Gulen, who founded the Hizmet movement, was a former ally of Turkey\u2019s president before their 2013 split
\n Saylorsburg
\nFethullah Gulen, the Turkish cleric and mastermind behind the failed military coup in Turkiye in 2016, has died in the United States at the age of 83.
\nHis death was confirmed by Turkish media and a website affiliated with Gulen, stating that he passed away after a brief illness in a US hospital.
\nGulen was a former ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan and was a key figure in the Hizmet movement, which established a powerful network in Turkiye and abroad. The cleric had been living in self-imposed exile in the US since 1999.
\nFollowing a rift with Erdogan, the two leaders exchanged accusations of corruption, leading to Gulen\u2019s estrangement from the Turkish government. In the wake of the July 15 2016 coup attempt, Erdogan accused Gulen of orchestrating the uprising, an allegation that G\u00fclen vehemently denied.
\nGulen\u2019s movement, known as Hizmet, which translates to \u201cservice\u201d in Turkish, sought to promote his own interpretation of Islam, advocating for Western-style education, free markets, and interfaith dialogue.
\nGulen\u2019s relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan was initially one of partnership, as both aligned to challenge the traditional secularist policies of the Turkish state.
\nHowever, their alliance soured significantly after corruption investigations targeting Erdogan\u2019s inner circle emerged in 2013, which were believed to have been instigated by Gulen\u2019s followers.
\nErdo\u011fgn\u2019s government later designated G\u00fclen\u2019s movement as a terrorist organization in 2016, shortly after the failed coup that resulted in the deaths of over 250 people and injuries to 2,700 others.
\nFollowing the coup attempt, Erdogan accused G\u00fclen of treachery, stating that his followers had infiltrated Turkey\u2019s military, police, and judiciary. The Gulen movement was declared as the Fethullah Terrorist Organisation or FETO.
\nThe Turkish government launched a wide-ranging crackdown, resulting in the arrests of tens of thousands of individuals associated with Gulen\u2019s movement, the closure of numerous schools and media outlets, and the dismissal of hundreds of thousands of state employees.
\nDespite the mounting accusations against him, Gulen consistently denied any involvement in the coup attempt, condemning the actions of the coup plotters.
\nHe spent his exile years maintaining a low profile, residing in a secluded compound in rural Pennsylvania.
\nThe Gulen movement, which once enjoyed considerable influence, has seen its power eroded significantly since the coup attempt and subsequent government purges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Gulen, who founded the Hizmet movement, was a former ally of Turkey\u2019s president before their 2013 split Saylorsburg Fethullah Gulen, the Turkish cleric and mastermind behind the failed military coup in Turkiye in 2016, has died in the United States at the age of 83. His death was confirmed by Turkish media and a website […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":438634,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-438624","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n