Reports by Turkish media and a statement from an organization once associated with him said that Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric accused of organizing last year’s failed coup attempt in Turkey, has died at the age of 83. Gulen was admitted to a hospital in Pennsylvania shortly before he died.
Gulen had lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since the late 1990s, but he was actually perceived by many as the second most powerful figure in Turkey due to the political influence he commanded as the spiritual head of the Gulen movement. This Islamic community, called Hizmet (which means “service” in Turkish), attracted a global following based on education, altruism, and a modernist interpretation of Islam.
The movement initially spread in Turkey through schools but soon reached the global level. The members entered businesses and were even appointed in the state and military services over time. Allied in the early years with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the two fell out in 2013, when Erdogan termed the movement a “state within a state.” In May of last year, the Turkish government officially labeled as a terrorist organization a group known as Hizmet, which translates as “service.”.
His popularity rose because he was taking a very clear stand on educational reform, claiming the Turkish youths had lost their way, while education was going to help them achieve it. However, by the summer of 2016, he became a pariah as Erdogan accused him of the attempted coup that occurred to rock Turkey in July.
The attempt coup sought to overthrow the increasingly autocratic government led by Erdogan where military attacks on television stations and key government buildings were orchestrated, causing severe violence. Even though Gulen denied all this and termed the coup as a ‘treacherous act’, the Turkish government responded to the activities by opening a massive crackdown on people, where thousands of military people were also arrested.
The U.S. sent Turkey’s extradition requests back, however, and insisted on considerable evidence that Gulen was involved in the coup attempt. Throughout his exile, Gulen also remained a divisive figure, as he avoided the topic of his political views when speaking with the VOP in 2014. Rather, he begged voters to elect candidates who would stand up for democracy and respect the rule of law.
In it, the death of Gulen serves as an important juncture in the rolling news story of Turkish politics: the key to understanding power struggles and discussion over civil liberties lies in his memory and the movement he presided over.