- Fethullah Gulen, a US-based Islamic cleric who led a global social movement, has died at the age of 80 after a long battle with illness.
- Mr. Gulen was confirmed dead by his nephew and Turkish sources, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called him the leader of a “dark organization.”
- Mr Gulen, once an ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has become an enemy, with Mr Erdogan accusing him of orchestrating Turkey's failed 2016 military coup.
Fethullah Gülen, the reclusive US-based Islamic cleric who inspired a global social movement while facing accusations that he masterminded a 2016 coup attempt in his native Turkey, has died.
Abdullah Bozkurt, a former editor of Today's Zaman newspaper linked to Mr. Gulen and currently in exile in Sweden, said on Monday that he had spoken to Mr. Gulen's nephew, Kemal Gulen, who confirmed his death. . Fethullah Gulen is in his 80s and has been in poor health for a long time.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the death was confirmed by Turkish intelligence sources.
Turkish invasion threat should be taken 'very seriously': Cypriot official
“The leader of this shadowy organization has passed away,” he said.
Turkish Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen speaks to members of the media on the grounds of his home in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, in July 2016. A reclusive Muslim cleric based in the United States who inspires global social movements while facing accusations that he masterminded a 2016 coup attempt in his homeland. Türkiye is dead. (AP Photo/Chris Post, File)
Gulen spent the last decades of his life in exile, living in a gated compound in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, from which he gained influence among his millions of followers in Turkey and around the world. continued to exercise. He championed a philosophy that blended Sufism, a mystical form of Islam, with ideas that strongly advocated democracy, education, science, and interreligious dialogue.
Gulen was initially an ally of Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but he became an enemy. He called Erdogan an authoritarian bent on accumulating power and crushing opposition. President Erdogan has framed Gulen as a terrorist, accusing him of orchestrating an attempted military coup on the night of July 15, 2016, in which a faction within the military used tanks, fighter jets, and helicopters to overthrow Erdogan's government. criticized.
Heeding the president's call, thousands of people took to the streets to protest the takeover plan. Coup leaders fired into crowds and bombed the parliament building and other government buildings. A total of 251 people were killed and approximately 2,200 injured. Approximately 35 people suspected of being the masterminds of the coup were also killed.
Gulen vehemently denied any involvement, but his supporters dismissed the charges as preposterous and politically motivated. Turkey has put Gulen on its most wanted list and demanded his extradition, but the United States has shown little intention of extraditing him, citing a need for more evidence. Gulen has never been charged with a crime in the United States and has consistently denounced terrorism as well as being the mastermind of the coup.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatens to invade Israel over war in Gaza as regional tensions rise
In Turkey, Gülen's movement (also known as Hizmet, which means “service” in Turkish) has been subject to widespread repression. The government has arrested tens of thousands of people on suspicion of involvement in the coup plot, fired more than 130,000 suspected supporters from civil service jobs, more than 23,000 from the military, and fired many with ties to Gulen. Hundreds of businesses, schools, and media outlets were closed.
Gulen called the crackdown a witch-hunt and denounced Turkish leaders as “tyrants.”
“Hundreds of thousands of innocent Turkish citizens are being punished simply because the government has determined that they are somehow “linked'' to me or the Hizmet movement, and is treating that alleged connection as a crime. , this past year has taken a toll on me,” he said. One year anniversary of the coup attempt.
Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan said on Monday that Gulen's death “will not make us complacent or deflated. This organization is a threat unlike any other in our country's history.”
“Our country, our nation, will continue to fight against this organization as well as against all types of terrorist organizations,” Fidan said.
He also called on Gulen's supporters to turn away from “this treasonous wrong path.”
Turkish Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen meets with members of the media at his compound in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, in July 2016. (AP Photo/Chris Post, File)
Fethullah Gülen was born in Erzurum, eastern Türkiye. His official birthday is April 27, 1941, but it has long been debated. Y. Arp Aslandoghan, head of a New York-based group promoting Gulen's ideas and activities, said Gulen was actually born around 1938.
Gülen, who trained as an imam, or prayer leader, rose to prominence in Türkiye about 50 years ago. He preached tolerance and interfaith dialogue and believed that religion and science could work together. His belief in merging Islam with Western values and Turkish nationalism resonated with Turks and won him millions of followers.
Gulen's followers have built a loosely affiliated global network of philanthropic foundations, professional organizations, businesses, and schools in more than 100 countries, including 150 taxpayer-funded charter schools across the United States. . In Turkey, supporters ran universities, hospitals, charities, banks, and a large media empire that included newspapers, radio, and television stations.
Turkish parliament erupts into chaotic bloody brawl over jailed opposition leader
However, Gulen was viewed with suspicion by some in his homeland. The country was deeply polarized between people loyal to its deeply secular traditions and supporters of Islamic-based parties linked to Mr. Erdogan, who took power in 2002.
Although Gulen has long refrained from openly supporting any political party, his movement has forged a de facto alliance with Erdogan against the country's traditional staunch military-backed secularists. , Gulen's media empire has thrown its weight behind President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Islamic-oriented government.
Turkish Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen meets with members of the media at his compound in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, in July 2016. (AP Photo/Chris Post, File)
Gülenists helped the ruling party win multiple elections. However, the Erdoğan-Gulen alliance began to crumble as the movement criticized government policies and exposed corruption allegations among Erdoğan's inner circle. President Erdogan denied the allegations, but was fed up with the growing influence of Gulen's movement.
Turkey's leaders have accused Gulen's supporters of infiltrating the country's police and judiciary and establishing a parallel state, and have been agitating for Gulen's extradition to Turkey even before the 2016 coup attempt. I started doing it.
The cleric has lived in the United States since 1999, when he came seeking treatment.
In 2000, while Mr. Gulen was still in the United States, Turkish authorities charged him with leading an Islamist plot to overthrow the country's secular form of government and establish a religious state.
Turkish Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen meets with members of the media at his compound in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, in July 2016. (AP Photo/Chris Post, File)
Part of the accusation against him is that Gulen told Islamic State supporters to bide their time, saying, “If you leave too soon, the world will strangle you.” Based on audio tapes. Gulen said his comments were taken out of context.
The cleric was acquitted in absentia, but never returned to his homeland. He won a long legal battle with then-President George W. Bush's administration to become a permanent resident of the United States.
Rarely seen in public, Gulen lived quietly on the grounds of an Islamic retreat center in the Poconos. He lives in a small apartment on a vast property, leaves home only to see doctors for ailments such as heart disease and diabetes, and spends much of his time in prayer and meditation, attracting people from all over the world. Accepted visitors.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Gulen was not married and had no children. It is unclear who will lead this movement.
