Image vs. Reality
"A Muslim must always be straightforward and consistent in his actions and words."
-- M. Fethullah Gulen, Financial Times, Sep 27, 2012
"As with all high-minded movements, the Gulen movement exhibits contradictions between its founder's rhetoric and the practice of some of the followers." - L. R. Kurtz (2005) The Muslim World 95(3):325-471.
Nov 12, 2012
The single most distinguishing feature of the Gulen Movement is the massive effort it devotes to creating a public image of itself that is strikingly at odds with reality.
In her publications on the Gulen Movement, Professor Berna Turam coined the terms "window sites" and "private sites" to explain this phenomenon; the "window sites" are what outsiders are supposed to see, while the core of the GM lies in its "private sites," where the truly important operations occur. The enormous amount of work devoted to maintaining the Gulen Movement's misleading public image amounts to a large-scale waste of human potential. Many Gulenists are highly educated and capable, yet spend their time and energy on propaganda projects that accomplish nothing for society. Moreover, objectionable tactics are unleashed on individuals who seek to inform the public of the true nature of the Gulen Movement.
One theory is that the GM's desire to hide its true nature is merely an artifact of its development under a Turkish state that was (the theory goes) extremely hostile to it. According to this theory, now that conditions in Turkey have changed, the GM will progressively become more open about itself. This theory is fallacious, as it ignores the fact that the maintenance of a false image is essential to maintaining the marketability and profitability of many of the GM's enterprises. The GM obtains a comparative advantage through what economists term "information asymmetry" (more details to appear on another page.)
Some aspects of the Gulen Movement - such as the fact that it founds religious schools or is not really "faith-neutral" - are not objectionable in and of themselves. What is objectionable is that the GM attempts to mislead the public on these points.
The single most distinguishing feature of the Gulen Movement is the massive effort it devotes to creating a public image of itself that is strikingly at odds with reality.
In her publications on the Gulen Movement, Professor Berna Turam coined the terms "window sites" and "private sites" to explain this phenomenon; the "window sites" are what outsiders are supposed to see, while the core of the GM lies in its "private sites," where the truly important operations occur. The enormous amount of work devoted to maintaining the Gulen Movement's misleading public image amounts to a large-scale waste of human potential. Many Gulenists are highly educated and capable, yet spend their time and energy on propaganda projects that accomplish nothing for society. Moreover, objectionable tactics are unleashed on individuals who seek to inform the public of the true nature of the Gulen Movement.
One theory is that the GM's desire to hide its true nature is merely an artifact of its development under a Turkish state that was (the theory goes) extremely hostile to it. According to this theory, now that conditions in Turkey have changed, the GM will progressively become more open about itself. This theory is fallacious, as it ignores the fact that the maintenance of a false image is essential to maintaining the marketability and profitability of many of the GM's enterprises. The GM obtains a comparative advantage through what economists term "information asymmetry" (more details to appear on another page.)
Some aspects of the Gulen Movement - such as the fact that it founds religious schools or is not really "faith-neutral" - are not objectionable in and of themselves. What is objectionable is that the GM attempts to mislead the public on these points.
IMAGE: The Gulen Movement is loosely-organized, and has no hierarchy or leaders.
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REALITY: The core of the Gulen Movement is very structured and hierarchical.
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IMAGE: The Gulen Movement has no umbrella organization.
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REALITY: The Turkic American Alliance is the umbrella organization for the Gulen Movement in the US. Other countries have their own umbrella organizations.
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IMAGE: Fethullah Gulen is not the Gulen Movement's leader. He has nothing to do with the operation of the schools or other movement activities.
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REALITY: Gulen is the top authority in the movement. He meets with movement members to discuss operations and practical matters.
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IMAGE: Gulen schools are charitable operations funded by Turkish businessmen sympathetic to the movement.
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REALITY: The Gulen schools are a major source of revenue for the Movement. Start-up funds provided by businessmen are investments, not charity.
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IMAGE: Private Gulen schools charge "average tuition."
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REALITY: In many countries, Gulen schools charge tuition that is very high compared to the per capita income. The schools are mainly for the elite classes.
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IMAGE: "Nobody knows" how many Gulen schools there are or where they are around the world. "Nobody" has a complete registry of them.
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REALITY: In Gulen headquarters there is a map with pins, one for each Gulen school around the world. Gulenist news sources (esp. in Turkish) regularly report on the number of countries where there are Gulen schools, how many there are in a certain country, etc. It is clear they are keeping careful count.
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IMAGE: Teachers in Gulen schools receive no training or indoctrination. They discover Gulen's ideas by themselves.
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REALITY: Teachers in Gulen schools are under very specific orders. Meetings and workshops are held to reinforce these policies. Teachers that violate the rules are expelled from the Movement.
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IMAGE: The Gulen movement is apolitical.
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REALITY: The Gulen Movement has political ambitions, and is a powerful political force in Turkey today. Gulenists played a seminal role in the formation of the AKP.
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IMAGE: Individuals join the Gulen Movement only out of a desire to engage in altruistic activities.
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REALITY: Membership in the Gulen Movement provides material benefits, useful business connections, and lifetime job and social security.
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IMAGE: People who live in the US and follow Gulen's teachings are not part of any organized extension of the Gulen Movement in Turkey.
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REALITY: Gulen schools and institutions in the US are tightly connected to the Gulen Movement in Turkey.
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IMAGE: There is complete equality within the Movement.
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REALITY: The Movement is very authoritarian. The importance of obedience is emphasized.
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IMAGE: The Gulen Movement believes in democracy.
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REALITY: The Gulen Movement's understanding of what constitutes a "democracy" is not the same as the mainstream conception in the US. Gulenist media have supported some very undemocratic practices in Turkey.
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IMAGE: The Gulen Movement cares about human rights.
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REALITY: The Gulen Movement is willing to maintain cozy relations with regimes that have appalling human rights records when it is expedient for business. The GM fails to condemn violence against women and some other human rights violations. There is evidence it has played a role in the unjust and undemocratic arrests and trials of some of its critics.
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IMAGE: The Gulen Movement is sincere about interfaith dialog as a means for greater understanding and peace.
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REALITY: The Gulen Movement sees interfaith dialog as an opportunity to promote itself, Gulen's teachings, Turkey, and Turkish culture. Some Gulenists see it as a vehicle for proselytization.
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IMAGE: The Gulen Movement is non-proselytizing.
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REALITY: The Gulen Movement has a missionary aspect (although this is secondary to its desire to recruit more members and acquire more power.)
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IMAGE: To understand the Gulen Movement, Fethullah Gulen's writings and websites are accurate and sufficient sources of information.
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REALITY: Gulen's writings are sometimes at odds with what members of the Gulen Movement actually practice or think. The Movement must be judged by the actions and statements of its members, not only those of Gulen himself.
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IMAGE: All institutions of the Gulen Movement are operated independently from each other and there are no financial or "organic" ties between them.
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REALITY: There are numerous financial connections across Gulenist institutions, including multinational ones. Money flows up the hierarchical ladder.
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IMAGE: The Gulen Movement is not a state-sponsored organization.
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REALITY: Officially, on paper, the GM is not state-sponsored. However, it has received substantial support and in some cases favoritism from the Turkish state, both for founding schools and for obtaining business contracts. In other countries, it has received land, buildings, and in some cases money for its schools.
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IMAGE: The Gulen Movement is tolerant.
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REALITY: The Gulen Movement is, at heart, intolerant. It treats certain groups as sub-human, for example homosexuals, atheists, and certain religious minorities in Turkey. It regards Shia Islam and Iranians as inferior. Some of Gulen's recorded past statements in Turkish, e.g. about Jewish people or the West, are extremely intolerant, and he has never publicly retracted them.
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IMAGE: The Gulen Movement is transparent. It is even more transparent in the US than in Turkey, because it does not have to fear the enmity of the state.
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REALITY: The Gulen Movement sometimes makes carefully-staged exhibits of supposed transparency, which in actuality are yet more proof of its total lack thereof. The same tactics of secrecy and obfuscation practiced by the GM in Turkey are used in the US.
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IMAGE: Women are treated equally in the Gulen Movement.
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REALITY: Away from its "window sites," the Gulen Movement practices strict gender segregation. Women are confined to the private sphere, and are not involved in leadership, finances, or decision-making. Strategic exceptions are made when it somehow benefits the GM.
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IMAGE: Gulen tells his followers to "build schools, not mosques." The Gulen Movement believes in secular schools, in contrast to medreses.
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REALITY: Gulen's followers are building or operating medreses, mosques and other religious centers. In at least one case in South Africa, a news outlet reported that Mr. Gulen encouraged a friend of his to build a large mosque-school complex.
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IMAGE: All Gulen schools are completely secular.
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REALITY: A number of Gulen schools offer religious education, and have a definite religious orientation.
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IMAGE: Science education in Gulen schools is completely modern and in line with western standards.
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REALITY: In at least some Gulen schools, religious doctrine is allowed to impinge on science classes (in the name of "values") in ways that affect the quality of the education.
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IMAGE: The Gulen Movement works for societal unity and reconciliation.
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REALITY: The Gulen Movement has exacerbated the polarization of Turkish society. In the US, it happily exploits the divisions in our society, playing the left and the right against each other for its own benefit. All over the world, the GM seeks to create its own parallel society that, it hopes, will be elite and dominant.
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IMAGE: The Gulen Movement is not nationalistic; Gulen is not a nationalist.
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REALITY: The Gulen Movement has a Turkish nationalist character. Gulen has strong nationalist views.
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IMAGE: The Gulen Movement is concerned about the environment.
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REALITY: The Gulen Movement advocates population increase.
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IMAGE: The Gulen Movement is "faith-neutral."
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REALITY: The Gulen Movement is definitely oriented towards a particular understanding of Islam.
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CLAIM: GULEN MOVEMENT HAS NO HIERARCHICAL STRUCTURE
IMAGE:
"Ranging from private schools to poverty aid programs, these projects are independent of each other in operational terms, so the movement has no hierarchical structure."
Source: Gulen website (link and link) accessed Nov 2012
"Gulen Movement institutions' division of labor, coordination and accountability.
