Turkish media said that the cleric, who had been living in self-imposed exile in the United States, passed away following his admission to a hospital in Pennsylvania.
The spiritual leader of the Gulen movement, a strong Islamic organization with adherents in Turkey and around the world, Gulen is sometimes referred to as the second most powerful man in Turkey.
Gulen refuted the charges made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who accused the Gulen movement of being responsible for the 2016 coup attempt.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan described Gulen as the head of a “dark organization” and stated that intelligence sources had verified his death during a press conference in Ankara.
Gulen became well-known for his claims that education was the best remedy for Turkey’s lost youth.
He gained notoriety for advocating for a tolerant Islam that placed a strong focus on diligence, modesty, and altruism.
First gaining traction through school operations, his movement—known in Turkey as Hizmet, or “service”—went on to establish educational facilities both in Turkey and abroad.
As the movement gained momentum, supporters ventured into the private sector and started working for the government and military.
Erdogan originally supported Hizmet, but in 2013, the Turkish president betrayed the movement by promising to close hundreds of its schools and purge the government of Gulenists, whom he referred to as a “state within a state.”
