Gülen Passes Away Amid Controversy and Exile
Fethullah Gülen, the influential Turkish cleric whom the Turkish government has blamed for orchestrating 2016 coup attempt, has died at 83. Despite spending his last decades of life in exile in the United States, the complex figure of Gülen divides Turkey. His fans hail him as a visionary reformer, whereas his critics describe him as a concealed agitation leader.
A Polarizing Religious Leader with Global Influence
Born in Turkey in 1941, Gülen became a popular preacher and a head of a religious movement that others called the Gülen movement or Hizmet (“service”). His followers opened schools, charities, and other media entities across the globe, encouraging education and dialogue between faiths.
However, over time, Gülen’s movement became entangled in a political conflict with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The two former allies turned into bitter rivals, ultimately degenerating to the Turkish government accusing Gülen of running a “parallel state” in Turkey. The tension involved acme during the July 2016 coup attempt that killed 251 people and injured more than 2,000 .
While Gülen himself denied any connection to the event, Turkish authorities declared his movement a terrorist organization and subsequently opened all fronts against followers of the movement, arresting thousands in the aftermath of the attempted coup.
A Life in Exile and Global Controversy
in 1999, Gülen moved to a compound in Pennsylvania, citing health reasons and growing hostility from Erdoğan’s government. Though still residing in the United States, Gülen continued to influence his followers from there, with the degree to which he remained an actual participant in Turkish politics being a matter of debate.
His death comes amid continued tensions between Turkey and Western countries about the extradition of Gülen and the broader crackdown on his supporters. The Turkish officials have issued several demands for his extradition, but the U.S. government has thus far resisted, stating that there is not enough evidence against him of involvement in the coup attempt.
Legacy of Reform and Controversy
Fethullah Gülen’s death seals a contentious chapter in Turkish history, but his legacy lives on through both reform and discord. His supporters remember him as the pioneer of moderate Islam and education; for his critics, however, he is a clandestine operator who sought to undermine the Turkish state.
As Turkey looks back on the complicated legacy of Gülen, the geopolitics and social ramifications of his movement remain in play. The epoch defined by the Erdoğan-Gülen conflict becomes one of both reformist aspirations and sharp governmental repression.
The last chapter of Gülen’s infamous life reminds us of the volatile relationship between religion and politics in the modern world.