Are the Gulen-inspired institutions and SMOs centralized? In centralized organizations, power resides in a single leader, or a central committee, and local chapters have little autonomy. The Gulen Movement is not organized in that way. ... Some of them [SMOs and institutions in the Gulen Movement] are in formal chains of institutions but not centralized. This decentralization is not a negative reaction to political or administrative centralization. Movement participants do not perceive the existence of any centralized committee or organization and there is therefore no rank–file relationship or discontent with such a committee."
Source: Gulen's website (link)
REALITY:
"...the community is structured by a bureaucratic arrangement of authority based on a network of loyalty and trust. Power is distributed outwards from a central board of advisors, the buyuk abiler, or ‘elder brothers,’ consisting of 30 full-time advisors to Gulen who operate with ‘military-like’ discipline and with the utmost loyalty to Gulen and the community’s ideals."
Source: Gulay, Erol N. "The Gulen Phenomenon: A Neo-Sufi Challenge to Turkey's Rival Elite?" Middle East Critique 16(1):37-61
"Day-to-day activities are organized by a hierarchical management based on the tenets of trust, obedience and duty to the community..."
Source: "Towards an Islamic Liberalism? The Nurcu Movement and Fethullah Gulen" M. Hakan Yavuz, Middle East Journal, Vol. 53, No. 4 (Autumn, 1999), pp. 584-605.
CLAIM: GULEN IS NOT A LEADER AND HAS NO AUTHORITY OVER THE GULEN MOVEMENT
IMAGE:
"Despite the high regard millions hold for him, Gulen only considers himself to be one of the volunteers of the civil society movement he helped to generate and denies being its leader (Aslandogan, 2008, 2009)."
Source: PhD Dissertation of Erkan "Ercan" Acar, "A Case Study of a Gulen-Inspired School in the United States," Marywood University, 2012. Note that Erkan Acar was living at the Golden Generation Worship and Retreat Center, where Gulen resides, while a graduate student at Marywood. Yuksel Alp Aslandogan, cited as a source, is known to be affiliated with the Gulen Movement.
REALITY:
"Gulen’s claim that he holds no official spiritual or temporal authority over the group,
added to the fact that the community remains voluntary and inclusive, with no formal
process of initiation, suggests an informal, decentralized association. A closer look,
however, reveals the Gulen community to be more than a mere grouping of similarly
interested Muslims. For example, Fred Reed asserts that Gulen retains a significant level of spiritual and worldly authority over his followers, particularly his inner core of young supporters and disciples..."
Source: Gulay, Erol N. 'The Gulen Phenomenon: A Neo-Sufi Challenge to Turkey's Rival Elite?', Middle East Critique 16(1):37-61
"In his position as the Founder and Head of The Gulen Movement, Mr. Gulen has overseen the establishment of a conglomeration of schools throughout the world, in Europe, Central Asia, and the United States."
Source: Joint Stipulation of Facts document, signed by Fethullah Gulen's lawyer Theodore J Murphy on Gulen's behalf, for the federal case for Gulen's visa in 2008.
IMAGE:
"Despite the high regard millions hold for him, Gulen only considers himself to be one of the volunteers of the civil society movement he helped to generate and denies being its leader (Aslandogan, 2008, 2009)."
Source: PhD Dissertation of Erkan "Ercan" Acar, "A Case Study of a Gulen-Inspired School in the United States," Marywood University, 2012. Note that Erkan Acar was living at the Golden Generation Worship and Retreat Center, where Gulen resides, while a graduate student at Marywood. Yuksel Alp Aslandogan, cited as a source, is known to be affiliated with the Gulen Movement.
REALITY:
"Gulen’s claim that he holds no official spiritual or temporal authority over the group,
added to the fact that the community remains voluntary and inclusive, with no formal
process of initiation, suggests an informal, decentralized association. A closer look,
however, reveals the Gulen community to be more than a mere grouping of similarly
interested Muslims. For example, Fred Reed asserts that Gulen retains a significant level of spiritual and worldly authority over his followers, particularly his inner core of young supporters and disciples..."
Source: Gulay, Erol N. 'The Gulen Phenomenon: A Neo-Sufi Challenge to Turkey's Rival Elite?', Middle East Critique 16(1):37-61
"In his position as the Founder and Head of The Gulen Movement, Mr. Gulen has overseen the establishment of a conglomeration of schools throughout the world, in Europe, Central Asia, and the United States."
Source: Joint Stipulation of Facts document, signed by Fethullah Gulen's lawyer Theodore J Murphy on Gulen's behalf, for the federal case for Gulen's visa in 2008.
CLAIM: "NOBODY KNOWS" HOW MANY GULEN SCHOOLS THERE ARE OR WHERE THEY ARE
IMAGE:
"Believe me, let alone knowing how many people are associated with this movement, I do not even know the people running some of the large organizations associated with this movement. Nor do I know how many countries this movement is active in, nor do I know how many teachers and students there are."
-Fethullah Gulen, interview by Brian Knowlton of the New York Times, Feb 18, 2011 (link)
(In the same interview, Gulen says "And know that these schools, wherever they are, teach only the official standard curriculum of that country." How can he be so assured of this, if he does not even know how many countries have Gulen schools? This is a perennially puzzling aspect of the Gulen Movement - its members or spokesmen make definitive statements about all "these schools," yet simultaneously claim they do not know how many of "these schools" there are, or where they all are. They commonly use the phrase "these schools" without ever specifying which schools they are referring to.)
"Although the exact number is unknown and more are opening every year, it is estimated that there are over a thousand of these schools in more than a 110 countries."
Source: Intercultural Dialogue Institute, Gulen website in Canada (link). Similar claims can be found in many Gulenist websites and publications.
REALITY:
One of our sources reports that at the Houston office of Atlas Construction, located at a shopping mall/office complex called "The Galleria," there is a world map on the wall with pins for every Gulen school.
Cihan News and Today's Zaman routinely publish articles, especially in Turkish, along the lines of "The number of countries with Turkish [Gulen] schools on the African continent has reached 35..." etc. They announce openings of new "Turkish schools" (a euphemism for Gulen schools) and write about the number of schools, students, and teachers in various countries. It is clear that they are keeping a precise tally.
IMAGE:
"Believe me, let alone knowing how many people are associated with this movement, I do not even know the people running some of the large organizations associated with this movement. Nor do I know how many countries this movement is active in, nor do I know how many teachers and students there are."
-Fethullah Gulen, interview by Brian Knowlton of the New York Times, Feb 18, 2011 (link)
(In the same interview, Gulen says "And know that these schools, wherever they are, teach only the official standard curriculum of that country." How can he be so assured of this, if he does not even know how many countries have Gulen schools? This is a perennially puzzling aspect of the Gulen Movement - its members or spokesmen make definitive statements about all "these schools," yet simultaneously claim they do not know how many of "these schools" there are, or where they all are. They commonly use the phrase "these schools" without ever specifying which schools they are referring to.)
"Although the exact number is unknown and more are opening every year, it is estimated that there are over a thousand of these schools in more than a 110 countries."
Source: Intercultural Dialogue Institute, Gulen website in Canada (link). Similar claims can be found in many Gulenist websites and publications.
REALITY:
One of our sources reports that at the Houston office of Atlas Construction, located at a shopping mall/office complex called "The Galleria," there is a world map on the wall with pins for every Gulen school.
Cihan News and Today's Zaman routinely publish articles, especially in Turkish, along the lines of "The number of countries with Turkish [Gulen] schools on the African continent has reached 35..." etc. They announce openings of new "Turkish schools" (a euphemism for Gulen schools) and write about the number of schools, students, and teachers in various countries. It is clear that they are keeping a precise tally.
CLAIM: GULEN HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE OPERATION OF SCHOOLS
IMAGE:
In his August 17, 2010 article in USA Today, Greg Toppo provided Fethullah Gulen's answer to his question "How does he feel about the school leaders' recent assertions in the U.S. press that the schools have no organic connection' to Mr. Gulen or the movement?" Mr. Gulen's response included the lines: "It is well-known that I have no relation with any institution in the form of ownership, board membership, or any similar kind. For many decades, I have expressed my ideas and opinions about social issues facing humanity. Many people have listened to my speeches and read my works. I do not approve that those who are familiar with and share these ideas and opinions to any extent, or the institutions they work at, should be viewed as connected with my person."
REALITY:
"In addition to this, although the schools that have been established all over the world are not directly related to Fethullah Gulen, it is clear that Fethullah Gulen is at the peak of the administration of these schools. … Mr. R., who has also worked in one of these schools as a teacher in Tatarstan, indicates that Fethullah Gulen was also present in the process of the appointment of the voluntary teachers to those schools. Indeed, it was Fethullah Gulen who arranged the drawing of lots to appoint these teachers to different schools in the world, when he was residing in Altunizade Fem Dersanesi, and after an appointment of a teacher was arranged, he prayed for each of these volunteers." (A footnote indicates that this is based on a tape recording made with Mr. R. in Sakarya, Nov 2006. Mr. R's exact words in Turkish are given in the footnote.)
Source: Master's dissertation of Metin Ozer, Political Science and International Relations, Bogazici University (Bosphorus University) Turkey, 2007
IMAGE:
In his August 17, 2010 article in USA Today, Greg Toppo provided Fethullah Gulen's answer to his question "How does he feel about the school leaders' recent assertions in the U.S. press that the schools have no organic connection' to Mr. Gulen or the movement?" Mr. Gulen's response included the lines: "It is well-known that I have no relation with any institution in the form of ownership, board membership, or any similar kind. For many decades, I have expressed my ideas and opinions about social issues facing humanity. Many people have listened to my speeches and read my works. I do not approve that those who are familiar with and share these ideas and opinions to any extent, or the institutions they work at, should be viewed as connected with my person."
REALITY:
"In addition to this, although the schools that have been established all over the world are not directly related to Fethullah Gulen, it is clear that Fethullah Gulen is at the peak of the administration of these schools. … Mr. R., who has also worked in one of these schools as a teacher in Tatarstan, indicates that Fethullah Gulen was also present in the process of the appointment of the voluntary teachers to those schools. Indeed, it was Fethullah Gulen who arranged the drawing of lots to appoint these teachers to different schools in the world, when he was residing in Altunizade Fem Dersanesi, and after an appointment of a teacher was arranged, he prayed for each of these volunteers." (A footnote indicates that this is based on a tape recording made with Mr. R. in Sakarya, Nov 2006. Mr. R's exact words in Turkish are given in the footnote.)
