Turkish police on Thursday detained 30 people during raids conducted in 17 provinces against a religious group known as “Süleymancılar” and who identify themselves as “Süleymanlılar,” which has been targeted for months by politicians and media figures close to the government.
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi said three people being sought were abroad and 10 others were still at large.
The investigation involves charges of establishing and leading a criminal organization, membership in a criminal organization, laundering criminal proceeds, defrauding public institutions and violations of the Tax Procedure Law. The police conducted searches and seizures at 43 locations belonging to individuals and at 80 locations associated with 33 companies.
The Süleymanlılar group, founded by followers of Islamic scholar Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan, is one of the religious organizations in Turkey that operates through Quranic schools and student dormitories. Alihan Kuriş, who is among the detainees, took over leadership of the group in 2016. The group also carries out activities outside Turkey, particularly through associations and educational institutions in Germany.
The operation came following longstanding calls for the Turkish government to take legal action against the group. Fatih Süleyman Denizolgun, the grandson of Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan and a former Justice and Development Party (AKP) lawmaker, had called on the government in 2024 to carry out a “financial operation” against companies, foundations, and associations linked to the group.
Denizolgun later claimed that Ali Erbaş, then-president of the Directorate of Religious Affairs, told him that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had issued an order to conduct an operation against the Süleymanlılar group. The Directorate of Religious Affairs denied the allegation.
Denizolgun’s claim that the judiciary is taking orders from Erdoğan is in tandem with concerns about judicial independence in Turkey. In its 2025 report, the European Commission stated that the judiciary remains “under the control of the executive” and selectively targets the opposition, journalists, civil society and human rights defenders.
In May 2025, after Erdoğan spoke of a “shadowy organization” that he said extended into the bureaucracy, the business world, the media, and “certain religious communities,” pro-government writer Fuat Uğur wrote that “it’s the Süleymancılar’s turn” following the faith-based Gülen movement, which has been the target of a government crackdown that saw tens of thousands jailed over more than a decade. Shortly after Uğur’s remarks were published, four individuals alleged to be linked to the group were taken into custody.
This article is republished from Turkish Minute.
