Fethullah Gülen

Fethullah Gülen is a Turkish Islamic scholar who is known for his liberal reform ideas and charity .

Fethullah Gülen is a Turkish preacher, author, and educator living in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania (USA). Gülen teaches a moderate version of Sunni / Hanafi Islam , deriving from that of Said Nursi 's teachings and modernizing them. Gülen condemns terrorism , supports interfaith dialogue, and has initiated such dialogue with the Vatican and some Jewish organisations. In the Turkish context, however, Gülen appears relatively conservative and religiously observant.

Muhammed Fethullah Gülen (born 27 April 1941) is a Turkish preacher , former imam , and writer . He is the founder of the Gülen movement (known as Hizmet meaning service in Turkish). He currently lives in self-imposed exile in the United States , residing in Saylorsburg , Pennsylvania . Gülen teaches an Anatolian ( Hanafi ) version of Islam , deriving from Sunni Muslim scholar Said Nursî 's teachings. Gülen has stated that he believes in science, interfaith dialogue among the People of the Book , and multi-party democracy . He has initiated such dialogue with the Vatican and some Jewish organizations. Gülen is actively involved in the societal debate concerning the future of the Turkish state, and Islam in the modern world. He has been described in the English-language media as an imam "who promotes a tolerant Islam which emphasises altruism, hard work and education" and as "one of the world's most important Muslim figures." In the Turkish context, Gülen appears as a religious conservative .

Muslim theologian and Turkish dissident Muhammed Fethullah Gülen (born 27 April 1941) is a Turkish Islamic scholar , preacher, and a one-time opinion leader, as de facto leader of the Gülen movement . Gülen is designated an influential neo-Ottomanist , Anatolian panethnicist , Islamic poet, writer , social critic , and activist – dissident developing a Nursian theological perspective that embraces democratic modernity . Gülen was a local state imam from 1959 to 1981, and he was a citizen of Turkey until his 2017 denaturalization by the government. Over the years, Gülen became a centrist political figure in Turkey prior to his being there as a fugitive . Since 1999, Gülen has lived in self-exile in the United States near Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania . Gülen says his social criticisms are focused upon individuals' faith and morality and a lesser extent toward political ends and self describes as rejecting an Islamist political philosophy, advocating instead for full participation within professions, society, and political life by religious and secular individuals who profess high moral or ethical principles and who wholly support secular rule, within Muslim-majority countries and elsewhere. In 2003, a number of Gülen movement participants allied with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 's centre-right Justice and Development Party (AKP), providing the AKP political and sorely-needed administrative support. This political alliance worked together to weaken left-of-center Kemalist factions, but fractured in 2011. Turkish prosecutors accuse Gülen of attempts to overthrow the government by allegedly directing politically motivated corruption investigations by Gülen-linked investigators then in the judiciary, who illegally wiretapped the executive office of the Turkish president , and Gülen's alleged instigations of the 2016 coup attempt . Gülen has denied the accusations. A Turkish criminal court has issued an arrest warrant for Gülen in 2016, and Turkey is demanding his extradition from the United States. U.S. government officials do not believe he is associated with any terrorist activity , and have requested evidence to be provided by the Turkish Government to substantiate the allegations in the warrant requesting extradition, frequently rejecting Turkish calls for his extradition. Gülen has been described in the English-language media as an imam "who promotes a tolerant Islam which emphasises altruism, hard work and education" and as "one of the world's most important Muslim figures." Gülen is wanted as a terrorist leader in Turkey and Pakistan , as well as by the OIC and GCC . Conyers and Fethullah Gülen" . jgibbs (23 April 2015). Still, Gulen repeatedly states that he propagates neither tajdīd, nor ijtihād, nor reform and that he is just a follower of Islam, simply a Muslim. He is very careful about divorcing himself from any reformist, political, or Islamist discourse. Gulen's conscious dislike of using Islam as a discursive political instrument, which was a distinct trait in Nursi as well, indicates an ethicalized approach to Islam from a spiritual perspective. The New York Times . The New York Times . The Gülen Movement: A Sociological Analysis of a Civic Movement Rooted in Moderate Islam , p 26. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace . How the country's democracy came under attack from two men's rivalry" . The Christian Science Monitor . 29 December 2013 . Henri Barkey: Nobody in Wash, DC believes that Gulen is terrorist" . aktif haber . 9 March 2016. "How does Washington view Gulen group" . medyascope.tv . 9 March 2016 . "OIC lists Gulen network as 'terror group' " . 19 October 2016. "GCC declare Gulen group a 'terrorist organisation' " . 14 October 2016.

