Morocco Cracks Down on Schools Allegedly Linked to Turkish Cleric Gulen

Morocco is closing down several schools that allegedly promote the ideology of FETO (Fethullah Terrorist Organization), which Ankara blames for the July coup attempt, the Moroccan Interior Ministry announced in a statement.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – According to investigators, the schools are engaged in spreading FETO's ideology.

"Investigations on the establishments of the Mohamed Al-Fatih group, linked to Turkish national Fethullah Gülen, showed that they use education to spread the group's ideology and ideas contrary to the principles of the Moroccan educational and religious system," the Thursday statement says, as quoted by the Daily Sabah newspaper.

The ministry did not specify the exact number of schools to be shut down, but said that they would be closed "within a delay of one month" and that all efforts would be made to find alternative schools for the affected students.

According to the Daily Sabah, other countries including Sudan, Somalia and Guinea have taken similar measures against schools allegedly linked to FETO.

On July 15, a military coup attempt took place in Turkey. Ankara accused Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, who has been living in the US state of Pennsylvania since 1999, and his followers of playing a key role in the coup. Since July, Turkey has arrested hundreds of military personnel, activists and journalists on suspicion of links to Gulen.

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