Source: Master's dissertation of Metin Ozer, Political Science and International Relations, Bogazici University (Bosphorus University) Turkey, 2007
CLAIM: GULEN SCHOOLS ARE PHILANTHROPIC/CHARITABLE OPERATIONS
IMAGE:
"'We are the first movement in the history of mankind that is completely and utterly devoted to charity,' says Mustafa Yesil, a Gulen confidant in Istanbul."
Source: Der Spiegel (German newspaper) August 8, 2012 (link)
"He [Gulen] urged businessmen to combine their resources and energies into charitable trusts in which no one benefits from what the institutions earn except the students themselves."
Source: Helen Rose Ebaugh, "The Gulen Movement: A Sociological Analysis of a Civic Movement Rooted in Moderate Islam," p. 37
"The Gulen movement, a charity-based Turkish Muslim educational activist network, went global in the 1990s and has established approximately 1,000 secular educational institutions in more than 100 countries."
Source: "The Gulen movement and the case of a secret agenda: putting the debate in perspective." Tittensor, David (2012) Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations 23(2):163-179.
"Ann Munley, the president of Pennsylvania's Marywood University, has said Turkish schools all across the world acted as islands of peace.... 'Turkish people establish schools all across the world and show great self-sacrifice in educating people of all races and religions. The Gulen movement considerably contributes to the establishment of these schools,' noted Munley."
Source: Kadir Bulut, "American university president likens Turkish schools to islands of peace," Today's Zaman, March 14, 2008. (link)
REALITY:
"It is important to state that the Gulen schools are not Islamic charities. Quite to the contrary,these are private colleges that have to finance themselves through fees and, if need be, by occasional support from home communities in Turkey (especially in the first years of operation). The underlying logic, however, is that the local foundations become financially independent and able to run their own business without additional donations. As a result, and even though some students also receive scholarships, most students have a middle and upper middle class background. ... particularly in Albania, Muslim political elites tend to send their children there."
Source: "New Islamic actors after the Wahhabi intermezzo: Turkey’s return to the Muslim Balkans," Kerem Oktem, European Studies Centre, University of Oxford, Dec 2010
"When it concerns the schools, this can be seen as a competitive struggle for higher profit and better academic results..."
Source: "Gulen Movement institutions' division of labor, coordination and accountability" from Gulen's website (link) (from fgulen.org)
"The Gulen Movement has been exploiting the problematic nature of the education system in Turkey and turning it into an opportunity for itself."
Source: Aydin Ozipek, "'Cultivating' a generation through education: the case of the Gulen Movement," Masters Thesis, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary, 2009.
See also this page, where the tuition of Gulen schools in several developing countries is shown to be very high compared to the per-capita income.
IMAGE:
"'We are the first movement in the history of mankind that is completely and utterly devoted to charity,' says Mustafa Yesil, a Gulen confidant in Istanbul."
Source: Der Spiegel (German newspaper) August 8, 2012 (link)
"He [Gulen] urged businessmen to combine their resources and energies into charitable trusts in which no one benefits from what the institutions earn except the students themselves."
Source: Helen Rose Ebaugh, "The Gulen Movement: A Sociological Analysis of a Civic Movement Rooted in Moderate Islam," p. 37
"The Gulen movement, a charity-based Turkish Muslim educational activist network, went global in the 1990s and has established approximately 1,000 secular educational institutions in more than 100 countries."
Source: "The Gulen movement and the case of a secret agenda: putting the debate in perspective." Tittensor, David (2012) Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations 23(2):163-179.
"Ann Munley, the president of Pennsylvania's Marywood University, has said Turkish schools all across the world acted as islands of peace.... 'Turkish people establish schools all across the world and show great self-sacrifice in educating people of all races and religions. The Gulen movement considerably contributes to the establishment of these schools,' noted Munley."
Source: Kadir Bulut, "American university president likens Turkish schools to islands of peace," Today's Zaman, March 14, 2008. (link)
REALITY:
"It is important to state that the Gulen schools are not Islamic charities. Quite to the contrary,these are private colleges that have to finance themselves through fees and, if need be, by occasional support from home communities in Turkey (especially in the first years of operation). The underlying logic, however, is that the local foundations become financially independent and able to run their own business without additional donations. As a result, and even though some students also receive scholarships, most students have a middle and upper middle class background. ... particularly in Albania, Muslim political elites tend to send their children there."
Source: "New Islamic actors after the Wahhabi intermezzo: Turkey’s return to the Muslim Balkans," Kerem Oktem, European Studies Centre, University of Oxford, Dec 2010
"When it concerns the schools, this can be seen as a competitive struggle for higher profit and better academic results..."
Source: "Gulen Movement institutions' division of labor, coordination and accountability" from Gulen's website (link) (from fgulen.org)
"The Gulen Movement has been exploiting the problematic nature of the education system in Turkey and turning it into an opportunity for itself."
Source: Aydin Ozipek, "'Cultivating' a generation through education: the case of the Gulen Movement," Masters Thesis, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary, 2009.
See also this page, where the tuition of Gulen schools in several developing countries is shown to be very high compared to the per-capita income.
CLAIM: INDIVIDUALS JOIN THE GULEN MOVEMENT ONLY OUT OF ALTRUISM
IMAGE:
"Gulen and those inspired by him have presented a new kind of Islamic intellectualism and altruism coupled with a deeper sense of activism and spirituality that has been missing from many contemporary Muslim movements of the twentieth century."
Source: Maimul Ahsan Khan,"A Universal Islamic Phenomenon in Turkish Religious Practice: the Gulen Case," Fountain Magazine, July-August 2009 (link)
"The most important element in any altruistic social movement, including the Gulen Movement, is the desire of its members to give of their time, money, and energy without expecting a material gain in return."
Source: Helen Rose Ebaugh, "The Gulen Movement: A Sociological Analysis of a Civic Movement Rooted in Moderate Islam," p. 66
REALITY:
"I claim that the Gulen Movement, through its educational activities, creates a reciprocal deal where both parties profit. While the Gulen Movement enlarges its scope, spreads its message and proceeds to 'cultivate' its counter-elite, it provides its followers with the ability to climb in the social strata and wholly participate in the society; not only by providing them with the material resources they need, but also rendering them as individuals who are conforming to the contemporary set of values and lifestyles."
Source: Aydin Ozipek, "'Cultivating' a generation through education: the case of the Gulen Movement," Masters Thesis, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary, 2009.
"Hence, as Ebru Altinoglu argues, increased material benefits or the prospects of upward mobility are important motives that attract people to the community. Especially the members of the community who are originally from the deprived Anatolian classes and the periphery find a way within the community to make themselves recognized by the other segments of society. However, this recognition issue and the mobilization factor are mostly related to the deprived poor classes which come from Anatolia. As I already stated, there are also rich businessmen, or professionals from the media, musicians or sportsmen. These people get a chance to increase their economic prosperity thanks to the solidarity within the movement."
Source: Master's dissertation of Metin Ozer, Political Science and International Relations, Bogazici University (Bosphorus University) Turkey, 2007
One great misconception regarding the Gulen Movement's schools is the oft-repeated mantra that Gulenist teachers are engaged in altruistic self-sacrifice. It is true that these teachers earn low wages and work long hours during their "internship" phase (which could be compared to a stint in the Peace Corps, or an unpaid internship at an American corporation that a young person endures with the expectation of future career opportunities). What is poorly understood is that for nearly all these individuals, teaching is not a permanent career choice. They are doing a period of service for the Movement, in the expectation that they will receive future rewards in terms of career opportunities and connections through the Gulen network. During this internship, they must follow strict rules which include working long hours and not giving any appearance of material wealth. This is strategic on the part of the Gulen Movement as it greatly impresses observers of the schools, as well as the tuition-paying parents and public officials. The Gulenist teachers know, however, that this is a temporary situation and that their material well-being will improve greatly in the future. Thus, it is quite unfair to compare Gulenist teachers with career teachers who are truly committed to education as their true profession.
IMAGE:
"Gulen and those inspired by him have presented a new kind of Islamic intellectualism and altruism coupled with a deeper sense of activism and spirituality that has been missing from many contemporary Muslim movements of the twentieth century."
Source: Maimul Ahsan Khan,"A Universal Islamic Phenomenon in Turkish Religious Practice: the Gulen Case," Fountain Magazine, July-August 2009 (link)
"The most important element in any altruistic social movement, including the Gulen Movement, is the desire of its members to give of their time, money, and energy without expecting a material gain in return."
Source: Helen Rose Ebaugh, "The Gulen Movement: A Sociological Analysis of a Civic Movement Rooted in Moderate Islam," p. 66
REALITY:
"I claim that the Gulen Movement, through its educational activities, creates a reciprocal deal where both parties profit. While the Gulen Movement enlarges its scope, spreads its message and proceeds to 'cultivate' its counter-elite, it provides its followers with the ability to climb in the social strata and wholly participate in the society; not only by providing them with the material resources they need, but also rendering them as individuals who are conforming to the contemporary set of values and lifestyles."
Source: Aydin Ozipek, "'Cultivating' a generation through education: the case of the Gulen Movement," Masters Thesis, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary, 2009.
"Hence, as Ebru Altinoglu argues, increased material benefits or the prospects of upward mobility are important motives that attract people to the community. Especially the members of the community who are originally from the deprived Anatolian classes and the periphery find a way within the community to make themselves recognized by the other segments of society. However, this recognition issue and the mobilization factor are mostly related to the deprived poor classes which come from Anatolia. As I already stated, there are also rich businessmen, or professionals from the media, musicians or sportsmen. These people get a chance to increase their economic prosperity thanks to the solidarity within the movement."
