Fethullah Gülen refutes in his speeches and writings Islamist claims for an Islamic political platform: “Islam does not propose a certain unchangeable form of government or attempt to shape it. Instead, Islam established fundamental principles that orient a government’s general character, leaving it to the people to choose the type and form of government according to time and circumstances.”
The Gülen Movement is not linked to any sectarian tradition or affiliation. Networking, participation and affiliation in the Gülen Movement are not exclusive, alienating and sectarian because the Gülen Movement is not closed to the outside world; indeed, it intends collective engagement with the wider public.
Fethullah Gülen directly criticizes Islamist political thought in his many books and articles and argues in favor of democracy and the modernization and consolidation of democratic institutions in order to build a society where individual rights are respected and protected. He carefully makes clear his position that some forms of democracy are preferable to others and is cautiously optimistic about its development.
In today’s Turkey Gülen movement represents an Islam, which is liberal and tolerant, which is in favor of the country’s EU bid and democratizing reforms. And this means that it is a “modern” movement. Yet this modernity has not been achieved by the authoritarian secularist policies of the state. It has been achieved thanks to Turkey’s heritage of Ottoman modernization, engagement with the Western world, and its social progress.
Fethullah Gülen’s views on jihad and peaceful co-existence of different faith and cultural communities are strongly grounded in Qur’anic and Sunnaic perspectives. As a practitioner of tasawwuf (Sufism), he emphasizes the importance of the greater internal jihad without disavowing the necessity of the lesser external jihad in specific situations.
Every socio-cultural, revival and peace movements have always had their opponents no matter where in the world they originate. Both within Turkey and beyond, there are people who oppose this movement’s services, projects, and activities. The majority of these opponents are marginalized people who have closed themselves to universal values and beliefs, who are dogmatic […]
Greg Barton Although Gülen Hizmet is becoming increasingly well-known outside Turkey for its schools and passion for education these schools are only one part of the Hizmet’s activism. From its earliest days the Gülen movement has been involved with writing and publishing. The movement’s first magazine, Sizinti, launched in the early 1980s, is a popular […]
Bruce Eldridge The world is changing at an unprecedented rate. Established religions are struggling to come to terms with societies that are increasingly secular and skeptical about the certainties of the past. They are struggling to come to terms with the new modes and speeds of communication and the moods and ideas that can now […]
Gülen movement (Hizmet) started as a civil initiative in Turkey in 1970s in order to address local educational and cultural needs. Today, it is considered as a civil transnational movement operating beyond Turkish borders with activities in education, culture, and dialogue initiated by the students graduating from these schools and by those who are inspired. […]
The volunteers of this movement have established in many countries around the world credible institutions and organizations operating in a variety of fields including education, health, media, dialogue, and relief, national and international trade. These are disparate organizations established by individuals or via a collective group of volunteers who operate professionally. The aforementioned organizations are […]