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

US under Trump still highly unlikely to extradite Gülen

National War College professor Taşpınar says extradition remains unlikely because Ankara has presented no concrete evidence directly implicating him in the coup attempt. “I think what [Washington] should do is to basically tell the Turks they need a smoking gun. They need much clearer evidence, which is not there yet,” he says

Fethullah Gülen’s response to the ‘clash of civilizations’ thesis

RICHARD PENASKOVIC* If Mr. Huntington is a protagonist for Western civilization, then Mr. Gülen is his counterpart, serving as a spokesperson or champion for moderate Islam. The differences between them are like night and day. Mr. Gülen argues that by creating new enemy fronts, Huntington actually sows the seeds for a clash of civilizations on […]

America’s Friends Get Arrested in Turkey’s Post-Coup Purges

Many of the Turkish officers that are the key counterparts for U.S. counterterrorism efforts have been arrested or purged after a failed coup earlier this month.

Man behind Gülen probe also filed complaints about PM Erdoğan

An investigation into Gülen was launched by an Ankara prosecutor’s office earlier this week following a complaint filed by C.O. The former noncommissioned officer told the media that his complaint against the scholar was based on a number of reports that had appeared in government newspapers. “I am basing my complaint on newspaper reports and my thoughts. I am unhappy. I do not want to be promoted in the media or become popular. I do not like things like this. I have also filed many criminal complaints against the prime minister,” he said.

Arinc: Gulen lights the way for us

Deputy PM Arinc, “I follow Gulen’s every word and every move. May God be pleased with him. He is giving guidance and heads up to us as well. He is lighting the way for us, like a lighthouse.”

US avoids commenting on Gülen’s extradition

US State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters at a press briefing on Wednesday that the US will not comment on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s expectation for Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen to be extradited from the US, where he now lives.

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: Parents oppose handing over school chain to Turkish NGO

Gülen-linked teachers, businessman detained in Afghanistan

Turkey’s Global Anti-Gülen Crusade Puts Tbilisi in Diplomatic Bind

Romanian Minister: Turkish schools are raising the next generation of Romanians

ABA urges Obama to protest Turkey’s suppression of free speech

Turkish language and culture festivals held in three countries

Closer look at empire of cleric accused in Turkey coup attempt

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News