Fethullah Gülen

Muhammed Fethullah Gülen was a local state imam in Turkey from 1959 to 1981, preaching a theological vision that embraced democratic modernity and encouraged followers to establish secular schools, charities, and institutions across society. By 2010 the Gülen movement had grown to 8-10 million followers worldwide with over 2,000 STEM-focused schools in more than 150 countries. In 2003 Gülen-aligned participants allied with Erdoğan's AKP party, a tactical partnership that helped weaken Kemalist factions but fractured by 2011. After Gülen criticized Erdoğan's response to the 2013 Gezi Park prote…