Security report claims Gülen used ‘spells and genies’ to manipulate followers

Fevzi KIZILKOYUN / ANKARA

Followers of the U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fetullah Gülen, accused of being behind the failed July 2016 coup attempt, believe that he is able to help them get to heaven, according to a report prepared by Turkey’s General Directorate of Security.  

The 280-page report also claims that Gülen used “metaphysical phenomena such as spells, genies and dreams” to impose his ideology onto the minds of his followers, who see him as a holy figure who receives information from a divine source. 

His followers believe that Gülen is “an amazing person who is able to help his community cross the ‘As-Sirat Bridge,’” the report states, referring to a narrow bridge that Muslims believe every person must cross to enter heaven.

The Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) used by the government to refer to followers of Gülen, followed a strategy that includes “exploiting gaps in the law to come to power,” according to the report, which claimed that they attempt to seize the state and all its constitutional institutions once they found sufficient power. 

The report stated that FETÖ’s ultimate goal was to illegally “establish a dictatorship of Gülen in Turkey,” adding that it tried to manipulate people through police, soldiers and judicial personnel, while creating “perception management” through media outlets under its control.   

Gülen followers were reportedly ordered to act in secret while carrying out their “holy duty,” with the organization managed by an “elite class” with a strongly hierarchical structure. 

The organization reportedly kept an archive about people in order to ensure they remained loyal to FETÖ.

“One side of the coin was enrolling people as FETÖ members. The other side of the coin was keeping them as members. A method developed for keeping people who were enrolled by Gülen as members until death,” the report stated.  

In order to achieve this purpose, FETÖ reportedly used “anonymous advice notes” in order to target and discharge public officials seen as obstacles to achieving their aims. 

The report also claimed that a deliberate process to create “mankurts” was carried out by the group in order to guarantee total loyalty. “‘Mankurt’ is a term used to refer to people who have lost their minds and become robotic servants of their masters, who previously tortured them,” the report states, noting that the term is thought to originate from ancient Turkic mythology.