Source: Master's dissertation of Metin Ozer, Political Science and International Relations, Bogazici University (Bosphorus University) Turkey, 2007
One great misconception regarding the Gulen Movement's schools is the oft-repeated mantra that Gulenist teachers are engaged in altruistic self-sacrifice. It is true that these teachers earn low wages and work long hours during their "internship" phase (which could be compared to a stint in the Peace Corps, or an unpaid internship at an American corporation that a young person endures with the expectation of future career opportunities). What is poorly understood is that for nearly all these individuals, teaching is not a permanent career choice. They are doing a period of service for the Movement, in the expectation that they will receive future rewards in terms of career opportunities and connections through the Gulen network. During this internship, they must follow strict rules which include working long hours and not giving any appearance of material wealth. This is strategic on the part of the Gulen Movement as it greatly impresses observers of the schools, as well as the tuition-paying parents and public officials. The Gulenist teachers know, however, that this is a temporary situation and that their material well-being will improve greatly in the future. Thus, it is quite unfair to compare Gulenist teachers with career teachers who are truly committed to education as their true profession.
CLAIM: GULEN MOVEMENT IS APOLITICAL
IMAGE:
"In his analysis of the Gulen Movement, Dr. Rainer Hermann also states that the Gulen Movement is a social and apolitical movement. ... Gulen publicly stated that 'We are in equal proximity to all parties. I am not saying equal distance, we are in equal proximity. Because all the followers and sympathizers of every party are our people. People's parties and people's political ideas are not barriers to our being friends with them.'"
Source: Gulen's website (link)
"Fethullah Gulen’s apolitical Islamic understanding is not of course unique neither in Turkey nor in the Muslim World but his both intellectual power & alim credentials and wide influence over the Turkish society as a whole makes him and his influential movement relevant for our discussion."
Source: Ihsan Yilmaz, "Beyond Post-Islamism: Transformation of Turkish Islamism Toward ‘Civil Islam’ and Its Potential Influence in the Muslim World," European Journal of Economic and Political Studies 4(1) 2011
"This perception of the opposition is crucial to understanding the apolitical mind-set of the Gulen movement’s followers”
Source: Gurbuz, Mustafa (2007) “Performing Moral Opposition: Musings on the Strategy and Identity in the Gulen Movement,” In Muslim World in Transition: Contributions of the Gulen Movement, ed. Ihsan Yilmaz, London: Leeds Metropolitan University Press.
"It is a faith-inspired, non-political, cultural and educational movement ..."
Source: http://fethullahgulenhizmetmovement.blogspot.com/p/gulen-movement.html
REALITY:
"It is a political movement ... and it has always been political. They think power is very important. They want to train an elitist class which will then turn Turkey into a centre of the religious world, Islamise the country," said Hakan Yavuz, a professor of political science at the University of Utah.
Source: "Turkish Islamic preacher - threat or benefactor?" Reuters May 13, 2008 Alexandra Hudson
In the following years, some of the participants of this Abant Platform became ministers in AKP Cabinets, and the ideas they articulated guided the AKP on matters of religion and politics. (In that sense, both the Gulen Movement, and the Said Nursi tradition that it sprang from, deserve credit for helping create the AKP.)
Source: Mustafa Akyol "The Islamic case for a secular state" September 20, 2011
Note that the AKP is the current ruling political party in Turkey.
"Though it is not possible to identify the Gulen movement as a 'political organization,' the movement is imbedded in politics today and is an unelected coalition partner of single-party rule in Turkey."
Source: Kadri Gursel, "A global community," Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review, Dec 7, 2010 (link).
IMAGE:
"In his analysis of the Gulen Movement, Dr. Rainer Hermann also states that the Gulen Movement is a social and apolitical movement. ... Gulen publicly stated that 'We are in equal proximity to all parties. I am not saying equal distance, we are in equal proximity. Because all the followers and sympathizers of every party are our people. People's parties and people's political ideas are not barriers to our being friends with them.'"
Source: Gulen's website (link)
"Fethullah Gulen’s apolitical Islamic understanding is not of course unique neither in Turkey nor in the Muslim World but his both intellectual power & alim credentials and wide influence over the Turkish society as a whole makes him and his influential movement relevant for our discussion."
Source: Ihsan Yilmaz, "Beyond Post-Islamism: Transformation of Turkish Islamism Toward ‘Civil Islam’ and Its Potential Influence in the Muslim World," European Journal of Economic and Political Studies 4(1) 2011
"This perception of the opposition is crucial to understanding the apolitical mind-set of the Gulen movement’s followers”
Source: Gurbuz, Mustafa (2007) “Performing Moral Opposition: Musings on the Strategy and Identity in the Gulen Movement,” In Muslim World in Transition: Contributions of the Gulen Movement, ed. Ihsan Yilmaz, London: Leeds Metropolitan University Press.
"It is a faith-inspired, non-political, cultural and educational movement ..."
Source: http://fethullahgulenhizmetmovement.blogspot.com/p/gulen-movement.html
REALITY:
"It is a political movement ... and it has always been political. They think power is very important. They want to train an elitist class which will then turn Turkey into a centre of the religious world, Islamise the country," said Hakan Yavuz, a professor of political science at the University of Utah.
Source: "Turkish Islamic preacher - threat or benefactor?" Reuters May 13, 2008 Alexandra Hudson
In the following years, some of the participants of this Abant Platform became ministers in AKP Cabinets, and the ideas they articulated guided the AKP on matters of religion and politics. (In that sense, both the Gulen Movement, and the Said Nursi tradition that it sprang from, deserve credit for helping create the AKP.)
Source: Mustafa Akyol "The Islamic case for a secular state" September 20, 2011
Note that the AKP is the current ruling political party in Turkey.
"Though it is not possible to identify the Gulen movement as a 'political organization,' the movement is imbedded in politics today and is an unelected coalition partner of single-party rule in Turkey."
Source: Kadri Gursel, "A global community," Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review, Dec 7, 2010 (link).
CLAIM: WOMEN ARE TREATED EQUALLY IN THE GULEN MOVEMENT
IMAGE:
"The public visibility of women in Gulen Movement‘s organizations and institutions particularly in media and education; women‘s participation in the movement itself;
and pro-women attitudes of Gulen have led to acknowledgment of Gulen's Islamism
as progressive with regards to the women question..."
Source: Doruk Cinoglu, Dissertation, Master of Science in Sociology, Middle East Technical University
"The Gulen movement is an active force in Australia which channels itself through schools inspired by the Turkish thinker Fethullah Gülen, after whom the movement is named. In the state of Victoria there are seven ISIK College campuses that provide for more than 2000 students. ... They follow the same curriculum as that of other private schools but provide additional focus on moral values. Their other distinguishing characteristic is in the conveyance of a sense of equality between men and women."
Quoting Nisa Terzi, daughter of Tuncay Terzi, a high-level official in the Australian Gulen school network: "I feel the role of women in the Gulen Movement is no different to the role of men. We perform the same tasks. That is one of the things I love most about the movement – its sense of equality. Equality between men and women is something my religion stresses on and it is also something the movement endorses. As a woman, I have been able to do most of the things men do, academically and socially."
Source: "The Gulen-inspired Folks and Schools: Interviews with Tuncay Terzi and Nisa Terzi" by: Aiman S. Ahmad, Jul 29, 2010 (link).
REALITY:
"One of female university student coach of Olympiad organizations confirmed my observation on gender related inequalities in science Olympiad organizations. She
said that ‘women were seen as incapable of science and scientific thinking and this
understanding led to the low level female participation in science Olympiad organizations.’"
"In Gulen schools, male oriented education understanding is dominant in raising the future’s golden generation. When success is the question, the emphasis is given to success in occupation for male students and in housework for female students."
Source: Ozlem Kocabas, Master of Science in Sociology dissertation, Middle East Technical University, 2006.
"Gender relations within the Gulen movement operate within the framework of
classical Islam (Yavuz 2009a). Consequently, in the Dersanes, men and women are
completely separated and meet in different locations. From the outside, while the Gulen movement may represent a more 'modern' interpretation of Islam, from more of an insider perspective, the movement does not operate differently than any other Islamic movement (Yildirim 2007)."
Source: Tugrul Keskin, doctoral dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2009
Gulen's own words, translated from Turkish:
"A man can spend the whole year actively. Sometimes he works difficult and heavy jobs. Physiologically and psychologically, he is always stronger. The man is used for heavier jobs even in the West...But woman must be excluded on certain days during the month. She cannot take part in different segments of the society, all the time.
must be excluded en certain days during the month. After giving birth, she sometimes cannot be active for 2 months. She cannot take part indifferent segments of the society, all the time. In some cases, she may lose her most sacred property (he means virginity here) and cannot take part to societal life because of this embarrassing situation. Thus, she has to be very careful. She cannot travel without her husband, father or brother.... The superiority of men compared to women cannot be denied." quoted from Gulen(1996b) vol. 3, p.124. This is a translation of an excerpt of Gulen's writing in Turkish in "Arsin Getirdigi Tereddutler" (The Hesitations of the Contemporary Century) Volume 3, T.O.V. Yayinlari (publisher).
Source: Berna Turam, "Between Islam and the State: Politics of Engagement," Doctoral dissertation, McGill University, 2001. Her book of the same title covers the status of women in the Gulen Movement in more detail.
"As some argue, female participants have a very restricted mobility in the Gulen movement and display very limited upward mobility within its core institutions in the field of education and media (Baskun 2005:858; Yavuz 1999:125). Surprisingly, little is known of the factors explaining the participation of women at the lower strata of the movement. Based on my observation, I can say that women's practical position in the society and the movement's conservative participants can form an obstacle for the female participants to move up to a position at the upper levels. There are only a few females in managerial positions of the movement's media outlets or its schools."
Source: "The Gulen Movement: Building Social Cohesion through Dialog and Education." (book, published dissertation from Tilburg University, Netherlands) by Gurkan Celik, onetime president of the Cosmicus Foundation, a Gulenist dialog organization runs schools in the Netherlands as well as the INESPO science fair.
IMAGE:
"The public visibility of women in Gulen Movement‘s organizations and institutions particularly in media and education; women‘s participation in the movement itself;
and pro-women attitudes of Gulen have led to acknowledgment of Gulen's Islamism
as progressive with regards to the women question..."
Source: Doruk Cinoglu, Dissertation, Master of Science in Sociology, Middle East Technical University
"The Gulen movement is an active force in Australia which channels itself through schools inspired by the Turkish thinker Fethullah Gülen, after whom the movement is named. In the state of Victoria there are seven ISIK College campuses that provide for more than 2000 students. ... They follow the same curriculum as that of other private schools but provide additional focus on moral values. Their other distinguishing characteristic is in the conveyance of a sense of equality between men and women."
