Erdogan expected to put anti-Gulen movement in high gear

The Turkish government has officially declared the Gulen movement a terrorist organization, paving the way for even speedier seizures of Gulen-affiliated universities.
Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen is pictured at his residence in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania September 24, 2013. Born in Erzurum, eastern Turkey, Gulen built up his reputation as a Muslim preacher with intense sermons that often moved him to tears. From his base in Izmir, he toured Turkey stressing the need to embrace scientific progress, shun radicalism and build bridges to the West and other faiths. The first Gulen school opened in 1982. In the following decades, the movement became a spectacular success, s
Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen is pictured at his residence in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, Sept. 24, 2013. - REUTERS/Selahattin Sevi
Zulfikar Dogan.jpg
Zulfikar Dogan
Read in 

The latest battle between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the outlawed Gulen movement is being fought in universities. The government is seizing universities — many with tens of thousands of students enrolled — operated by Gulen movement foundations and has appointed trustees to run them with the intention of either turning them into public universities or closing them down.

At the May 26 meeting of the National Security Council, Erdogan declared that the council has officially registered the Gulen movement as the Fethullah Terror Organization (FETO).

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.

Videos

See more