Turkish preacher Fethullah Gülen, fierce opponent of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is dead – Libération

The Last Laugh: The Death of Fethullah Gülen

Ah, the drama continues in Turkish politics! Just when you thought things couldn’t get any juicier, 83-year-old Fethullah Gülen, the former ally turned arch-nemesis of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has traded the earthly realm for an eternal nap. That’s right! On October 20th, our dear preacher, who spent over two decades exiled in Pennsylvania, left us all wondering, “Will we ever have a quieter Turkish political scene?” Spoiler alert: Not anytime soon!

Gülen had been living it up—or rather, living it down—stateside since 1999, plotting his grand coup from the comfort of a nice little house (isn’t the American dream sweet?). He was accused by Erdogan of orchestrating the 2016 attempted coup in Turkey, a claim that has fueled a mutual loathing that’s been hotter than a Turkish sauna. It’s a tale as old as time: politician and preacher become best buds, only for one to pull a fast one and turn the other into a bogeyman. Classic!

As reported by Turkish public television TRT, Gülen’s demise sparked zero immediate response from the authorities. It seems the Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, in his best game show host voice, eventually confirmed, “The leader of this dark organization is dead.” Well, that’s one way to put it, isn’t it? Perhaps “overdue subscription to a health magazine” would have been less harsh but eventually just as accurate.

Now, if you thought there was a kernel of respect in their announcement, you’d be as wrong as a politician in need of a good PR team. Gülen, celebrated by his followers for his educational ventures, was described in quite endearing terms—on a site he founded, no less. The site, Herkul, now banned in Turkey, lovingly declared, “Rev. Fethullah Gülen, who spent every moment of his life serving the blessed religion of Islam and humanity… marched today towards the horizons of his soul.” That’s poetic, isn’t it? Honestly, it sounds like a line right out of a bad romance novel. “Hey darling, when I’m gone, make sure to tell everyone I was off to the horizons of my soul!”

But before you grab those tissues—don’t worry, the tears are not for Gülen. The Turkish government has had its dance with ‘Gülenist ranks’ for years. They’ve arrested more folks than a reality TV show gone wrong all because Gülen became Erdogan’s sworn enemy. In the competitive sport of who-can-throw-who-in-jail, this rivalry has been a real contender for the Olympic Games, which is sad because who knew competition could be this tense?

In conclusion, as the world tunes in to what’s next for Erdogan, it’s clear that this chapter of Turkish political theatrics is not closing just yet. Will Erdogan find a new villain to chase? Or will he go for an encore with Gülen’s shadow? Either way, stay tuned—it’s bound to be a show full of plot twists!

This Monday, October 21, the Turkish media announced the death, which occurred the day before, of the former ally of the Turkish president, exiled and held responsible for an attempted coup d’état in the country in 2016. The octogenarian was in exile in the United States since 1999.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan loses one of his oldest enemies. Turkish public television TRT announced this Monday, October 21, the death of Muslim preacher Fethullah Gülen, who had lived in exile in the United States for nearly 25 years. The information had been published the day before by X accounts and websites close to his movement. The 83-year-old preacher, accused by Ankara of having plotted an attempted coup in Turkey in July 2016, is said to have died “last night in the hospital where he was taken”. He was known for inspiring the Gülen movement, also called “Hizmet” (“Service”, in Turkish), and for being the head of a sprawling network of schools around the world.

This announcement, taken up this Monday morning by the media in Türkiye, did not immediately provoke a reaction from the authorities. The Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hakan Fidan, ended up reacting during the day, confirming, during a press conference held in Ankara, and on the basis of information obtained by the intelligence services: “The leader of this dark organization is dead.

His death had already been announced on October 20 on Herkul, a site founded by Fethullah Gülen and banned in Türkiye. “Rev. Fethullah Gülen, who spent every moment of his life serving the blessed religion of Islam and humanity, marched today [20 octobre] towards the horizons of his soul”, the site indicated, indicating that “detailed information on burial procedures will be[aie]not shared [ultérieurement] with the public.

Since 1999, Fethullah Gülen has lived in Pennsylvania, United States. In exile, he had escaped the clutches of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, formerly his ally, who accused him of “terrorism” for almost fifteen years. Turkey stripped him of his Turkish nationality in 2017. President Erdogan made him his sworn enemy and still regularly carries out waves of arrests in the Gülenist ranks.

Updated Monday October 21 at 11:40 a.m. with the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs speaking on the death of Fethullah Gülen.