Quoting Nisa Terzi, daughter of Tuncay Terzi, a high-level official in the Australian Gulen school network: "I feel the role of women in the Gulen Movement is no different to the role of men. We perform the same tasks. That is one of the things I love most about the movement – its sense of equality. Equality between men and women is something my religion stresses on and it is also something the movement endorses. As a woman, I have been able to do most of the things men do, academically and socially."
Source: "The Gulen-inspired Folks and Schools: Interviews with Tuncay Terzi and Nisa Terzi" by: Aiman S. Ahmad, Jul 29, 2010 (link).
REALITY:
"One of female university student coach of Olympiad organizations confirmed my observation on gender related inequalities in science Olympiad organizations. She
said that ‘women were seen as incapable of science and scientific thinking and this
understanding led to the low level female participation in science Olympiad organizations.’"
"In Gulen schools, male oriented education understanding is dominant in raising the future’s golden generation. When success is the question, the emphasis is given to success in occupation for male students and in housework for female students."
Source: Ozlem Kocabas, Master of Science in Sociology dissertation, Middle East Technical University, 2006.
"Gender relations within the Gulen movement operate within the framework of
classical Islam (Yavuz 2009a). Consequently, in the Dersanes, men and women are
completely separated and meet in different locations. From the outside, while the Gulen movement may represent a more 'modern' interpretation of Islam, from more of an insider perspective, the movement does not operate differently than any other Islamic movement (Yildirim 2007)."
Source: Tugrul Keskin, doctoral dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2009
Gulen's own words, translated from Turkish:
"A man can spend the whole year actively. Sometimes he works difficult and heavy jobs. Physiologically and psychologically, he is always stronger. The man is used for heavier jobs even in the West...But woman must be excluded on certain days during the month. She cannot take part in different segments of the society, all the time.
must be excluded en certain days during the month. After giving birth, she sometimes cannot be active for 2 months. She cannot take part indifferent segments of the society, all the time. In some cases, she may lose her most sacred property (he means virginity here) and cannot take part to societal life because of this embarrassing situation. Thus, she has to be very careful. She cannot travel without her husband, father or brother.... The superiority of men compared to women cannot be denied." quoted from Gulen(1996b) vol. 3, p.124. This is a translation of an excerpt of Gulen's writing in Turkish in "Arsin Getirdigi Tereddutler" (The Hesitations of the Contemporary Century) Volume 3, T.O.V. Yayinlari (publisher).
Source: Berna Turam, "Between Islam and the State: Politics of Engagement," Doctoral dissertation, McGill University, 2001. Her book of the same title covers the status of women in the Gulen Movement in more detail.
"As some argue, female participants have a very restricted mobility in the Gulen movement and display very limited upward mobility within its core institutions in the field of education and media (Baskun 2005:858; Yavuz 1999:125). Surprisingly, little is known of the factors explaining the participation of women at the lower strata of the movement. Based on my observation, I can say that women's practical position in the society and the movement's conservative participants can form an obstacle for the female participants to move up to a position at the upper levels. There are only a few females in managerial positions of the movement's media outlets or its schools."
Source: "The Gulen Movement: Building Social Cohesion through Dialog and Education." (book, published dissertation from Tilburg University, Netherlands) by Gurkan Celik, onetime president of the Cosmicus Foundation, a Gulenist dialog organization runs schools in the Netherlands as well as the INESPO science fair.
CLAIM: GULEN MOVEMENT IS SINCERE ABOUT INTERFAITH DIALOG AND PRACTICES IT ONLY AS A MEANS TO ACHIEVE GREATER UNDERSTANDING AND PEACE
IMAGE:
Levent Koc, then director of the Interfaith Dialog Center (now Peace Islands Institute) in NJ, is quoted in a New Jersey Jewish News article (link) of Dec 19, 2011 as saying: "We don’t consider ourselves to be a separate religion. We consider ourselves an extension of Judaism."
REALITY:
See Nov 5, 2012 post by renowned Harvard economics professor and author Dani Rodrik, entitled "Fethullah Gulen, the Jews, and hypocrisy."
"Interestingly, Fethullah Gulen met with Pope John Paul II in 1998 in the Vatican, as part of the Intercultural Dialogue Platform. In addition, the movement is positioning these intercultural and inter-religious activities to be more tolerant towards other identities and religions than they actually are (Veren 2007)."
Source: Tugrul Keskin, doctoral dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2009
"The Gulen community is particularly active in the field of inter-religious dialogue. However, there is no consensus on what inter-religious dialogue means. This is because of the decentralized and network-like social structure of the Gulen community. An activist I met in Germany told me that his goal in undertaking inter-religious dialogue meetings with Christians and Jews is to have good relations with them, since in his view, it is a religious obligation to reach out to everyone. He believes that inter-religious dialogue meetings help non-Muslims meet Muslims, and that in some cases this may lead non-Muslims to convert to Islam."
"Yet, during a meeting in Germany, another local leader of the Gulen community was promoting inter-religious dialogue as a platform to introduce Gulen and his ideas to a larger audience."
"This story indicates that activism in inter-religious dialogue which is intended to fulfil the religious duty of tabligh (call for Islam) has more unexpected consequences than expected ones."
Source: Ahmet Yukleyen, doctoral dissertation, Boston University, 2007. Yukleyen was affiliated with the Boston Dialogue Foundation, a Gulenist organization.
"Since the late 1990s, Islamic activists have been active in promoting a series of initiatives and institutions known as the dialogue of civilizations. This agenda was initiated by the former Iranian President Muhammad Khatami and subsequently promoted by faith-based movements like Gulen Movement, and organizations like the Organization of Islamic Conference. This (agenda of) dialogue provides an excellent opportunity to study Islamic norm entrepreneurs and their strategies. This chapter argues that the discourse of the dialogue of civilizations is a response to the discourses of the end of history, the clash of civilizations, and the rejection of the West by the Muslim fundamentalist. Islamist activists adopt dichotomous frames for promoting their agenda: when interacting with non-Muslims, they appeal to the dialogue of civilizations and interfaith dialogue for mutual understanding, coexistence, and peaceful solutions to conflicts to argue for dialogue in international society. Among Muslims, however, they appeal to (the) dawa, the propagation of Islam, to justify their dialogue-related activism."
Source: Turan Kayaoglu, University of Washington, "Islam, Liberalism and International Society, Global Islamic Activism and Norm Propagation" (book manuscript) accessed at All Academic website
IMAGE:
Levent Koc, then director of the Interfaith Dialog Center (now Peace Islands Institute) in NJ, is quoted in a New Jersey Jewish News article (link) of Dec 19, 2011 as saying: "We don’t consider ourselves to be a separate religion. We consider ourselves an extension of Judaism."
REALITY:
See Nov 5, 2012 post by renowned Harvard economics professor and author Dani Rodrik, entitled "Fethullah Gulen, the Jews, and hypocrisy."
"Interestingly, Fethullah Gulen met with Pope John Paul II in 1998 in the Vatican, as part of the Intercultural Dialogue Platform. In addition, the movement is positioning these intercultural and inter-religious activities to be more tolerant towards other identities and religions than they actually are (Veren 2007)."
Source: Tugrul Keskin, doctoral dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2009
"The Gulen community is particularly active in the field of inter-religious dialogue. However, there is no consensus on what inter-religious dialogue means. This is because of the decentralized and network-like social structure of the Gulen community. An activist I met in Germany told me that his goal in undertaking inter-religious dialogue meetings with Christians and Jews is to have good relations with them, since in his view, it is a religious obligation to reach out to everyone. He believes that inter-religious dialogue meetings help non-Muslims meet Muslims, and that in some cases this may lead non-Muslims to convert to Islam."
"Yet, during a meeting in Germany, another local leader of the Gulen community was promoting inter-religious dialogue as a platform to introduce Gulen and his ideas to a larger audience."
"This story indicates that activism in inter-religious dialogue which is intended to fulfil the religious duty of tabligh (call for Islam) has more unexpected consequences than expected ones."
Source: Ahmet Yukleyen, doctoral dissertation, Boston University, 2007. Yukleyen was affiliated with the Boston Dialogue Foundation, a Gulenist organization.
"Since the late 1990s, Islamic activists have been active in promoting a series of initiatives and institutions known as the dialogue of civilizations. This agenda was initiated by the former Iranian President Muhammad Khatami and subsequently promoted by faith-based movements like Gulen Movement, and organizations like the Organization of Islamic Conference. This (agenda of) dialogue provides an excellent opportunity to study Islamic norm entrepreneurs and their strategies. This chapter argues that the discourse of the dialogue of civilizations is a response to the discourses of the end of history, the clash of civilizations, and the rejection of the West by the Muslim fundamentalist. Islamist activists adopt dichotomous frames for promoting their agenda: when interacting with non-Muslims, they appeal to the dialogue of civilizations and interfaith dialogue for mutual understanding, coexistence, and peaceful solutions to conflicts to argue for dialogue in international society. Among Muslims, however, they appeal to (the) dawa, the propagation of Islam, to justify their dialogue-related activism."
Source: Turan Kayaoglu, University of Washington, "Islam, Liberalism and International Society, Global Islamic Activism and Norm Propagation" (book manuscript) accessed at All Academic website
CLAIM: GULEN MOVEMENT IS TOLERANT
IMAGE:
"Gulen promotes tolerance, interfaith dialog, and above-all: he promotes education." "Andrew Finkel: Tolerance is a very key, key part of their message. And you know, it's not about, the use of force."
Source: 60 Minutes, May 13, 2012, "U.S. charter schools tied to powerful Turkish imam" (link)
REALITY:
See Nov 5, 2012 post by renowned Harvard economics professor and author Dani Rodrik, entitled "Fethullah Gulen, the Jews, and hypocrisy," where he translates an excerpt of Gulen's past writings. This is an example of Gulen's highly intolerant earlier writings, which are generally unavailable to Americans because they were published only in Turkish.
"Eventually what matters for the Fethullahci is to transmit conservative values inspired from the great religions in general. While Christianity is accepted, atheism is very badly regarded."
