Fetullah Gulen, the US-based opponent of President Erdogan, who Turkey has accused of terrorism, has reportedly passed away at the age of 83 in Pennsylvania.
He was the leader of the FETO organization. The group’s accounts, including Gulen’s nephews, posted messages saying he died due to cardiovascular problems.
Gulen built a powerful Islamic movement in Turkey and beyond but spent his later years accused of orchestrating the 2016 attempted coup against Erdogan, in which 252 people were killed and over 2,700 were wounded, accusations which he denied.
A Turkish criminal court had issued an arrest warrant for Gulen in 2016, and Turkey was demanding his extradition from the United States.
US government officials did not believe he is associated with any terrorist activity, and had requested evidence to be provided by the Turkish government to substantiate the allegations in the warrant requesting extradition, frequently rejecting Turkish calls for his extradition.
Gulen was a fierce critic of Erdogan
Gulen has been described in the English-language media as an imam “who promotes a tolerant Islam which emphasizes altruism, hard work, and education” and as “one of the world’s most important Muslim figures.”
As a Turkish Muslim scholar and preacher, he argued that his social criticisms are focused upon individuals’ faith and morality and a lesser extent toward political ends.
He rejected an Islamist political philosophy, advocating instead for full participation within professions, society, and political life by religious and secular individuals who profess high moral or ethical principles and who wholly support secular rule, within Muslim-majority countries and elsewhere.
In a February 2019 opinion piece, Gulen said that “Erdogan is draining the reputation that the Turkish Republic has gained in the international arena, pushing Turkey into the league of nations known for suffocating freedoms and jailing democratic dissenters.”
Turkey accused Greece of harboring Gulen supporters
Turkey accused Greece of being a safe haven for Gulenists. “It is observed that Greece has become a safe haven for FETO members. FETO members can roam freely in this country, and so-called NGOs affiliated with FETO can carry out aid activities for fugitive FETO members in Greece,” Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said recently.
Turkey was angry because Gulen sent a video message to an online promotional event in Athens for a book written about him.
“Greece is a sister country,” Gulen said. “Thanks to this brotherhood, we remember them with gratitude and appreciation. [What Greece did] will be written on the glorious pages of history with gold and silver.”
The book, Fethullah Gulen: A Life of Service, was written by US historian Jon Pahl and translated into Greek by Papazisis Publishers in Greece.
