Turkey’s religious authority Diyanet on Wednesday published a report on the misuse of religion by the Fetullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO).
The organisation, which Turkey considers as terrorist, is run by US-based cleric Fetullah Gulen, who has been in self-imposed exile in the United States for years.
Turkey accuses FETO of a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.
Mehmet Gormez, who heads the Diyanet, shared the details of the report as he addressed a program in capital Ankara on the report’s release.
The report analyses around 670 hours of recorded speeches of FETO leader Fetullah Gulen and a total of 80 of his publications.
Gormez said that Gulen made references to Sufism – mystical Islamic belief – in his speeches to lead a social movement.
The 90-page report said that Gulen implied that he was in conversation with Prophet Muhammad to convince his followers that his orders were divinely guided.
The report says Gulen had also told his followers he had spiritual connections with angels and other Sufi leaders.
The government also accuses FETO and Gulen of orchestrating last year’s defeated coup which left 249 people dead and more than 2,200 injured.
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