Islamic spiritual leader Fethullah Gulen, who was once accused by Turkey of orchestrating a failed coup attempt in 2016, passed away at the age of 83, Turkish government said on Monday.
“Dear Friends, Our teacher passed away on October 20, 2024 at 21.20 in the hospital where he had been receiving treatment for a while. His doctors will make a statement about the hospital process in the coming hours,” Herkul, that publishes his sermons said on X.
Who was Fethullah Gülen
Fethullah Gülen was born in 1941 in a village in Erzurum, Turkey, as the son of an imam.He began studying the Quran at a young age and became a mosque scholar in Edirne in 1959.
In the 1960s, he gained prominence in Izmir by establishing student dormitories and preaching in tea houses. This initiative laid the foundation for a vast network that expanded over the decades into education, business, media, and state institutions, granting his followers considerable influence.
His impact extended beyond Turkey to the Turkic republics of Central Asia, the Balkans, Africa, and the West through a network of schools.
Ally to enemy: Why Erdogan accused him of attempting coup
Gülen once supported Erdogan during his rise to prime minister in the early 2000s, however, later became persona non grata after a corruption scandal in 2013 engulfing the Turkish premier’s inner circle.
Accused of terror links, his movement Hizmet was termed as the “Feto terrorist organisation” by Erdogan.
Tensions escalated in 2016 when Erdogan accused Gülen of orchestrating a failed coup, leading to a widespread crackdown. During this purge, approximately 7,00,000 individuals faced prosecution, and around 3,000 of Gulen’s followers received life sentences for alleged involvement in the coup, AP reported.
He traveled to the US for medical treatment but chose to stay amid a criminal investigation in Turkey, where Ankara has persistently sought his extradition.
