FOUR THINGS ABOUT SCHOLAR BLAMED FOR COUP ATTEMPT

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WHO IS FETHULLAH GULEN? Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Friday’s coup attempt was the work of army officers who follow Fethullah Gulen. The reclusive moderate Muslim cleric lives in exile in a gated compound in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. The 75-year-old is said to be in fragile health. While there is no official extradition request, Turkey wants the U.S. to ship him home.

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SPLIT WITH ERDOGAN Gulen had once been a friend of Erdogan’s and his Islamist-inspired government and helped the political leader consolidate power. The men split bitterly several years ago, after Erdogan and his party blamed the cleric for stirring up allegations of corruption among officials and Erdogan’s son. Since then, Erdogan has accused Gulen of trying to seize power by using his movement to infiltrate the government and its security forces.

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THE GULENISTS Gulen’s popular movement embracing moderate Islam has bred a global network of organizations, publications, think-tanks and schools. Gulen’s followers have opened private schools around the world, including more than 160 science-, math- and technologyfocused public charter schools in the U.S. These publicly funded institutions, known as the Gulen charter, are thought to be operated by people associated with the Gulen movement, usually Turks.

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THE DENIAL Gulen’s supporters deny any link to the violence. In a statement on its website, the U.S. arm of Gulen’s movement, known as Hizmet, called the Turkish government’s claims “highly irresponsible” and said the group does not support the military’s attempt to take power. Gulen has said that the Erdogan government might be behind the coup.