Cemaleddin Kaplan was once a member of the MSP before getting sent to Germany at the request of Necmettin Erbakan.
In 1983, Cemaleddin Kaplan left the wider Millî Görüş movement due to its efforts to come to power through politics and elections.
[2] Cemaleddin Kaplan was greatly inspired by Ruhollah Khomeini's victory in the Iranian Revolution, and visioned himself doing the same in Turkey.
[3] Kaplan then declared himself caliph-in-exile by gathering a shura, and announced his wishes of dissolving Turkey and forming a Sharia-ruled caliphate, and his followers became Kaplanists.
During Kaplan's during his stay in Europe he refused to associate with any Turkish establishment which is linked to the Turkish state, such as DİTİB or any Millî Görüş organization, and he was also hostile to other religious Turks whom he accused of sympathising with Turkey.