Gülen movement

The Gülen movement or Hizmet movement (Turkish: Gülen hareketi) is an international social, educational and Islamicfraternal movement founded by Fethullah Gülen in Turkey in the late 1970s and based in Pennsylvania since 1999. It is institutionalised in estimated 160 countries through STEM focused schools, universities as well as media outlets, interfaith dialogue organisations, charities, finance companies, health clinics that have a combined net worth in the range of 20–50 billion dollars as of 2015. After Gülen's death in October 2024, the New York based Alliance for Shared Values, stated that Gülen had not been actively involved in its operations in the last few years and his work would be carried forward by a group of close associates who had been advising him.

Its followers are mostly Sunni Muslims based on a Nursian theological perspective as reflected in Gülen's religious teachings. Its teachings are considered conservative in Turkey but some have praised the movement as a pacifist, modern-oriented version of Islam, and an alternative to more extreme schools of Islam such as Salafism. On the other hand, it has also been reported to have a "cultish hierarchy" and as being a secretive Islamic sect.

The movement's legal and political status underwent significant transformation beginning in May 2016, when Turkish state authorities declared it as a terrorist organisation. This designation was adopted by select strategically aligned states, namely Pakistan and the Gulf Cooperation Council. However, the Gülen movement is not recognised as a terrorist organisation by democratic supranational organisations like the European Union and countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand due to lack of credible evidence. These countries continue to accept refugee claims from its followers.

Following the 2016 coup attempt, President Erdoğan immediately blamed the Gülen movement, labeling the event a "gift from God" to justify a state purge. This resulted in the immediate arrest of thousands of soldiers and judges, the dismissal of 150,000 government employees, and the suspension or license revocation of over 20,000 educators allegedly linked to the movement.

Eight days after the coup attempt on July 23, 2016, the Turkish government had shut down 1,043 private schools, 1,229 charities, 19 trade unions, 15 universities, and 35 medical institutions allegedly linked to the Gülen movement, seizing properties valued at $12 billion. Nearly 3,000,000 citizens of Turkey were investigated for terrorism between 2016 and 2024, and 511,000 were arrested for alleged links to the Gülen movement. According to the historian Michael Rubin, the coup attempt was staged to serve Erdoğan's interests, "to allow a dictator to consolidate power".

Gülen condemned the coup, denied involvement, and called for an international commission to investigate the failed coup, saying he would accept its findings if found guilty.