Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


                     What to Know About the Gulen Movement

   by Megan Duzor

   Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who has been accused of being behind
   Turkey's apparent coup, has lived in self-imposed exile in the United
   States for more than a decade.

   Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who conducted an interview
   through FaceTime with a local TV station Friday, said Turkey "cannot be
   run from Pennsylvania," a reference to Gulen who lives in the U.S.
   mid-Atlantic state.

   ''In May, the president designated the religious movement of Gulen a
   terrorist group and said he would pursue its members, whom he accuses
   of trying to overthrow the government.

   ''In recent years, Turkey's government has taken over companies that
   are believed to have ties to Gulen, detained hundreds of followers, and
   removed thousands of Gulen's supporters from government jobs.

   Turkey's government accuses the Gulen movement of infiltrating the
   police, judiciary and political system and creating a state within a
   state.

   Gulen response

   In response to the upheaval in Turkey, a nonprofit group serving as a
   voice for the Gulen movement rebuked the violence.

   "We have consistently denounced military interventions in domestic
   politics," the Alliance for Shared Values said in a statement. "We
   condemn any military intervention in domestic politics of Turkey."

   Previous close ties

   The Gulen movement was once among Erdogan's most enthusiastic
   supporters and Gulen-affiliated media groups backed government
   policies.

   But Gulen, 75, fell out of favor with the president when police and
   prosecutors seen as sympathetic to Gulen opened a corruption
   investigation into Erdogan's inner circle in 2013.

   Gulen, who sought refuge in the United States and lives in relative
   seclusion, has continued to maintain a following within Turkey and his
   supporters are believed to have raised some 50 million liras ($17
   million) between 2004 and 2015.

   He preaches Sunni Islam together with a message of interfaith dialogue
   and his movement, known as "Hizmit" (Service), operates in Europe, the
   United States, Asia and Africa.

   Gulen's followers say they are the victims of an unfair crackdown, and
   have accused Erdogan of taking increasingly authoritarian measures.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/gulen-movement-turkey-erdogan/3420811
   .html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/gulen-movement-turkey-erdogan/3420811.html