Source: "Turkish Islam in Africa: a Study of the Gulen Movement in Kenya" by Gabrielle Angey, PhD student in Political sciences, at EHESS, Paris. Article appeared in a May 2012 publication of the Institut Francais de Recherche en Afrique (French Institute for Research in Africa).
IMAGE:
"Gulen promotes tolerance, interfaith dialog, and above-all: he promotes education." "Andrew Finkel: Tolerance is a very key, key part of their message. And you know, it's not about, the use of force."
Source: 60 Minutes, May 13, 2012, "U.S. charter schools tied to powerful Turkish imam" (link)
REALITY:
See Nov 5, 2012 post by renowned Harvard economics professor and author Dani Rodrik, entitled "Fethullah Gulen, the Jews, and hypocrisy," where he translates an excerpt of Gulen's past writings. This is an example of Gulen's highly intolerant earlier writings, which are generally unavailable to Americans because they were published only in Turkish.
"Eventually what matters for the Fethullahci is to transmit conservative values inspired from the great religions in general. While Christianity is accepted, atheism is very badly regarded."
Source: "Turkish Islam in Africa: a Study of the Gulen Movement in Kenya" by Gabrielle Angey, PhD student in Political sciences, at EHESS, Paris. Article appeared in a May 2012 publication of the Institut Francais de Recherche en Afrique (French Institute for Research in Africa).
CLAIM: GULEN MOVEMENT RESPECTS INDIVIDUALITY AND FREEDOM OF THOUGHT
IMAGE:
"Gulen strongly encourages creativity and independent thought in his followers,..."
Source: "Fethullah Gulen as a Transformational Leader: Exemplar for the 'Golden Generation,'" Karen A. Fontenot and Michael J. Fontenot, paper presented at Rumi Forum conference, Georgetown University, Washington DC, Nov 14-15, 2008 (link).
REALITY:
"Liberal concerns of freedom of experimentation and individual space to develop one’s own path and identity are of no concern to this educational project."
Source: Berna Turam, "A bargain between the secular state and Turkish Islam: politics of ethnicity in Central Asia" (2004) Nations and Nationalism 10(3):353–374.
"Finally, though Gulen Community schools are equipped with the tools of modern
education system, these schools are criticized because of their conservative and
authoritarian nature of education system. The gender segregation, the centrality of
obedience understanding in education, the strict disciplinary manner, the intense
moralism, and the high level of nationalist idealism compose the target of critiques....
These highly authoritarian and conservative postures of the Community schools are
seen as a danger for critical thinking and for free and pluralist generations of future.
The community spirit of the Community, and the highly emphasis upon discipline,
morality and nationalist idealism are the weak points of the Gulen’s education
understanding aiming to bring up future’s generation equipped with both modern
tools and religious knowledge, and successful in synthesizing them."
Source: Ozlem Kocabas, Master of Science in Sociology dissertation, Middle East Technical University, 2006.
IMAGE:
"Gulen strongly encourages creativity and independent thought in his followers,..."
Source: "Fethullah Gulen as a Transformational Leader: Exemplar for the 'Golden Generation,'" Karen A. Fontenot and Michael J. Fontenot, paper presented at Rumi Forum conference, Georgetown University, Washington DC, Nov 14-15, 2008 (link).
REALITY:
"Liberal concerns of freedom of experimentation and individual space to develop one’s own path and identity are of no concern to this educational project."
Source: Berna Turam, "A bargain between the secular state and Turkish Islam: politics of ethnicity in Central Asia" (2004) Nations and Nationalism 10(3):353–374.
"Finally, though Gulen Community schools are equipped with the tools of modern
education system, these schools are criticized because of their conservative and
authoritarian nature of education system. The gender segregation, the centrality of
obedience understanding in education, the strict disciplinary manner, the intense
moralism, and the high level of nationalist idealism compose the target of critiques....
These highly authoritarian and conservative postures of the Community schools are
seen as a danger for critical thinking and for free and pluralist generations of future.
The community spirit of the Community, and the highly emphasis upon discipline,
morality and nationalist idealism are the weak points of the Gulen’s education
understanding aiming to bring up future’s generation equipped with both modern
tools and religious knowledge, and successful in synthesizing them."
Source: Ozlem Kocabas, Master of Science in Sociology dissertation, Middle East Technical University, 2006.
CLAIM: GULEN SCHOOLS ARE SECULAR AND TEACH NO RELIGION
IMAGE
"These schools adhere consistently to a secular curriculum and they communicate
universal human values rather than any confessional instruction."
Source: "Fethullah Gulen and the Hizmet Movement: Fethullah Gulen Chair for Intercultural Studies," Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.
"Although the Islam was seen as the driving force to open those schools, it must be emphasized that the Gulen-inspired schools around the world are operated as secular schools. Those schools do not offer any religious instruction in their curriculums."
Source: Erkan ("Ercan") Acar, PhD dissertation, "Case Study of a Gulen-Inspired School in the United States," Marywood University, 2012.
REALITY
It is incredible how this easily refutable claim has been repeatedly propagated, even in academic publications; see also this page.
Consider the description of Isik College in Australia given in "Building interfaith and intercultural understandings in Australian schools," by Eeqbal Hassim and Jennet Cole-Adams (published by the National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies Asia Institute, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia).
The paper describes the school as "non-denominational" and begins with "Although the vast majority of its primary students are Muslim, Isik College, and independent school, does not identify as being Islamic. Yet, it is committed to meeting the religious and cultural needs of its students through its pastoral care program..." It is then said that "The school follows the ideas of Fethullah Gulen..." Further on: "Isik College is not an Islamic school; it believes that Islam should be separate from the curriculum. Islamic education is provided only as a part of the pastoral care program for those students who seek it. The pastoral care sessions, where students study about Islam, are conducted mostly in Turkish....Islamic principles do permeate through the day-to-day running of Isik even though it is a nondenominational school. ...Religious education at the school is entirely optional; students are encouraged but not forced to attend....The pastoral care program at Isik provides a form of Islamic religious education and is offered to students in Grades 4 to 6....To engage students with the program, the school endeavours to make it fun; for instance, tea parties are organised to attract students to the program."
So, having read this far, one gathers that the school has a strong Islamic bent, and offers "optional" religious education. Apparently because the Islamic education is "optional," the school feels it can bill itself as "non-denominational" and deny that it is Islamic. But then further on, one reads:
"While the pastoral care program at Isik is robust, Sinik [head of the pastoral care program] believes that Muslim perspectives should also be incorporated, as appropriate, into the core curriculum. After Sinik attended one of the Learning from One Another workshops at the University of Melbourne in 2010, the Deputy Principal, Evla Han, requested a specific in-school workshop as part of the school’s cross-campus curriculum day. Sinik and Han recognise that many of their staff do not deal with Muslim perspectives in the classroom due to a lack of familiarity with the content, or because they think that it is something solely for religion teachers. To overcome this challenge, teachers have worked in subject area groups to prepare lesson plans based on ideas and strategies suggested in the Learning from One Another resource. These strategies mainly involve adding value to the existing curriculum. The teachers’ lesson plans now form part of the Isik curriculum."
The only way to read this is that religious education is not optional, because it is part of the curriculum. Any reasonable person would construe from this description that Isik College is most definitively an Islamic school.
The April 2011 issue of the newsletter of Isik College Eastmeadows Girls' Campus shows how religion has factored into science classes. Here is a snip from a page entitled "From the Science Department: Values in the Biology Class"
IMAGE
"These schools adhere consistently to a secular curriculum and they communicate
universal human values rather than any confessional instruction."
Source: "Fethullah Gulen and the Hizmet Movement: Fethullah Gulen Chair for Intercultural Studies," Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.
"Although the Islam was seen as the driving force to open those schools, it must be emphasized that the Gulen-inspired schools around the world are operated as secular schools. Those schools do not offer any religious instruction in their curriculums."
Source: Erkan ("Ercan") Acar, PhD dissertation, "Case Study of a Gulen-Inspired School in the United States," Marywood University, 2012.
REALITY
It is incredible how this easily refutable claim has been repeatedly propagated, even in academic publications; see also this page.
Consider the description of Isik College in Australia given in "Building interfaith and intercultural understandings in Australian schools," by Eeqbal Hassim and Jennet Cole-Adams (published by the National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies Asia Institute, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia).
The paper describes the school as "non-denominational" and begins with "Although the vast majority of its primary students are Muslim, Isik College, and independent school, does not identify as being Islamic. Yet, it is committed to meeting the religious and cultural needs of its students through its pastoral care program..." It is then said that "The school follows the ideas of Fethullah Gulen..." Further on: "Isik College is not an Islamic school; it believes that Islam should be separate from the curriculum. Islamic education is provided only as a part of the pastoral care program for those students who seek it. The pastoral care sessions, where students study about Islam, are conducted mostly in Turkish....Islamic principles do permeate through the day-to-day running of Isik even though it is a nondenominational school. ...Religious education at the school is entirely optional; students are encouraged but not forced to attend....The pastoral care program at Isik provides a form of Islamic religious education and is offered to students in Grades 4 to 6....To engage students with the program, the school endeavours to make it fun; for instance, tea parties are organised to attract students to the program."
So, having read this far, one gathers that the school has a strong Islamic bent, and offers "optional" religious education. Apparently because the Islamic education is "optional," the school feels it can bill itself as "non-denominational" and deny that it is Islamic. But then further on, one reads:
"While the pastoral care program at Isik is robust, Sinik [head of the pastoral care program] believes that Muslim perspectives should also be incorporated, as appropriate, into the core curriculum. After Sinik attended one of the Learning from One Another workshops at the University of Melbourne in 2010, the Deputy Principal, Evla Han, requested a specific in-school workshop as part of the school’s cross-campus curriculum day. Sinik and Han recognise that many of their staff do not deal with Muslim perspectives in the classroom due to a lack of familiarity with the content, or because they think that it is something solely for religion teachers. To overcome this challenge, teachers have worked in subject area groups to prepare lesson plans based on ideas and strategies suggested in the Learning from One Another resource. These strategies mainly involve adding value to the existing curriculum. The teachers’ lesson plans now form part of the Isik curriculum."
The only way to read this is that religious education is not optional, because it is part of the curriculum. Any reasonable person would construe from this description that Isik College is most definitively an Islamic school.
