Fethullah Gülen died in the USA at the age of 83 years. The preacher is considered the founder of the “Hizmet” movement – and is a longtime opponent of Turkish President Erdogan. He suspected that Gülen was behind a coup attempt.
Turkish Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen has died. His nephew Ebuseleme Gülen confirmed the death of the 83-year-old on the short message service X.
The chairman of the Foundation for Dialogue and Education, Ercan Karakoyun, said that Gülen died on Sunday afternoon in a hospital in the US state of Pennsylvania. The foundation is the German branch of the transnational Gülen movement.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also confirmed Gülen’s death and described the preacher as the leader of a “dark organization.” Turkey has classified the Gülen movement as a terrorist organization.
Founder of the “Hizmet” movement.
Gülen was born in April 1941 in the province of Erzurum in eastern Turkey, the son of an imam. He is considered the founder of the so-called Gülen movement. The movement calls itself “Hizmet”, which means “to serve.” It operates educational institutions around the world.
It is also active in Germany and, according to its own information, it operates inter-religious dialogue associations, teachers’ associations, schools and kindergartens. Experts attribute the movement to a conservative Islamic worldview.
The movement began in the 1960s, when Gülen gradually established a network of educational institutions and media companies in Turkey. It continued to spread in the 1980s and 1990s. Many followers rose in the civil service. In 1998, however, recordings were made public in which Gülen is said to have urged his followers to work “patiently” to “take control of the state”. Although Gülen’s followers contested the authenticity of the recording, the preacher was forced to go to the US in 1999 to avoid a trial in Turkey for falsifying the state.
From companion to archeology
Gülen is considered a former associate of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – but has recently become an opponent of the Turkish government. The break came in 2013. There were allegations of corruption against several officials and ministers who were close to Erdogan. Lawyers and police who are said to belong to the “Hizmet” movement were also suspected of being behind the investigation.
In 2014, an arrest warrant was issued against Gülen himself and he was charged with treason. His movement is classified as a terrorist organization by the Turkish government.
Erdogan sees the Gülen movement behind the coup attempt
In 2016, Erdogan blamed Gülen and his followers for an attempt in Turkey. Parts of the Turkish military tried to overthrow the government. The coup failed, 265 people died within one night and more than 1,400 were injured.
Gülen was stripped of his Turkish citizenship in 2017. He had lived in the US state of Pennsylvania since 1999. Turkey has repeatedly demanded his extradition, which the US has always refused.
He always denied participation in the coup attempt. In a statement issued in response to the accusations of the Turkish government, Gülen emphasized that it was “especially offensive” for someone who himself suffered through several military coups to be accused of any connection with the failed coup.
In the years following the coup attempt, thousands of people across Turkey were fired from public service, persecuted or arrested as suspected Gülen supporters. Erdogan called the preacher’s movement a “cancer” and promised to do everything he could to “exterminate” it.
Uwe Lueb, ARD Istanbul, tagesschau, October 21, 2024 9:02 am