Fethullah Gülen, U.S.-based cleric accused of masterminding 2016 coup attempt in native Turkey, has died
CBSOCT 12 2024
Fethullah Gulen, an influential Turkish Muslim cleric, died at the age of 83 in a US hospital where he was receiving treatment.
Gulen, who lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999, was accused by Turkish Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of orchestrating the failed 2016 coup attempt, which he denied. The coup attempt left around 250 dead and over 2K injured.
The Gulen movement, known as 'Hizmet,' spread its influence through education, business, and media, promoting a moderate brand of Islam with Western-style education and interfaith communication.
While Turkey has certainly leveled elaborate allegations against Gulen and the US government, these theories have never included much evidence. Gulen was a controversial figure whose history includes both positive and negative relations with Pres. Erdogan. Given that Gulen and Erdogan were both secularists, their differences were likely connected to the corruption charges laid against the president rather than religious beliefs.
Gulen’s long-standing ties to US interests, including alleged links to American intelligence agencies, make it completely reasonable to question whether he and Western intelligence agencies orchestratd a coup together. Besides his residence in Pennsylvania and Washington's refusal to extradite him, testimonies in Turkey confirm his followers were working to destabilize the Turkish government.