The Gulen Mystery
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Gulen’s Schools. The charismatic preacher and his secretive educational empire
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Gulen’s Hizmet Movement . A pervasive fraternity of public service under the radar
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Gulen’s Businessmen. Financing the network through 'market-driven jihad'
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Gulen’s Turkish Charter schools. The CIA sponsored imam and his troubling US agenda
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Turkey’s Military Coup. The rise and fall of the House of Gulen
Turkey’s Military Coup. The rise and fall of the House of Gulen
Episode 5 of our documentary series about Fethullah Gulen charts the political rise and fall of Turkey’s most famous preacher and Turkey’s Military Coup. Turkish President Recep Erdogan blames Gulen for masterminding the attempted military coup of 2016. In the post-coup crackdown, the spiritual leader’s Hizmet network in Turkey was dismantled, and 150,000 followers arrested.
RTD pieces together why a religious leader who never stood for election became so central to Turkey’s political life. Fethullah Gulen has avoided publicising his strategy, but RTD examines some clues. These include the wedding of a football star in 1990s Istanbul and a magazine cover hinting at a bright future just before the failed uprising.
Like Gulen, fellow conservative Recep Erdogan wanted to bring religion back into Turkish public life. Both worked to unravel the secularistic legacy of Kemal Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey. Then, things started to go wrong. Academics from Turkey, the USA and Russia share their insights about the rift between the former allies.
RTD also visits supporters in exile to hear what keeps them faithful to the movement’s ideals. So, does Hizmet still have a future?
