Turkish authorities have launched a major operation targeting the Süleymancılar religious community, with its leader Alihan Kuriş among 30 people detained as part of an investigation into alleged financial crimes.
According to Turkish journalist and commentator Murat Yetkin, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office announced the arrests within the framework of an investigation into a range of serious offences.
The allegations under examination include:
- Establishing and leading a criminal organisation
- Money laundering
- Tax evasion
- Fraud allegedly causing losses to the state
TL100bn transfers under scrutiny
According to prosecutors, the investigation was triggered by findings contained in reports by MASAK (Mali Suçları Araştırma Kurulu, Turkey's Financial Crimes Investigation Board) relating to companies allegedly linked to the religious community.
The reports reportedly identified large-scale financial transfers, significant cash movements and suspicious invoicing transactions.
The most striking allegation concerns more than TL100 billion, which authorities claim was transferred abroad.
In its statement, the prosecutor's office referred to the alleged "Alihan Kuriş criminal organisation", although it stopped short of officially describing Kuriş as the leader of the Süleymancılar.
Kuriş has nevertheless headed the movement since 2016.
Who are the Süleymancılar?
The Süleymancılar are one of Turkey's best-known and longest-established Islamic religious communities and have maintained a presence within the country's conservative political landscape for decades.
The group operates an extensive network of:
- Religious institutions
- Qur'an schools
- Student dormitories and residences
both in Turkey and abroad.
In recent years, the community has repeatedly attracted public attention following allegations of sexual abuse at student residences and religious schools operating under its management or influence.
Growing rift with Erdoğan
The case also carries a significant political dimension.
Relations between Kuriş and the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) have deteriorated sharply in recent years.
Kuriş publicly criticised Erdoğan's government, accusing it of shutting down Qur'an schools and student residences associated with the Süleymancılar.
The dispute intensified when he reportedly urged followers not to vote for AK Parti in the 2023 and 2024 elections.
That stance fuelled speculation in Turkey that the movement was becoming politically closer to the opposition Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (CHP), Erdoğan's main political rival.
International network draws attention
The investigation also has an international aspect because of the community's extensive overseas network, particularly in Germany.
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftci said Turkish authorities believe the movement could eventually transfer all or part of its activities outside Turkey.
According to him, a key factor could be a large Islamic Cultural Centre currently under construction in Germany at an estimated cost of $70 million.
The reference has reinforced suspicions among Turkish authorities that the organisation possesses not only substantial financial resources but also a structured international network.
Financial investigation or political dispute?
The detention of Kuriş on allegations ranging from money laundering to leading a criminal organisation has sparked debate in Turkey over whether the case is purely a financial and criminal investigation or whether the group's political clash with the Erdoğan government also played a role.
Yetkin argues that the movement's opposition to the government, combined with its strong domestic and international presence, particularly in Germany, inevitably raises questions about the broader backdrop to the operation.
For now, however, no evidence has publicly emerged demonstrating that the group's political dispute with AK Parti directly triggered the investigation.
Whether political considerations or the Süleymancılar's international activities played any role is expected to become clearer as the prosecutor's investigation progresses.
