Turkey

8 profiled groups with documented operations in Turkey — 1 Extreme-band, 2 High-band, 5 Moderate or below. Presence here describes documented operations, not a judgement about Turkey or its communities; many listed groups also operate elsewhere.

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Islam

AROPL / Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq)

Small Mahdi-claimant Islamic-derived new religious movement founded ~2015 by Egyptian-American Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq (b. 1983). Hashem teaches he is the awaited Mahdi (Islamic eschatological end-times figure), Christ returned, and 'Riser of the House of Muhammad'. Distinct from — and rejected by — the mainstream Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Multi-jurisdiction asylum-claim trail (Egypt → Turkey → UK → Switzerland → US Texas) and documented coercive-control patterns including group-marriage rituals, communal child-rearing, surrendered passports, and shunning of departing members.

Islam

Gülen Movement / Hizmet / Cemaat (Fethullah Gülen)

Turkish-origin Sunni Islamic civic-religious movement founded by Fethullah Gülen (1941-2024) from the 1970s onward. Operates approximately 1,000 schools, hospitals, and media outlets across 100+ countries. Designated terrorist organisation (FETÖ) by Turkey in 2016 following the failed coup attempt; subject to mass purge in Turkey 2016-2025. Documented coercive-control patterns include the 'Himmet' donation system, blackmail-file network, and total-organisation-loyalty above national or family obligation.

Judaism

Sabbatean movement (Sabbatai Zevi)

The Sabbatean movement formed around Sabbatai Zevi (1626–1676), the Smyrna-born kabbalist proclaimed Messiah in 1665 with the decisive backing of the prophet-theologian Nathan of Gaza. Within a year it had swept the Jewish world from Yemen to Amsterdam — communities suspended commerce, sold property, and prepared for the return to the Land of Israel — making it the largest messianic mobilisation in Jewish history since antiquity. In 1666 Zevi, given the choice by the Ottoman court, converted to Islam; Nathan's theology reframed the apostasy as the Messiah's necessary descent into impurity. The movement's aftermath produced durable crypto-religious structures — the Dönmeh of Salonica outwardly Muslim and inwardly Sabbatean — and, a century later, the explicitly antinomian Frankist movement. Scored as a historical composite with low confidence, reflecting the source distance.

Islam

Bektashi Sufi Order

Heterodox Bektashi-Alevi Sufi order. Suppressed in Ottoman Turkey in 1826; relocated its world headquarters to Tirana, Albania, in 1925, where it remains.

Islam

Mainstream Sufi Islam

Mainstream Sufism — the mystical traditions within Islam (Naqshbandi, Mevlevi, Qadiri, Chishti and others) — emphasises personal spiritual development and is generally low-control. Specific guru-led tariqas can rise much higher.

Islam

Mevlevi Order (Whirling Dervishes)

Turkish Sufi order founded by followers of Rumi (13th c.). Famous for sema 'whirling' meditation. Mainstream low-control reference point.

Islam

Naqshbandiyya Sufi Order (mainstream)

Major Central Asian Sufi tariqa founded by Baha-ud-Din Naqshband (14th c. Bukhara). Distinctive silent dhikr practice. Mainstream low-control.

Islam

Alevi Islam (Turkey, mainstream)

Heterodox Anatolian Shia / Sufi-influenced tradition. Estimated 15–25% of Turkey's population. Mainstream low-control reference point.

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Complete list of 8 group profiles