TURKEY - Why Erdogan finds Gülen's movement so threatening

The state of emergency that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared in July 2016 gave him the power to expand a purge that has seen an estimated 60,000 people either arrested or suspended from their jobs.

Much of that purge has targeted members of a massive, wealthy and influential spiritual movement led by Fethullah Gülen, a former imam living in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.

Gülen has not set foot on Turkish soil in 20 years, but his name evokes strong emotions among Erdoğan supporters.

“We are here to care for Tayyip Erdoğan. Let the angels take him under their wings, and Fethullah Gülen be damned,” said Songül Yildirim, a housewife attending a rally in support of the Turkish president in Istanbul.
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/mt5bubu9