Gülen movement

The Gülen movement (Turkish: Gülen hareketi) is an international social, educational and Islamic fraternal movement founded by Fethullah Gülen in Turkey in the late 1970s and based in the U.S. since 1999. It is institutionalised in 180 countries through educational institutions, 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.

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.

Since May 2016, the Gülen movement has been classified by Turkey as a terrorist organization., as well as by a few politically aligned entities: Pakistan and the Gulf Cooperation Council. However, the Gülen movement is not recognised as a terrorist organisation by democratic countries like the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, 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 linked to the movement.

8 days after the coup attempt on July 23, 2016, the Turkish government 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. 3,000,000 citizens of Turkey investigated for terrorism between 2016 and 2024 and 511,000 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’d accept its findings if found guilty.