Ahmet Ünlü (born February 27, 1965), known colloquially as Cübbeli Ahmet

Hoca , also rendered into English as ''hodja'', is a Turkish language, Turkish word deriving from the Persian language, Persian word , , used as a title, given name or surname. As a honorific title, means “master” and is commonly used for teac ...

efendi, is a Turkish

Islamic Scholar In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam. "Ulama ...

and hafiz. He studied under

Mahmut Ustaosmanoğlu Mahmut Ustaosmanoğlu (1929 – 23 June 2022), also known as Mahmud Effendi and known to his followers as "Effendi Hazretleri", was a Turkish people, Turkish Sufi Sheikh and the leader of the influential İsmailağa Jamia of the Naqshbandi-Khali ...

. His controversial views are often reported by the Turkish press.

Biography

Ahmet Mahmut Ünlü was born in

Fatih Fatih () is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 15 km2, and its population is 368,227 (2022). It is home to almost all of the provincial authorities (including the mayor's office, police headquarters, metro ...

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, on 27 February 1965 to Yusuf Ünlü, a factory owner, and his wife Rabia. He claimed that his family is of Bukharan Turkic origin which settled in Görele in

Giresun Province Giresun Province (Greek language, Greek : Κερασούντα, ; ) is a Provinces of Turkey, province of Turkey on the Black Sea coast. Its adjacent provinces are Trabzon Province, Trabzon to the east, Gümüşhane Province, Gümüşhane to the ...

during the 1800s. In his childhood years, Ünlü was wearing a jubbah. He started his education when he was 3 years old. He preached in big

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

s like Yavuz Selim while he was 14 years old. Ünlü is a

diabetic Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

and was therefore exempt from mandatory military service. He is married and has eight children. He has been described as "

Antisemitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

", and has made many Antisemitic tropes. Ünlü released a controversial

fatwa A fatwa (; ; ; ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (sharia) given by a qualified Islamic jurist ('' faqih'') in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist issuing fatwas is called a ''mufti'', ...

in 2020, in which he stated that "

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President of Turkey, president from 1923 until Death an ...

is the founder of this state. This is not criticised, it is not permissible to criticise. This should never be criticised. The Republic is our last established state. Our duty to tax this state, our duty to go to the military, we depend on this state. Without this state, we would be worse than Syria and Yemen. Neither prayer remains, nor ablution remains, nor honor remains, nor chastity remains. The state must live." Ünlü is a critic of

Salafism The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a Islamic fundamentalism, fundamentalist Islamic revival, revival movement within Sunni Islam, originating in the late 19th century and influential in the Islamic world to this day. The name "''Salafiyya''" ...

, and frequently said that Salafism is a threat and should not be allowed to grow in Turkey. Ünlü claimed that Salafis all owned guns and were going to destroy Turkey in the future, and that the Salafis should be curbed. In 2020, Ünlü was involved in a feud with Murat Gezenler. Ünlü is controversial due to his involvement in politics. During the 2023 Turkish elections, Ünlü showed his support to the Great Unity Party after Mustafa Destici visited him. Ünlü also called on people to support

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...

's Nation Alliance. Ünlü stated that HDP voters should have their Turkish citizenship revoked. Ünlü also criticised the

Felicity Party The Felicity Party (, SAADET) is an Islamism, Islamist Turkey, Turkish political party. It was founded in 2001, and mainly supported by conservative Muslims in Turkey. It was founded on 20 July 2001 after the Virtue Party (Turkey), Virtue Party ...

many times. Ünlü caused more controversy in 2023, when he attempted to gaslight supporters of the Felicity Party with the

Akhirah al-Ākhirah (, derived from ''Akhir'' which means last, ultimate, end or close) is an Arabic term for "the Hereafter". In Islamic eschatology, on Judgment Day, the natural or temporal world (''dunya'') will come to an end, the dead will be re ...

because they did not support Erdoğan. Birol Aydın, a Felicity Party spokesman, claimed that Ünlü did nothing but deceive people in the name of religion. Ünlü had also reportedly insulted Hüseyin Velioğlu, and became a target among Kurdish Hezbollah supporters. The Kurdish Hezbollah also rejected the religious authenticity of Ünlü, and claimed that he was a fake scholar who works for the

deep state Deep state is a term used for (real or imagined) potential, unauthorized and often secret networks of power operating independently of a State (polity), state's political leadership in pursuit of their own agendas and goals. Although the term ori ...

. Ünlü criticised the Free Cause Party, which he claimed does not care for Turkey. After Serkan Ramanlı criticised the government for their removal of DEM politician Abdullah Zeydan from his elected post, Ünlü stated "our opinion on HÜDA PAR was also correct", and referred to the Free Cause Party as "terror lovers". Ünlü made Anti-Shia comments in 2022, which caused the Kurdish Hezbollah to condemn him as a "sectarian", and a Free Cause Party senior member to condemn him as an "American-Israeli agent". The Kurdish Hezbollah backed Abdulkadir Karaduman of the Felicity Party, and Alparslan Kuytul, during their conflicts with Ünlü.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Unlu, Ahmet Mahmut 1965 births Living people Turkish Sufis Hanafis Turkish Sunni Muslims Turkish Islamists Naqshbandi order People from Görele People from Giresun Province Turkish people of Uzbekistani descent