Who Was Fethullah Gulen? Turkish Cleric Once Blamed For Failed Coup

Fethullah Gülen, a prominent Turkish Muslim preacher and long-standing adversary of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, passed away at the age of 83, as confirmed by Turkish officials and a media organization affiliated with his movement.

Herkul Nagme, a news outlet connected to Gülen, announced his death on Monday, stating that he had dedicated his life to Islam and serving humanity before he passed away. It was also noted that he had been receiving medical treatment in a hospital for some time.

Turkey to continue combat the cleric’s organization

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan verified Gülen’s death during a press conference in Ankara, promising to persist in combating the cleric’s organization, which Turkey classifies as a terrorist group.

Gülen, who was born in 1941, rose through Turkey’s religious establishment to become a significant imam, amassing a large following over several decades. He entered self-imposed exile in 1999, relocating from Turkey to the United States, where he settled in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania.

Supporters portrayed Gülen as a peaceful and moderate cleric who advocated for interfaith dialogue. Many of his followers were lower-middle-class devout Muslims who felt marginalized by Turkey’s strict secularist elite, forming a movement known as Hizmet.

Fethullah Gulen against Turkey’s secular government

Gülen’s movement established schools, tutoring centers, hospitals, and relief organizations that addressed various social issues in Turkey. Additionally, Gulenists owned television stations, newspapers, gold mines, and at least one bank within the country.

The movement also created an international network of schools and universities operating in over 100 nations.

When Gülen moved to the U.S. in 1999, his supporters cited health concerns, while critics alleged he was escaping scrutiny for attempting to undermine Turkey’s secular government in favor of a religious one, claims he denied.

Fethullah Gulen and his Hizmet movement

Initially, when Erdoğan came to power in 2002, the Hizmet movement supported him, with many Gulenists serving as allies. Their backing played a role in Erdoğan’s efforts to conduct military purges and legal actions against secularist generals and officers.

However, the relationship soured in the early 2010s, as the government sought to close Gülenist educational institutions and Gulenists accused senior officials of corruption. Their rivalry became increasingly hostile, with Erdoğan issuing indirect threats against “those supported by dark circles from within and outside the country.”

A fifth column movement

In a 2014 CNN interview, a senior member of Erdoğan’s ruling AKP party labeled the Gülen movement a “fifth column” that had infiltrated the Turkish police and judiciary.

The government currently classifies Gulenists as a terrorist organization known as FETO.

The situation escalated with the failed coup attempt in 2016, which resulted in 290 deaths and over 1,400 injuries. The coup was quickly suppressed following widespread violence, including tanks on city streets.

Accusations of coup

Erdoğan swiftly accused Gülen of orchestrating the coup, leading to a significant crackdown. Thousands of individuals suspected of having ties to Gülen were arrested or dismissed from their positions. Turkey requested the extradition of the cleric from the U.S., and the refusal to comply marked a significant low point in Turkish-American relations.

Gülen consistently denied the allegations against him, expressing that it was particularly offensive to be accused of involvement in such an attempt, especially as someone who had endured multiple military coups over the past fifty years.

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