Fethullah Gulen

Fethullah Gulen’s Hizmet movement – a network of schools, newspapers, TV stations and banks – is designated as a terrorist organisation in Turkey. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has blamed Gulen for a botched military coup on July 15.  Some 45,000 soldiers, police, judges, civil servants, teachers and
journalists have been detained or removed from office

Apr 27, 1941: Muhammed Fethullah Gulen born in Erzurum, eastern Turkey

1959-80: Preacher in western Turkey. He travels extensively, lecturing to Turkish workers in Germany

1970s: Millions of students at Gulen’s nationwide tutoring centres – “houses of light” –  take exams for jobs in Turkish judiciary and police

1980: Military coup. Gulen is banned from preaching but CDs and videos of his sermons sell in millions

1999: Gulen emigrates to U.S. He is tried in absentia in 2000 over remarks which seem to support a Turkish Islamic state. Acquitted in 2008 by government of then-Prime Minister Erdogan

2001: Justice and Development Party (AKP) – founded by Erdogan – becomes one of Gulen’s most prominent supporters. Deal sees Gulenists secure votes for AKP while Erdogan protects Gulen’s
Hizmet network

2003-12: Gulen plays significant role in Erdogan’s three terms as PM and his rise to presidency in 2014

2012: Relations sour after Erdogan orders secret service to monitor Hizmet. Prosecutors respond by trying to arrest Erdogan’s intelligence chief

2013: Alliance collapses over Erdogan’s brutal handling of
anti-government protests. Corruption investigation implicates
ministers and Erdogan’s sons. AKP responds with purge of police
force. Erdogan blames investigation on Gulen and Hizmet

Dec 2014: Government detains more than 30 journalists, including
Ekrem Dumanli, editor-in-chief of Zaman – Turkey’s largest-circulation newspaper – in crackdown on Gulen’s movement

Mar 2016: Government seizes control of Zaman

Jul: Following failed putsch, Erdogan demands extradition of
Gulen from U.S. Purged Gulen sympathisers include…

Interior ministry officials 9,000

Police officers 8,000

Soldiers 6,000

Generals, admirals 103

Judges 2,745

University deans 1,577

Finance ministry officials 1,500

Religious Affairs Directorate 492

Energy ministry 300

Prime minister’s office 257

Intelligence officers 100

Sources: Spiegel, Hizmet, Anadolu news agency 

Pictures: Associated Press