Fethullah Gulen Denies Coup Involvement


Date posted: July 17, 2016

Fethullah Gulen, the Turkish cleric whom President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has accused of inspiring the coup attempt against his government, gave a rare interview on Saturday at his compound here in which he denied involvement in the coup, but compared Mr. Erdogan’s administration to that of the Nazi SS.

“My message to the Turkish people is never to view any military intervention positively,” Mr. Gulen said, speaking to reporters through an interpreter, “because through military intervention, democracy cannot be achieved.”

While decrying the coup attempt, Mr. Gulen also acknowledged that he could not rule out involvement by his followers, saying he is unsure who his followers are in Turkey.

The leader of a Turkish Muslim sect, Mr. Gulen and his followers have built a global religious, social and nationalistic movement, and are also considered to be the driving force behind more than 100 charter schools in the United States.

At the core of his movement, promoted as a peace-loving form of Islam, is the concept of Hizmet, which his followers describe as a type of public service.

After a brief return to Turkey following a stay at the Mayo Clinic, Mr. Gulen has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since the late 1990s. At the time, he was accused of attempting to promote an Islamic state in Turkey, but was ultimately cleared of those charges. At one point, though, the United States government tried unsuccessfully to have Mr. Gulen deported because it said his visa had been improperly granted. A federal judge in Pennsylvania blocked that move.

In a televised speech on Saturday, President Erdogan said the United States should extradite Mr. Gulen to Turkey; Secretary of State John Kerry said earlier in the day that he would review any extradition requests for Mr. Gulen.

“Obviously, we would invite the government of Turkey, as we always do, to present us with any legitimate evidence that withstands scrutiny,” Mr. Kerry said during a visit to Luxembourg. “And the United States will accept that and look at it and make judgments about it appropriately.”

At his meeting with reporters, Mr. Gulen said neither he nor any of his aides had been contacted by federal authorities.

Source: New York Times , July 16, 2016


Related News

PM threatens business, media and civic groups amid corruption woes

In several veiled references to the Hizmet movement, inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen who has been critical of the government for trying to derail the corruption investigation, the prime minister claimed that the operation was orchestrated by “gangs” and a “parallel state.”

Imam who lives in rural Pennsylvania arouses praise, concerns

Andrew Conte SAYLORSBURG — Just a short drive on a two-lane road from the Dunkin’ Donuts here, the Golden Generation Retreat Center hardly seems like the home of one of the world’s leading Islamic thinkers. A metal gate at the driveway stands open, and no fences or walls protect the 25-acre property from suburban homes […]

Plan to finish off the Hizmet movement

It seems that some groups have planned to finish off the Hizmet movement, which was inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, and start a conflict between the movement and the ruling AK Party.

Shadow of Military Removed, Turkey Seeks a Spiritual Leader’s Remains

SUSANNE GÜSTEN, ISTANBUL — On the night of July 12, 1960, tanks rumbled into Urfa, the military imposed a curfew on the town, and armed troops cordoned off the shrine of Abraham at the heart of the city. As the town in southeast Turkey held its breath, soldiers forced their way into the shrine, smashed […]

Gülen’s lawyer asks MİT whether it wiretapped client’s phone

Lawyer Nurullah Albayrak, who represents Turkish-Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, has asked in a petition to the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) whether allegations suggesting Gülen’s phones had been wiretapped by the organization are true.

Halki, pope, patriarch and Gülen

The way Turkey’s chief political Islamist and new president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has approached the reopening of the Halki seminary, a school that had trained Eastern Orthodox clergy for the Patriarchate for more than a century until it was forcibly shut down in 1971, represents a fundamental flaw in the thinking of so-called Islamists, who place more emphasis on symbolism than substance and like very much to employ divisive and hateful discourse as opposed to reaching out and embracing different faiths and cultures.

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

Punjab government and Turk NGO Kimse Yok Mu sign protocol

Why Gulen-sympathizers with their babies risk death to flee Erdogan regime

Kerry: Turkish President’s Insinuation of US Role in Attempted Coup is ‘Harmful to Our Bilateral Relations’

The Other Side of the Ocean – What Happened in Pennsylvania?

Hizmet and the interfaith movement

Van NGOs: Calling Hizmet movement ‘virus’ and ‘hashhashin’ unnaceptable

Desmond Tutu commends Gulen inspired organization

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News