Fethullah Gülen, the sworn enemy of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, passed away at the age of 86 in the US.
According to the announcement of his death on the website Herkul.org, Gülen took his last breath in a hospital in Pennsylvania, where he had been receiving treatment for health problems he had faced for several years.
Gülen was accused by Erdoğan’s government of being the mastermind behind the failed coup in Turkey in 2016 and of running a parallel state in the country to take control of certain government functions.
— Herkul (@Herkul_Nagme) October 21, 2024
Fethullah Gülen was a former imam and a significant political figure in Turkey, founder of the Hizmet movement (meaning “service” in Turkish), and had been living in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, USA.
Gülen had previously been an ally of Erdoğan, but their relationship soured in 2013 when Erdoğan accused Gülen of instigating corruption investigations that targeted and implicated dozens of government officials and members of the ruling party.
Gülen was at the top of Turkey’s list of most wanted terrorists, accused of leading a terrorist organization, and he taught a moderate version of Islam that believes in science, interfaith dialogue, and multiparty democracy.
He had initiated dialogue with other religions, including the Vatican and Jewish organizations, and was the head of the Gülen movement, which promotes social dialogue for the future of Turkey and the Turkish state. He is viewed by Westerners as promoting tolerant Islam that emphasizes altruism, hard work, and education. Gülen’s movement has hundreds of schools in Turkey and other countries and has been accused in the past of infiltration and significant influence within the Turkish police.
Gülen’s movement has been characterized as “moderate Islam,” and Gülen and his followers utilize market structures and technology, being active users of social media, digital technologies, and public relations. Within Turkey, the movement distances itself from established Islamic political parties.
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