Thousands pay final respects to Gülen’s brother in Erzurum

Seyfullah Gülen, the brother of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, was laid to rest in his hometown of Erzurum. (Photo: Cihan)
Seyfullah Gülen, the brother of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, was laid to rest in his hometown of Erzurum. (Photo: Cihan)


Date posted: November 30, 2014

Seyfullah Gülen, who died at the age of 72 on Friday and was the brother of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, was laid to rest in a funeral attended by thousands of people in the eastern province of Erzurum on Sunday.

Gülen passed away at the private Şifa Hospital in Erzurum, where he had been receiving treatment after a heart attack.

Gülen’s funeral took place at Lala Paşa Mosque in the Yakutiye district, with thousands of people from across the country in attendance. Among those at the funeral were Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) President Rıza Nur Meral, Boydak Holding Chairman Hacı Boydak, Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV) President Mustafa Yeşil, Kimse Yok Mu President İsmail Cingöz, Zaman Managing Editor Veysel Ayhan, Cihan news agency General Manager Abdülhamit Bilici, Aksiyon Editor-in-Chief Bülent Korucu, Irmak TV General Manager Süleyman Sargın and many others from all walks of life.

Following the funeral prayer, Gülen was buried in the village of Korucuk in the district of Pasinler, also in Erzurum.

Gülen had been at the hospital due to heart and respiratory problems since suffering a heart attack four months ago. He was admitted to the intensive care unit a month ago after he was struck by partial paralysis. He had been on life support but failed to respond to the treatment given.

Known as Sıbgatullah by his family, he was a retiree who had worked at Atatürk University in the past. He was married and a father of nine. One of his sons is Samanyolu TV anchor Kemal Gülen.

On Friday, Seyfullah Gülen’s younger brother Mesih Gülen said they had spoken with Fethullah Gülen but that they did not expect him to attend his brother’s funeral.

Fethullah Gülen, who inspired the faith-based Hizmet movement which promotes inter-religious dialogue and educational activities, has been living in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999 and has not returned to the country since then.

Unable to hold back tears, Mesih Gülen told Today’s Zaman that his children had been expecting him to recover.

Another of Fethullah Gülen’s brother, Hasbi Nida Gülen, died at the age of 66 in October 2012 at a hospital in Ankara, where he was receiving treatment for lung cancer.

The oldest of eight children, Fethullah Gülen has five brothers, the late Seyfullah (Sıbgatullah), Mesih, the late Hasbi (Nida), Salih and Kutbettin. He also has two sisters, Nurhayat and Fazilet.

Source: Today'z Zaman , November 30, 2014


Related News

Hizmet Movement’s Responsibility

Etyen Mahçupyan, April 8, 2012 I wrote this column before The Journalists and Writers Foundation, which is closely related to Hizmet movement (aka Gulen Movement), made a statement. But I won’t change it as I believe it’s better unchanged. Obviously one of the hottest topics lately is the issue of the ‘movement’. It is claimed […]

Woman detained over links to Gülen movement after giving birth

A woman was detained less than 24 hours after delivering a baby yesterday for alleged affiliation with the Gülen movement, a faith-based group inspired by Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen. Betül Uluçam, 34, was detained in the hospital where she had given birth less than a day before.

“Sharing Coexistence Experiences” panel took place in Italy

“From 1990 onwards, dialogue was institutionalized and today’s Intercultural Dialogue Platform came into being, thanks to the initiatives of JWF Honorary President Fethullah Gulen. Consequently, joints projects have been carried out in cooperation with Msgr.. Marovitch from the Catholic world, who had been following the footsteps of Dubois; alongside Armenian, Jewish, Assyrian representatives.

A major scandal by the Mukhabarat state

The voice recordings of four phone calls made to Fethullah Gülen were posted on the Internet at midnight on Monday. As you know, Gülen lives in the US. Those who phoned him are some executives from institutions established and run by the people who are inspired by the Hizmet movement in Turkey. The calls do not have any incriminating content. Rather, one of these unlawfully wiretapped recordings exposes how the Hizmet movement was targeted in a conspiracy by circles close to the government.

Erdogan: The Sultan of an illusionary Ottoman Empire

It appears that Erdogan had never committed himself to a democratic form of government. A quote attributed to him in 1999 describes precisely what his real intentions were from the day he rose to power. “Democracy” he said, “is like a bus, when you arrive at your destination, you step off.”

Erdogan’s Lust For Power Is Destroying Turkey’s Democracy

During the past few months I interviewed scores of Turkish citizens who escaped from Turkey following the unsuccessful military coup, fearing for their lives. Many of them left their families behind. Although it has the potential of becoming a major player on the global stage, Turkey’s brilliant prospects are being squandered because of President Erdogan’s insatiable lust for power.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

What else should Gülen say?

Kazakh-Turkish School students win medals in mathematics competition in Brazil

AfSV Statement on the Turkish government’s detainment of Kutbettin Gülen

Turkish school opens in Canada

Conspiratorial minds, authoritarian politics

German intel expert says, based on CIA, BND reports, Erdoğan was behind failed coup

17,000 women, 515 babies in Turkish prisons: SCF report

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News