Why was Mr. Gulen’s name brought up in the coup attempt in Turkey?


Date posted: July 17, 2016

Q: Do you know why the president (Erdogan) needed to bring your name up in this [coup attempt]?

Fethullah Gulen: He (Mr. Erdogan) has always had a reaction to those who do not obey him since the beginning.

As I previously expressed in other occasions, maybe, he was concealing some of his feelings.

There are things they were not able to achieve worldwide. People in the Hizmet Movement opened schools in 170 countries.

They tried to open Yunus Emre houses in 14-15 locations but they could not be successful. Turkish Olympiads displeased them.

Before founding the [AK] Party, he came to consult with me about founding the party. I met with him twice. One is when he came to ask my opinion about founding the [AK] Party. I suppose, he went to other people as well. It was not only a matter of asking opinion but also seeking support. I expressed my own considerations at the time.

Then my friends told me this. After he met with me in the 5th floor (Altunizade, Istanbul), when he was in the elevator, he said to the person next to him “we need to defeat them, vanquish them first.”

That is, they do not want any alternative formation, any service to exist.


Related News

Gradual transformation of Turkey into an authoritarian entity under Erdogan’s leadership

As Erdogan moved on the Islamic path of authoritarianism with political ambition of becoming of leader of Muslim world, it has adversely impacted the stability of Turkey — both internally and externally. By crushing the Gulen movement it undermined the Islamic ideational resources needed most to fight Islamic terrorism.

Turkey’s post-coup purge and persecution makes no exception for children

A post-coup purge in Turkey is continuing to take a huge toll on human life, making no exceptions for children. The Stockholm Center for Freedom has compiled data regarding seven children struggling with a mortal disease in the absence of their fathers.

Votes of religious orders and communities [in Turkey]

The three-week debate between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Fethullah Gülen had a long past that falls under this category. Although the AK Party is powerful, the Gülen movement is not a piece of cake it can swallow easily. The AK Party is a political party that keeps its members together using the power and interests available to a ruling party. The Gülen movement, on the other hand, is an army of volunteers.

Police raids Şifa University hospitals in gov’t-led intimidation operation, report says

The police have conducted raids on nine hospitals of şifa University for the purpose of shutting down the hospitals on the orders of the İzmir Public Prosecutor’s Office in a government-led intimidation operation, the news portal haberturk.com reported on Friday.

Medialog Platform hosts digital media experts from Europe and Asia

Media representative and academics from some 20 European and Asian countries have come to Istanbul to discuss the status of the digital media in the new era in the conference, “Understanding Communications in the New Media Era.” Participants called for cooperation and dialogue in the process. During the conference, academics made interesting presentations and exchanged […]

Canberra followers of Fethullah Gulen afraid to return to Turkey

Despite having recently become an Australian citizen, Mr Erdogan fears if he returned to Turkey at the moment he would be arrested as soon as he stepped off the plane. He has friends in Turkey who have been stripped of their livelihoods and forced to go into hiding as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cracks down on “enemies of the state”.

Latest News

Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison

Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney

Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement

ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment

New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

In Case You Missed It

Pakistan – Turkish teachers, students not to be deported, court told

Parents: Pak-Turk institutions’ control should not be transferred

World media covers possible anti-journalist ops; Turkish press silent

Kimse Yok Mu provided aid to 14,000 Syrian refugees in Turkey

Hira Magazine Brings Together Arab Scholars in Istanbul

Al-Azhar has examined and approved all the works of Mr. Gulen

Middle East’s Struggle for Democracy: Going Beyond Headlines

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News