Turkish scholar, theologian and dissident (1941–2024) Muhammed Fethullah Gülen (27 April 1941 – 20 October 2024) was a Turkish Muslim scholar , preacher, and leader of the Gülen movement who as of 2016 had millions of followers. Gülen was an influential neo-Ottomanist , Anatolian panethnicist , Islamic poet, writer , social critic , and activist – dissident developing a Nursian theological perspective that embraces democratic modernity . Gülen was a local state imam from 1959 to 1981 and he was a citizen of Turkey until his denaturalization by the Turkish government in 2017. Over the years, Gülen became a centrist political figure in Turkey prior to his being there as a fugitive . From 21 March 1999 until his death on 20 October 2024, Gülen lived in self-exile in the United States near Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania . Gülen's body was buried in a plot of land near the Chestnut Retreat Center in Pennsylvania due to the political situation in Turkey. Gülen said his social criticisms are focused upon individuals' faith and morality and a lesser extent toward political ends, and self described as rejecting an Islamist political philosophy , advocating instead for full participation within professions, society, and political life by religious and secular individuals who profess high moral or ethical principles and who wholly support secular rule , within Muslim-majority countries and elsewhere. Gülen was described in the English-language media as an imam "who promoted a tolerant Islam which emphasises altruism, hard work, and education" and as "one of the world's most important Muslim figures". In 2003, a number of Gülen movement participants allied with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 's right wing Justice and Development Party (AKP), providing the AKP political and sorely-needed administrative support. This political alliance worked together to weaken left-of-center Kemalist factions , but fractured in 2011. Turkish prosecutors accused Gülen of attempts to overthrow the government by allegedly directing politically motivated corruption investigations by Gülen-linked investigators then in the judiciary, who illegally wiretapped the executive office of the Turkish president , and Gülen's alleged instigations of the 2016 coup attempt . Gülen denied the accusations. A Turkish criminal court issued an arrest warrant for Gülen in 2016, and Turkey demanded his extradition from the United States. U.S. government officials did not believe he was associated with any terrorist activity , and requested evidence to be provided by the Turkish government to substantiate the allegations in the warrant requesting extradition, frequently rejecting Turkish calls for his extradition. Gülen was wanted as a terrorist leader in Turkey and Pakistan, as well as by the OIC and GCC . Still, Gulen repeatedly states that he propagates neither tajdīd, nor ijtihād, nor reform and that he is just a follower of Islam, simply a Muslim. He is very careful about divorcing himself from any reformist, political, or Islamist discourse. Gulen's conscious dislike of using Islam as a discursive political instrument, which was a distinct trait in Nursi as well, indicates an ethicalized approach to Islam from a spiritual perspective. Conyers and Fethullah Gülen" . jgibbs (23 April 2015). The Wall Street Journal . The New York Times . The New York Times . 15 July 2016 . The New York Times . The Gülen Movement: A Sociological Analysis of a Civic Movement Rooted in Moderate Islam , p 26. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace . How the country's democracy came under attack from two men's rivalry" . The Christian Science Monitor . 29 December 2013 . Henri Barkey: Nobody in Wash, DC believes that Gulen is terrorist" . aktif haber . 9 March 2016. "How does Washington view Gulen group" . medyascope.tv . 9 March 2016 . "OIC lists Gulen network as 'terror group' " . 19 October 2016. "GCC declare Gulen group a 'terrorist organisation' " . 14 October 2016.