Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen, the man behind the powerful Islamic movement in Turkey, died at the age of 83.
According to Al Jazeera, Gülen died in the United States on Sunday, October 20, 2024. He was accused of masterminding an attempted coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2016.
Herkul, a website that published Gulen’s sermons on Monday, wrote on X (previously known as Twitter) that the Muslim leader took his last breath in the hospital where he was admitted for treatment.
Gülen, who was described as the second most powerful man in Turkey, was a one-time ally of Erdoğan but turned into bitter rivals later. Even the Turkish president blamed him for the coup which killed about 250 people in an attempt to seize power.
Meanwhile, Gülen denied all the allegations and condemned the attempt “in the strongest terms.”
He stated, “As someone who suffered under multiple military coups during the past five decades, it is especially insulting to be accused of having any link to such an attempt.”
His movement, named “Hizmet", which means "service” in Turkish, aimed to spread a moderate brand of Islam that promotes Western-style education, interfaith communication, and free markets.
To note, Gülen has been living a life of self-exile since 1999 in America, where he was based.
