German-based radical Islamsist Milli Gorus in $60 mln fund dispute

The central executive body of Milli Gorus has removed Abdulsamet Temel, the association's head for the Bayern region’s southern main branch office, claiming that some association members failed to gain a share of the profits earned by the sale of an investment property in Turkey's Aegean region.

Temel however rejected his dismissal, claiming the central body’s move was illegal and that he had the backing of 29 organization units in the region.

"I didn't leave my post and will continue. We came to this post by the power of a vote and the alliance of our organizational units, and we can only leave upon the decision of the general assembly attended by the units," Temel told Hurriyet, adding that the land shareholders received more funds than expected from the sale.

Milli Gorus is Europe's largest radical Islamic religious association with around 300 mosques and prayer rooms in Germany, is a political movement led by Turkish founder and former prime minister of Turkey, Necmettin Erbakan.

The association, which has a number of branches across Europe and is one of the strongest opponents of Germany's integration policy, has been classified as extremist by the German intelligence agency for promoting the creation and expansion of Islamist elements in Germany.

Oguz Ucuncu, the General Secretariat of Milli Gorus, told Hurriyet it was the dismissal was the administration's decision and declined to comment on the details of the issue.

The report places religious based charity groups in the spotlight after a recent high profile case involving another Germany based Islamist-rooted organization in which members were jailed for illegally funneling donated funds into private companies.

In the Deniz Feneri e.V. case, viewed as the biggest charity scandal in German history, a court in Frankfurt jailed three managers from the charity's German branch for directing 14.5 million euro ($20.6 million) of donated funds collected from the Turkish community in Germany into private companies.

Several people based in Turkey; including the head of Turkey's radio and television watchdog, Zahid Akman, were implicated as the masterminds amid claims that the charity, whose founders are close to the ruling government, might have funneled funds into the prime minister's Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP).