Fethullah Gulen’s stance on democracy 1994-2016


Date posted: July 17, 2016

For more than 40 years, Fethullah Gulen and Hizmet participants have advocated for, and demonstrated their commitment to, peace and democracy.

Mr. Gulen has reiterated his clear stance on democracy, in the wake of the coup attempt in Turkey. Here is what he had said back in June 1994:

“I believe, from now on, both in Turkey and in the rest of the world, there will we no going back from democracy.”


Related News

Turkey’s Kurdish question and the Hizmet movement

This is the title of a new report authored by Dr. Mustafa Gurbuz and published on the website of the US-based think tank Rethink Institute

Fethullah Gulen, the [Gulen] community, and the prep schools

It is no secret that my bonds of affection with the wise religious leader Fethullah Gulen and his movement go back more than twenty years. I trust that Hocaefendi, with his endless sense of fairness, is aware of this situation. He feels offended firstly because the government signed the National Security Council’s brief without hesitation, and secondly because it has profiled [both him and the movement]. In any case, resisting the closure of the movement’s prep schools is the same as resisting an authoritarian course of events!

Dismissed after coup attempt, teacher detained during visit to imprisoned relative

Malatya teacher C.K., earlier dismissed from his/her post as part of the government’s post-coup purge, was taken into custody during a visit to his/her jailed relative on Saturday.

Journeys with the Gülen [Hizmet] Movement: 2008-2012 by James Harrington

James C. Harrington*, January 27, 2013 Journeys through life take strange twists and happen in mysterious ways – some would say providential, although I might not – but one does wonder at times. My journeys with the Gülen movement began one Summer Sunday morning in 2008, when a judge friend of mine announced from the back […]

Aid organization head blasts terror probe

Turkey was shocked by a terror investigation against Kimse Yok Mu (KYM). According to a statement by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, the organization was being probed over its alleged involvement in terrorism during activities during Eid al-Adha.

A Year Ago Today: Teacher Gökhan Açıkkollu died of torture on his 13th day in police custody

Gökhan Açıkkollu, a history teacher suffering from diabetes, died of torture in police custody as part of a post-coup investigation into Turkey’s Gülen group. According to his father, Ayhan Açıkkollu, Gökhan was a diabetics patient while human rights defenders hinted at torture and maltreatment.

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

A Canadian-Saudi’s reflections on Hizmet

Georgian NGOs Stage Protest in Support of Arrested Turkish College Manager

“Islam without Extremes” in Salt Lake City

Fountain Magazine wins APEX Award for publication excellence

Reflections on my first trip to TÜRKIYE

Purge accelerates Islamist radicalization in Turkey

Documents expose plot to hold Hizmet responsible for KPSS cheating

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News