The April 2011 issue of the newsletter of Isik College Eastmeadows Girls' Campus shows how religion has factored into science classes. Here is a snip from a page entitled "From the Science Department: Values in the Biology Class"
CLAIM: GULEN MOVEMENT IS CONCERNED WITH HUMAN RIGHTS AND ALWAYS OPPOSES VIOLENCE
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"Gulen reiterates in his speeches and sermons that peace, justice and stability are of the utmost significance to Islam. ... Gulen ... affirms the Qur’anic and the Biblical view that killing one person is like massacring all humanity."
"Gulen has been recognized for his consistent stance against the use of violence with religious rhetoric."
Source: "Fethullah Gulen and the Hizmet Movement: Fethullah Gulen Chair for Intercultural Studies," Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.
REALITY:
"Gulen authorities also drew the line between cultural and religious practice. In another weekly reading circle, one of the listeners asked about honor killings. He asked if it was religiously justified to do honor killing in Germany. The leader explained that there was rule of law in every state and one had to appeal to them. According to Islamic law, only states can execute punishment and an individual is not allowed to execute punishment. He reasoned that if all individuals judge and execute, there would be chaos in society. The person who asked the question appealed that there may be people who transgress and asked how one could protect one’s family. He suggested that in such cases, one should go to the German courts and search for their rights through the system."
Source: Ahmet Yukleyen, doctoral dissertation, Boston University, 2007. Yukleyen was affiliated with the Boston Dialogue Foundation, a Gulenist organization.
[Note: it is disturbing that the leader of this Gulenist reading circle did not immediately and unambiguously condemn so-called "honor killings," which are simply first-degree murder. Was he saying that if the state permitted it, it would be justified? Also, what does this question say about the men who attend Gulenist reading circles?]
The Esslinger Zeitung, a German newspaper, published a quote they attributed to Gulen on Oct 5, 2011: "Gewaltanwendung hat einen bedeutenden Stellenwert beim Erlangen eines erstrebten Ergebnisses." (Translation: Violence has a significant role in the achievement of a desired goal.") The source of the quote is not given.
CLAIM: GULEN MOVEMENT IS NOT A STATE-SPONSORED ORGANIZATION
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"The movement is not a governmental or state sponsored organization."
Source: Gulen website http://fethullahgulenhizmetmovement.blogspot.com/p/gulen-movement.html
"The bases of the movement are diverse service projects that are initiated, funded, and conducted by people who are motivated to various extents by Gulen’s humanitarian discourse."
Source: http://gulenschools.org/gulen-movement.html
REALITY:
As noted above, in a very literal sense, on paper, the Gulen Movement has no "official" ties to any government. However, there are very real and significant "unofficial" ties, and the GM has received substantial material assistance from the Turkish government as well as some other states. The Gulen Movement has a close relationship with the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA), which was established by the Turkish government, particularly with regard to the establishment of schools outside Turkey.
"Regarding the movement’s business interests, many commentators suspect strong lines of patronage between the present AKP government and the Gulen movement. Under the current AKP administration, a number of business groups owned by avowed members of the movement have grown rapidly with the help of state contracts and concessions."
Source: Gozaydın, Istar B. "The Fethullah Gülen movement and politics in Turkey: a chance for democratization or a Trojan horse?" Democratization, 16: 6, 1214-1236
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"The movement is not a governmental or state sponsored organization."
Source: Gulen website http://fethullahgulenhizmetmovement.blogspot.com/p/gulen-movement.html
"The bases of the movement are diverse service projects that are initiated, funded, and conducted by people who are motivated to various extents by Gulen’s humanitarian discourse."
Source: http://gulenschools.org/gulen-movement.html
REALITY:
As noted above, in a very literal sense, on paper, the Gulen Movement has no "official" ties to any government. However, there are very real and significant "unofficial" ties, and the GM has received substantial material assistance from the Turkish government as well as some other states. The Gulen Movement has a close relationship with the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA), which was established by the Turkish government, particularly with regard to the establishment of schools outside Turkey.
"Regarding the movement’s business interests, many commentators suspect strong lines of patronage between the present AKP government and the Gulen movement. Under the current AKP administration, a number of business groups owned by avowed members of the movement have grown rapidly with the help of state contracts and concessions."
Source: Gozaydın, Istar B. "The Fethullah Gülen movement and politics in Turkey: a chance for democratization or a Trojan horse?" Democratization, 16: 6, 1214-1236
CLAIM: "TURKISH-AMERICANS" IN THE US WHO MAY ADMIRE GULEN ARE NOT PART OF THE SAME GULEN MOVEMENT THAT EXISTS IN TURKEY
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This claim is made on many websites that seek to deny the connection of the Gulen Movement to US charter schools. They claim that some "Turkish-Americans" (they don't mention that many of them will return to Turkey without ever getting US citizenship or permanent residency) are involved in charter schools as an "entrepreneurial" effort that has nothing to do with the Gulen Movement, even though some of these individuals may happen to admire Gulen.
REALITY:
"These ‘lighthouses’ have for example transferred easily into the USA whereby Turkish students and those who have graduated from postgraduate study ion US universities form private-public living spaces. ... These community houses [and I saw and stayed within them in Houston, Austin, and College Station in Texas] ..."
Source: "An Absent Influence? The Nurcu/Fetullah Gulen Movements in Turkish Islam and their potential influence upon European Islam and global education" Dr. Ian G.Williams, University of Central England, Birmingham, UK
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This claim is made on many websites that seek to deny the connection of the Gulen Movement to US charter schools. They claim that some "Turkish-Americans" (they don't mention that many of them will return to Turkey without ever getting US citizenship or permanent residency) are involved in charter schools as an "entrepreneurial" effort that has nothing to do with the Gulen Movement, even though some of these individuals may happen to admire Gulen.
REALITY:
"These ‘lighthouses’ have for example transferred easily into the USA whereby Turkish students and those who have graduated from postgraduate study ion US universities form private-public living spaces. ... These community houses [and I saw and stayed within them in Houston, Austin, and College Station in Texas] ..."
Source: "An Absent Influence? The Nurcu/Fetullah Gulen Movements in Turkish Islam and their potential influence upon European Islam and global education" Dr. Ian G.Williams, University of Central England, Birmingham, UK
CLAIM: GULEN MOVEMENT IS NON-PROSELYTIZING
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"The movement has never condoned proselytization, coercion, terrorism or violence but rather stresses mentality change of individuals through science, education, dialog and democracy."
Source: "The Gulen Movement: A Sociological Analysis of a Civic Movement Rooted in Moderate Islam" Helen Rose Ebaugh (book)
REALITY:
"However, his calling of his followers as ‘kolonizator dervishes’ displays controversial posture of Gulen about the nature of the activities in abroad. Since, kolonizator dervishes are historical figures working for the expansion of Islam from the East to the West where there was not any Muslim. Presenting the schools as peace islands and calling the followers as kolonizator dervishes are contradictory arguments of Gulen’s discourse related to the nature of activities in abroad."
Source: Ozlem Kocabas, Master of Science in Sociology dissertation, Middle East Technical University, 2006.
"While explaining the impact of Turkish schools one of the Turkish teachers in Kyrgyzstan stated: ‘Kyrgyz people started to realize that their religion was Islam and to learn the Islamic way of life’. ... One parent of a student attending the Turkish Anatolian High School mentioned that Turkey should select the teachers of those schools very carefully. He said: ‘Ninety per cent of Turkish teachers come to Turkmenistan to teach Islam to Turkmen students.’ He suggested that: ‘The Ministry of Education should select more open and competent teachers because we try to represent the secular and democratic Turkish Republic in Turkmenistan rather than Islam.’ One of the Turkish teachers in Kyrgyzstan shared the same opinions and feelings with the Turkish parent in Turkmenistan."
Source: "The role of Turkish schools in the educational system and social
transformation of Central Asian countries: The case of Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan" Cennet Engin Demir; Ayse Balci; Fusun Akkok. Central Asian Survey, 2010
“In addition to improving the school performance of their students, Gulen community dorms also help students discover and develop their Islamic identity. In the extracurricular activities after school in the dorm, they teach about Islamic and Turkish history, language, and culture. They provide an Islamic identity for their students…”
Source: Ahmet Yukleyen, doctoral dissertation, Boston University, 2007. Yukleyen was affiliated with the Boston Dialogue Foundation, a Gulenist organization.
"...the Gulen method can be considered as an indirect form of proselytizing."
Source: "Turkish Islam in Africa: a Study of the Gulen Movement in Kenya" by Gabrielle Angey, PhD student in Political sciences, at EHESS, Paris. Article appeared in a May 2012 publication of the Institut Francais de Recherche en Afrique (French Institute for Research in Africa).
Bayram Balci covered the missionary aspect of the Gulen Movement in his article "Fethullah Gulen's Missionary Schools in Central Asia and their Role in the Spreading of Turkism and Islam" Religion, State and Society 31(2):151-177 (link)
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"The movement has never condoned proselytization, coercion, terrorism or violence but rather stresses mentality change of individuals through science, education, dialog and democracy."
Source: "The Gulen Movement: A Sociological Analysis of a Civic Movement Rooted in Moderate Islam" Helen Rose Ebaugh (book)
REALITY:
"However, his calling of his followers as ‘kolonizator dervishes’ displays controversial posture of Gulen about the nature of the activities in abroad. Since, kolonizator dervishes are historical figures working for the expansion of Islam from the East to the West where there was not any Muslim. Presenting the schools as peace islands and calling the followers as kolonizator dervishes are contradictory arguments of Gulen’s discourse related to the nature of activities in abroad."
Source: Ozlem Kocabas, Master of Science in Sociology dissertation, Middle East Technical University, 2006.
"While explaining the impact of Turkish schools one of the Turkish teachers in Kyrgyzstan stated: ‘Kyrgyz people started to realize that their religion was Islam and to learn the Islamic way of life’. ... One parent of a student attending the Turkish Anatolian High School mentioned that Turkey should select the teachers of those schools very carefully. He said: ‘Ninety per cent of Turkish teachers come to Turkmenistan to teach Islam to Turkmen students.’ He suggested that: ‘The Ministry of Education should select more open and competent teachers because we try to represent the secular and democratic Turkish Republic in Turkmenistan rather than Islam.’ One of the Turkish teachers in Kyrgyzstan shared the same opinions and feelings with the Turkish parent in Turkmenistan."
