Fethullah Gülen, U.S.-based cleric accused of masterminding 2016 coup attempt in native Turkey, has died
CBSOCT 2024
Turkish Cleric Gulen Dies in US Exile
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Turkey has never provided much evidence for its elaborate allegations against Gulen and the US. Gulen had a controversial and complicated relationship with Erdoğan. Given that Gulen and Erdoğan held somewhat aligned views, their differences were likely connected to the corruption charges against the president rather than religious beliefs.
Establishment-critical narrative
Gulen's long-standing ties to US interests, including alleged links to American intelligence agencies, make it completely reasonable to question whether he worked with Western powers to orchestrate the coup. Washington's refusal to extradite him, not to mention testimonies in Turkey, confirmed his followers were working to destabilize the Turkish government.