping giant Amazon reportedly racked up sales of $7.4 billion dollars in America on Black Friday alone. 

According to Sabah, Aslandoğan is the “spokesperson in the Western media of FETÖ's ringleader Gülen.” 

Though the tweet clearly called for Amazon purchasers to realize that their shopping may result in donations to the AfSV, the government is also known for drawing vast conclusions between American companies, institutions and government figures for their alleged support of Gülen, who has resided in the U.S. for two decades, and for whom Turkey is seeking extradition, as the government believes that Gülen and his followers were the architects of the failed July 2016 military coup that resulted in hundreds of casualties. 

According to information on Amazon's website when users shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation contributes 0.5 percent of eligible purchases to the charity of choice. In the U.S. it is a common method for nonprofits to attract new donors.