Turkish government seeks self-exiled cleric living in Poconos

A Pittsburgh restaurateur found out first-hand earlier this year how powerful the influence of a Poconos-dwelling Turkish cleric is — and how deep the Turkish government's antipathy for the man runs.

Adnan Pehlivan, co-owner of Istanbul Sofra restaurant in Regent Square, took two customers to visit Turkey. Journalists who wanted to write about the visitors were prohibited from doing so because Mr. Pehlivan and his guests were residents of Pennsylvania and thus believed to be connected to Fethullah Gulen — the Islamic leader in exile blamed by the government for last week's coup attempt and long viewed as an enemy. Mr. Pehlivan doesn't know Mr. Gulen and has no connection with his global following but found Pennsylvanians were considered suspicious merely because of where they live.

On Friday, the Turkish government stopped an attempted military coup that left 265 people dead and 1,440 wounded. The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has blamed Mr. Gulen for the coup and announced his intent to request his extradition from the United States. Following the coup, the Turkish government has arrested or suspended tens of thousands of people from their jobs, including teachers, judges, lawyers and many more professions.

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“He’s got a fiercely loyal following. This is a highly organized network of people who are deeply committed to the cause, and the system itself is one that nurtures new followers,” said Jonathan Schanzer, vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “He still produces statements. He’s got an infrastructure that’s operating and it will operate when he’s gone.”

Regardless of his mark on education in the state, Mr. Schanzer said he suspects most Pennsylvania residents are not aware that he is living here, or that this is a source of controversy in Turkey. Nevertheless, hundreds of protesters from neighboring states have appeared at the retreat in the past few days, demanding Mr. Gulen go back to Turkey and face justice, Mr. Schanzer said.

Mr. Gulen has stood by his statement that he was not involved with the coup and said if an international committee determined he was guilty, he would return to Turkey voluntarily. Although the process will take some time, Mr. Schanzer expects that the Turkish government will seek the death penalty. Yet, the Gulen movement has lived on while Mr. Gulen himself has been in self-imposed exile, and Mr. Schanzer does not expect it will end with him.

“The [Turkish government] is going to go after the known Gulenists, but at the end of the day, when you’re trying to kill an idea, it’s an uphill battle,” he said.

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