Source: "The role of Turkish schools in the educational system and social
transformation of Central Asian countries: The case of Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan" Cennet Engin Demir; Ayse Balci; Fusun Akkok. Central Asian Survey, 2010
“In addition to improving the school performance of their students, Gulen community dorms also help students discover and develop their Islamic identity. In the extracurricular activities after school in the dorm, they teach about Islamic and Turkish history, language, and culture. They provide an Islamic identity for their students…”
Source: Ahmet Yukleyen, doctoral dissertation, Boston University, 2007. Yukleyen was affiliated with the Boston Dialogue Foundation, a Gulenist organization.
"...the Gulen method can be considered as an indirect form of proselytizing."
Source: "Turkish Islam in Africa: a Study of the Gulen Movement in Kenya" by Gabrielle Angey, PhD student in Political sciences, at EHESS, Paris. Article appeared in a May 2012 publication of the Institut Francais de Recherche en Afrique (French Institute for Research in Africa).
Bayram Balci covered the missionary aspect of the Gulen Movement in his article "Fethullah Gulen's Missionary Schools in Central Asia and their Role in the Spreading of Turkism and Islam" Religion, State and Society 31(2):151-177 (link)
CLAIM: GULEN MOVEMENT WORKS FOR SOCIETAL UNITY
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"It is in this sense that we affirm that the Gulen Movement is strongly faith inspired but this faith serves it as a tool for uniting society and strengthening the resources for peace. ... Gulen considers good politics as the kind that strives to unite the society, to broaden the sense of belonging and citizenship awareness. He urges whoever is in government to proceed through consultation and strive to be constructive and inclusive in all policies."
Source: "Emphasizing 'We' in Gulen’s Thought," Stuart William, Dec 5, 2011 (link).
REALITY:
"One of the unavoidable results of this struggle is that polarization within the country [Turkey] has become more distinct. It should be mentioned that the Gulen movement, regardless of its intentions, has played a polarizing role in this struggle."
Source: Kadri Gursel, Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review, Dec 7, 2010 (link)
In connection with promoting their own network of US charter schools, Gulenists have used rhetoric to exploit and exacerbate already-existing deep political divisions within American society regarding such issues as privatization of education, teachers' unions and the quality of unionized American teachers. Gulenists encourage their American sympathizers or recruits to engage in personal attacks on their critics; these tactics divide communities and run counter to Gulen's purported ideals.
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"It is in this sense that we affirm that the Gulen Movement is strongly faith inspired but this faith serves it as a tool for uniting society and strengthening the resources for peace. ... Gulen considers good politics as the kind that strives to unite the society, to broaden the sense of belonging and citizenship awareness. He urges whoever is in government to proceed through consultation and strive to be constructive and inclusive in all policies."
Source: "Emphasizing 'We' in Gulen’s Thought," Stuart William, Dec 5, 2011 (link).
REALITY:
"One of the unavoidable results of this struggle is that polarization within the country [Turkey] has become more distinct. It should be mentioned that the Gulen movement, regardless of its intentions, has played a polarizing role in this struggle."
Source: Kadri Gursel, Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review, Dec 7, 2010 (link)
In connection with promoting their own network of US charter schools, Gulenists have used rhetoric to exploit and exacerbate already-existing deep political divisions within American society regarding such issues as privatization of education, teachers' unions and the quality of unionized American teachers. Gulenists encourage their American sympathizers or recruits to engage in personal attacks on their critics; these tactics divide communities and run counter to Gulen's purported ideals.
CLAIM: GULEN MOVEMENT IS NOT NATIONALIST
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"Gulen has been defined as nationalist but when analyzed in detail it will be seen that
he cannot be a nationalist for various reasons."
Source: Ihsan Yilmaz, "Beyond Post-Islamism: Transformation of Turkish Islamism Toward ‘Civil Islam’ and Its Potential Influence in the Muslim World," European Journal of Economic and Political Studies 4(1) 2011.
"Mais il faut d'abord lutter contre les préjugés, explique-t-il. La première question qu'on nous pose, c'est : "Etes-vous une école turque ?" On répond que non, nous sommes une école française." [The article quotes Nihat Sarier, one of the founders of the Collège Educactive, a Gulen school in the Paris suburbs. He says "But first we must wrestle with some prejudices. The first question we are asked is, 'Are you a Turkish school?' We say no, we are a French school."
Source: "Une confrérie turque ouvre un collège républicain en France" Guillaume Perrier, Le Monde, Dec 29, 2009.
REALITY:
"...according to Yavuz (1999:595), 'Gulen is first and foremost a Turko-Ottoman nationalist."
Source: Aydin Ozipek, "'Cultivating' a generation through education: the case of the Gulen Movement," Masters Thesis, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary, 2009.
In all Gulenist media outlets, the Gulen schools are referred to as "Turkish schools." The schools are used to promote Turkish culture through Turkish dance and cooking clubs, Turkish language classes (obligatory in many of the schools), and participation in the Turkish Language Olympiads. The Olympiads themselves are a grand nationalistic pageant.
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"Gulen has been defined as nationalist but when analyzed in detail it will be seen that
he cannot be a nationalist for various reasons."
Source: Ihsan Yilmaz, "Beyond Post-Islamism: Transformation of Turkish Islamism Toward ‘Civil Islam’ and Its Potential Influence in the Muslim World," European Journal of Economic and Political Studies 4(1) 2011.
"Mais il faut d'abord lutter contre les préjugés, explique-t-il. La première question qu'on nous pose, c'est : "Etes-vous une école turque ?" On répond que non, nous sommes une école française." [The article quotes Nihat Sarier, one of the founders of the Collège Educactive, a Gulen school in the Paris suburbs. He says "But first we must wrestle with some prejudices. The first question we are asked is, 'Are you a Turkish school?' We say no, we are a French school."
Source: "Une confrérie turque ouvre un collège républicain en France" Guillaume Perrier, Le Monde, Dec 29, 2009.
REALITY:
"...according to Yavuz (1999:595), 'Gulen is first and foremost a Turko-Ottoman nationalist."
Source: Aydin Ozipek, "'Cultivating' a generation through education: the case of the Gulen Movement," Masters Thesis, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary, 2009.
In all Gulenist media outlets, the Gulen schools are referred to as "Turkish schools." The schools are used to promote Turkish culture through Turkish dance and cooking clubs, Turkish language classes (obligatory in many of the schools), and participation in the Turkish Language Olympiads. The Olympiads themselves are a grand nationalistic pageant.
CLAIM: GULEN MOVEMENT IS TRANSPARENT
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"Likewise, in my investigations into the finances involved in major projects and companies connected to the movement, I found a high degree of transparency."
Source: "The Gulen Movement: A Sociological Analysis of a Civic Movement Rooted in Moderate Islam" Helen Rose Ebaugh (book)
REALITY:
"Yet it remains opaque." - Prof. Bill Park, Global Politician, Dec 31, 2008 (link)
IMAGE:
"Likewise, in my investigations into the finances involved in major projects and companies connected to the movement, I found a high degree of transparency."
Source: "The Gulen Movement: A Sociological Analysis of a Civic Movement Rooted in Moderate Islam" Helen Rose Ebaugh (book)
REALITY:
"Yet it remains opaque." - Prof. Bill Park, Global Politician, Dec 31, 2008 (link)
CLAIM: GULEN MOVEMENT WORKS TO IMPROVE INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANTS INTO SOCIETY
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"Nous vivons ici, remarque Mehmet Nam, un membre actif, et nous pensons que les Turcs peuvent contribuer à résoudre certains problèmes d'intégration et d'adaptation à la culture française." ["We live here, remarked Mehmet Nam, an active member, and we believe that the Turks can contribute to the solution of some problems of integration and adaptation to the French culture."]
Source: "Une confrérie turque ouvre un collège républicain en France" Guillaume Perrier, Le Monde, Dec 29, 2009.
REALITY:
In many Gulen schools, boarding is obligatory; even where not obligatory, it is encouraged. The boarding students are immersed in the Gulenist subculture and isolated in many ways from the surrounding society; for example, the time they spend outside the school is restricted and they are monitored very carefully.
Several Gulenist publications on the Ahiskan (a.k.a. Meshketian) Turkish immigrant population in the United States clearly show the Gulenist desire to promote a love for and longing for Turkey among these peoples; this is particularly striking in view of the fact that while Ahiskans are ethnically Turkic they have never lived in Turkey.
An article in a Belgium newspaper ("Integration – or Ghetto School ? Behind the curtains of the Lucerna College," Pieter Lesaffer, De Standaard, Nov 7, 2009 English translation given at this link) about the Lucerna College, a Gulen school shows concerns about whether the immigrant students were learning Dutch and integrating into society to an adequate extent.
IMAGE:
"Nous vivons ici, remarque Mehmet Nam, un membre actif, et nous pensons que les Turcs peuvent contribuer à résoudre certains problèmes d'intégration et d'adaptation à la culture française." ["We live here, remarked Mehmet Nam, an active member, and we believe that the Turks can contribute to the solution of some problems of integration and adaptation to the French culture."]
Source: "Une confrérie turque ouvre un collège républicain en France" Guillaume Perrier, Le Monde, Dec 29, 2009.
REALITY:
In many Gulen schools, boarding is obligatory; even where not obligatory, it is encouraged. The boarding students are immersed in the Gulenist subculture and isolated in many ways from the surrounding society; for example, the time they spend outside the school is restricted and they are monitored very carefully.
Several Gulenist publications on the Ahiskan (a.k.a. Meshketian) Turkish immigrant population in the United States clearly show the Gulenist desire to promote a love for and longing for Turkey among these peoples; this is particularly striking in view of the fact that while Ahiskans are ethnically Turkic they have never lived in Turkey.
An article in a Belgium newspaper ("Integration – or Ghetto School ? Behind the curtains of the Lucerna College," Pieter Lesaffer, De Standaard, Nov 7, 2009 English translation given at this link) about the Lucerna College, a Gulen school shows concerns about whether the immigrant students were learning Dutch and integrating into society to an adequate extent.