# Extradite Gulen to Turkey? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 11, 2016, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extradite-gulen-to-turkey/762434 "2016-08-11T12:21:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Inbred\_Mm\_domesticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/aca169/32.png) [@Inbred\_Mm\_domesticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inbred_Mm_domesticus)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extradite-gulen-to-turkey/762434/41 "2016-08-16T23:48:10Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > He may well be a U.S. citizen by now. It’s not so simple as just putting him on a plane. Politically I simply don’t think it’s going to happen. Hopefully he is a U.S. citizen by now. I saw in your earlier post that it was ordered he receive a green card in 2008. > [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > We give virtually everyone some form of due process, a chance to plead their case before a judge. He’d almost certainly be given an opportunity to contest his extradition, and if he can convince the judge that the US Government is disregarding the appropriate rules / laws / treaties, he’ll probably win and be allowed to stay. If the government were then to ignore the adverse judicial ruling, we’d be taking our own dangerous steps down the path to despotism. In short, no, I don’t think we can just go ahead and send him back to Turkey without regard to the rules and laws in place that govern the matter. True, but I wasn’t sure if there are avenues other than extradition that might allow the government to send him back to Turkey. For example, if he still has a green card, there [seems to be a lot of flexibility in deporting him](http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/grounds-deportability-when-legal-us-residents-can-be-removed.html). That link includes among reasons: Being involved in a terrorist organization Presence in the U.S. would have serious foreign policy consequences If we decided to accept the Turkish government’s belief in “FETO” then both of these reasons could apply. > [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > We had compelling evidence that OBL had been directly involved in a very serious crime against the United States. Turkey does not seem to have this with regard to Gulen. That’s where I see the difference. Did we at that specific time? I thought we had intelligence reports and a demand the Taliban give him up. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > No, events happen in the world that don’t require Americans. I wholeheartedly agree. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Gulen opposes Erdogan for his own reasons and isn’t an American puppet. And the United States isn’t running an anti-Erdogan opposition group with Gulen in charge. That said, the American government would probably prefer it if Gulen were in charge of Turkey rather than Erdogan. So while the American government doesn’t officially support Gulen, it hasn’t done anything to oppose him either. I think my misunderstanding earlier was rooted in my belief that Gulen had nothing to do with the coup. If the coup was successful he certainly would not be taking over the government or returning to Turkey. The only other mechanism by which Gulen could “rule” Turkey would be via the Deep State he is apparently involved in. But I simply don’t buy the Turkish government’s narrative of the Deep State. It’s a myth used to shield the government from its failings. The Deep State’s membership changes with whoever is in power. It’s a mirage. So Gulen wouldn’t be able to run Turkey via this mechanism either. What we do know is that Gulen apparently could assist Erdogan, but the nature of that assistance is anybody’s guess. All we know for sure is Gulen was buddies with Erdogan, he may have played a role in the trials against the military establishment, they had a falling out, and Erdogan blames Gulen for the corruption investigation that involved Erdogan’s cabinet. Maybe the reason we don’t see much in the way of an American involvement in Gulen’s activities is because Gulen’s activities are really not that interesting and mostly involve schools and Islam. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Lebodnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/fbc32d/32.png) [@Mr.Lebodnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Lebodnik)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extradite-gulen-to-turkey/762434/42 "2016-08-17T17:50:05Z")
I wouldn’t send him back based on the accusations (rants) of a tin-pot islamic dictator who’s on a witch hunt. I wonder if the U.S. will go ahead with that F-35 sale to Turkey? Seems risky with them cozying up to Russia and perhaps China. ---
**Author:** ![Inbred\_Mm\_domesticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/aca169/32.png) [@Inbred\_Mm\_domesticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inbred_Mm_domesticus)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extradite-gulen-to-turkey/762434/43 "2016-08-18T02:32:27Z")
> [@Mr.Lebodnik](#): > > I wouldn’t send him back based on the accusations (rants) of a tin-pot islamic dictator who’s on a witch hunt. Who is the Islamic dictator? Even if the coup was against an Islamic dictator, why would that be good? What label would you give to Gulen if he had executed the coup and had been successful? ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extradite-gulen-to-turkey/762434/44 "2016-08-18T05:53:28Z")
> [@Inbred\_Mm\_domesticus](#): > > Who is the Islamic dictator? Even if the coup was against an Islamic dictator, why would that be good? What label would you give to Gulen if he had executed the coup and had been successful? Dictator might be a bit premature, but Erdogan has strongly authoritarian tendencies. And it’s uncertain whether Gulen was actually behind the coup (considering the putschists used strongly secularist/Kemalist rhetoric). ---
**Author:** ![Inbred\_Mm\_domesticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/aca169/32.png) [@Inbred\_Mm\_domesticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inbred_Mm_domesticus)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extradite-gulen-to-turkey/762434/45 "2016-08-18T23:52:55Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Dictator might be a bit premature, but Erdogan has strongly authoritarian tendencies. And it’s uncertain whether Gulen was actually behind the coup (considering the putschists used strongly secularist/Kemalist rhetoric). Yes he is authoritarian. He is also the democratically elected leader of Turkey (mostly because the Prime Minister is happy to be subservient). I’m just questioning the logic of the person who I responded to. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2016, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extradite-gulen-to-turkey/762434/46 "2016-08-19T03:11:50Z")
I like the content of this thread, but I keep reading the title as “Extradite Gluten to Turkey?”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extradite-gulen-to-turkey/762434.md?page=2)