Yesterday, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) declared the Gulen-affiliated group Fethullah Gulen Terror Group (FETO) a terrorist group, according to the Turkish state-run news organization Anadolu Agency.
"We thank the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for showing solidarity by understanding our sensitivities and declaring FETO a terror group," Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, tweeted in response to the decision.
The OIC declared the Gulen-affiliated group, FETO as a terrorist group. The name FETO is most often used by the Turkish government. Turkey considers FETO as the representation of the Gulen movement and as the primary orchestrator behind the recent coup attempt.
Last July, elements of the Turkish military attempted a coup to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The coup failed due to several reasons including disorganization, a lack of popular support, the failure to remove Erdogan, and more. In response, Turkey has purged and arrested tens of thousands in the government accused of being associated with the Gulenist movement.
The man Erdogan blames for the coup is US-based Fethullah Gulen. Gulen started his career as a Muslim religious scholar who preached a moderate form of Islam. As he gained in popularity, he began to clash politically with the Turkish government.
He leads a popular movement called Hizmet, a global initiative which promotes tolerant Islam. Hizmet, meaning “service” in Turkish, has no formal structure, official membership, or visible organization. It is instead a loosely affiliated alliance inspired by the messages of Gulen. The movement operates many private schools and businesses.
Gulen now resides in the United States in a self-imposed exile out of fear of returning to his home country. Gulen acts as the inspirational leader of his movement within Turkey. Since the recent coup, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly demanded that the United States extradite Gulen back to Turkey.
The OIC is an organization founded in 1969 comprised of 57 member states. It was founded to “safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony”. It is the second largest intergovernmental organization after the UN and describes itself as “the collective voice of the Muslim world”.
Turkey has been a member of the OIC since the founding of the organization.
DL
