Fethullah Gulen, the controversial Turkish cleric and former ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has died at the age of 83. He was living in exile in the United States at the time of his passing. While the cause of death has not yet been disclosed, it was known that he had been in declining health.
Since 1999, Gulen resided in a compound in Pennsylvania owned by the Golden Generation Foundation, a nonprofit organization supported by his followers. Although he became less visible in public later in life, he continued to encourage his followers through statements and writings to engage in education, dialogue, and nonviolent activism.
In Turkey, Gulen became a polarizing figure, accused by the government of leading a criminal organization that infiltrated state institutions. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan confirmed Gulen’s death and stated that the nation’s resolve in combating terrorism would remain strong, emphasizing that this news would not lead to any complacency.
Gulen emerged as a prominent preacher in the 1960s in Izmir, where he established a network of boarding houses that provided academic support to students. He expanded this network to include schools, charities, and civil society organizations. His supporters opened over 1,000 schools in 160 countries, providing a quality education to many students who later occupied key roles in Turkey’s judiciary, police, and bureaucracy.
In 1999, Gulen moved to the United States, ostensibly for health reasons, although critics believed it was due to a government investigation into his activities. The following year, he was convicted in absentia of conspiring to overthrow the state, a conviction later used as evidence against him following the failed coup attempt in Turkey in 2016.
Initially, Gulen’s followers had a close alliance with Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), which led to many Gulen supporters gaining influential positions within the state. However, tensions surfaced in the early 2000s, escalating in 2013 when allegations of corruption arose involving Gulen-aligned police and prosecutors targeting high-ranking members of the AK Party.
Erdogan accused Gulen of orchestrating a “parallel state” within Turkey, an allegation Gulen denied. Following the coup attempt on July 16, 2016, which resulted in significant loss of life, Erdogan’s government purged thousands of suspected Gulen sympathizers from government, military, and judicial positions and designated Gulen’s movement as the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).
Despite Turkish requests for Gulen’s extradition, U.S. authorities cited insufficient evidence to connect him directly to the coup. The post-coup environment marked a significant decline for Gulen’s organizations, with many schools and charities closing and supporters facing imprisonment or exile. The movement has persisted internationally, though with diminished visibility, particularly in countries where Turkey has sought the closure of Gulen-affiliated entities. Several charter schools connected to Gulen have been investigated for visa irregularities and alleged financial misconduct.
Fethullah Gulen never married.