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

Gülen’s lawyer files criminal complaint against several Twitter accounts

In the criminal complaint, which was filed at the Ankara Public Prosecutor’s Office, it was written that suspects were claimed to have committed a crime by “tapping phone calls, and [making] audio and visual recordings [of] Mr. Gülen illegally.”

Pro-gov’t Islamist ideologue says Muslims can’t accept West or EU

Hayrettin Karaman, a professor of theology and an Islamist ideologue, is highly respected by the government and is seen as the main ideological source of justification for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s initiatives. Karaman wrote a column on Feb. 13 entitled “The condition for support and friendship” in the pro-government daily Yeni Şafak, saying that relations with the West should be restricted to necessary engagement only.

Tensions rise in Germany’s Turkish diaspora, mirroring splits in Turkey

The group has been active in Germany for many years, operating 150 tutoring centres in the country, 30 government-recognised schools and a dozen interfaith dialogue projects. It has long been seen as a moderate Islamic group although it has faced criticism over a lack of transparency.

Turkish Islam and Fethullah Gulen

ŞAHİN ALPAY Many studies concerning Fethullah Gulen, the Turkish religious leader scholar and his movement have been published. The book published by Syracuse University in the United States last month is, however, the most important academic study so far. The book entitled “Turkish Islam and the Secular State: The Gulen Movement” is edited by John […]

After The Coup Attempt, A Crackdown In Turkey

Once considered a beacon of hope for the Middle East, Turkey has been rapidly backsliding on issues of democracy, freedom of the press, and human rights. One would have thought this downfall hit bottom on July 15, when a bloody coup was attempted, leaving behind more than 250 dead.

Gülen’s message on ISIL in UK-based Guardian newspaper

Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen’s message on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) appeared on Wednesday in the UK-based Guardian newspaper. In the message, Gülen says the actions of ISIL are a “disgrace to the faith they proclaim and crimes against humanity.”

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

Rumi Forum chooses solutions to problems for essay contest

How Kyrgyzstan and Turkey quarreled about Gülen

Gülen condemns Pakistan attack, asks Muslims to protect minorities

US lawmaker says Gülen should not be extradited, calls his movement strongest element against radical Islamists

Fethullah Gulen and the Hizmet Movement by Annabel Hertz

Pak-Turk International celebrates 8th annual night gala

Tunisian scholar Ghannouchi: Gülen promotes ‘noble Islam’

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News