Gulen's passing was announced by sources close to the cleric on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). The announcement stated that he died at a hospital in the United States where he had been receiving treatment. Gulen and his transnational Hizmet (Service) movement have been blamed by Erdogan and the Turkish government for the failed 2016 coup attempt, which resulted in the deaths of over 240 people.
His movement was labeled a terrorist organization shortly before the incident, leading to a crackdown on his followers across Turkey. Turkish state television TRT confirmed Gulen's death, referring to him as a "traitor and enemy of religion" who had spent his life plotting against Turkey. Gulen relocated to Pennsylvania in 1999 and remained there despite Erdogan's repeated calls for his return to Turkey.
He was tried in absentia in 2000 for allegedly attempting to infiltrate government institutions with his supporters to overthrow the government. These charges were dismissed in 2008 under the rule of the AKP and then-Prime Minister Erdogan, who had previously enjoyed a positive relationship with Gulen. However, this relationship deteriorated in 2013 after a corruption scandal involving Erdogan's inner circle, leading to a public rift between the two men.
Erdogan accused Gulen of creating a "parallel state" within Turkey. Gulen publicly criticized Erdogan's consolidation of power, labeling him a "dictator" and urging the US and European governments to take action to restore political freedoms in Turkey. He was stripped of his Turkish citizenship in 2017.
Gulen's Hizmet movement is known for establishing schools globally, with the aim of improving educational standards. The first schools were founded in Central Asia and later expanded worldwide. In 1994, the movement established its first schools in the Kurdistan Region, starting in Erbil and expanding to Sulaimani three years later. These schools offer instruction in English, Kurdish, Arabic, and Turkish languages. Gulen's followers claim that the founding of these schools aligns with the vision of Kurdish Islamic scholar Said Nursi and his teachings, which emphasized the importance of establishing schools to spread Islamic knowledge.