Opponent of Erdogan, Fethullah Gülen, succumbs in hospital setting
Fethullah Gulen, a prominent religious figure and critic of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has passed away. He reportedly died at the age of 83 in a hospital in the United States, as reported by Herkul, a site that publishes Gulen's sermons. NTV, a Turkish broadcaster, reported that Gulen had been suffering from dementia, kidney failure, and diabetes. His nephew also confirmed his death to TRT, the Turkish public broadcaster.
The Gulen movement has been blamed for the coup attempt against the Erdogan government in 2016. Gulen, who has been living in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999, has consistently denied any involvement in the coup attempt. The attempt resulted in the deaths of around 250 people as sections of the military tried to take control of the government. Since then, the followers of Gulen's Hizmet movement have faced intense persecution. They claim to promote a moderate form of Islam, a Western education system, free markets, and interfaith dialogue.
Gulen and Erdogan were once allies, but their relationship deteriorated following corruption investigations in 2013 that implicated ministers and officials close to Erdogan. The investigations were seen as led by personnel from the Hizmet movement. In 2014, a warrant was issued for Gulen's arrest, and his movement was declared a terrorist organization in 2016. Turkey has repeatedly requested Gulen's extradition from the United States.
Gulen "not democratic"
In the aftermath of the 2016 coup, Erdogan labeled Gulen's network as traitors and a cancer, vowing to eliminate it. Hundreds of schools, businesses, media outlets, and associations associated with Gulen were closed, and assets were seized. At least 77,000 people were arrested, and 150,000 civil servants were suspended, including teachers, judges, and soldiers. Gulen himself condemned the coup attempt in the strongest terms. "Being accused of having any connection to such an attempt is a particular insult for someone who has suffered under several military coups in the past five decades," he stated.
Gulen was born in 1941 in a village in the eastern Turkish province of Erzurum. As the son of an imam, he began studying the Quran at a young age. In 1959, Gulen was appointed as the imam of a mosque in Edirne. He gained fame as a preacher in Izmir in the 1960s, where he established student dormitories and preached in tea houses. These dormitories formed the foundation for a network that spread into various educational, economic, media, and state institutions, giving his followers significant influence.
"For many years, Gulen was a close ally of Erdogan. Without the support of Gulen's followers in the justice and police apparatus, Erdogan could not have challenged democracy and the rule of law in Turkey," explains Turkey expert and journalist Eren Güvercin on X. "After a power struggle between Gulen and Erdogan, many Gulen supporters fled abroad and positioned themselves as defenders of democracy and human rights. Despite the bitter enmity between Gulen and Erdogan, he and his group were not democratic."
The 2016 coup attempt in Turkey was blamed on the Gulen movement, which Gulen, the critically acclaimed religious figure, has consistently denied any involvement in.Despite being accused of orchestrating the attempted coup, Gulen's followers have faced intense persecution in Turkey, with the Turkish government labeling his network as traitors and a cancer, following the failed takeover in 2016.
