"What is Hizmet Movement?"

Karen A. and Michael J. Fontenot

"The Hizmet (Service) movement associated with the Turkish theologian M. Fethullah Gülen is probably the most powerful Islamic reform movement operating in the world today. Promoting religiously inspired modernization, it offers a revitalized form of mysticism that is wedded simultaneously to traditional Muslim practice and to the scientific and technical methods that have so clearly lifted the material level of Western society.

While business people and students form the core of the movement, Gülen also appeals to a much wider audience within Turkey. Fethullah Gulen promotes a particularly sophisticated view of Turkish identity, claiming it was forged in pre-Anatolian times, then shaped and honed by the Ottomans into a multi-national, multi-cultural civilization of extraordinary cosmopolitanism. That interpretation, which satisfies ethnic pride while avoiding a narrow nationalistic definition, resonates with many Turks.

Furthermore, he has taken a very strong stand against the use of terror; moderate Turks who are unsympathetic to Islamic extremism and secular republicanism find Gülen's positions very attractive.

The Hizmet movement has also attracted numerous non-Muslim supporters. It is difficult to estimate how many people are involved, but supporters are active in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East."

An excerpt from the article entitled, "M. Fethullah Gülen as a Transformational Leader: Exemplar for the “Golden Generation”" by Karen A. Fontenot and Michael J. Fontenot as presented at the recent Gulen Conference titled East and West Encounters: The Gulen Movement

Related Video:

Dr. Fontenot: There is so much to write about Hizmet Movement

What is behind Çağaptay’s aggression from the other side of the Atlantic? (2)

İdris Bal*

Why are Mr. Soner Çağaptay and the like trying to cast doubt on coup attempts and preparations in Turkey?

And why do they deliberately ignore clear evidence, recorded conversations, seized weapons and ammunition, confessions and the statements of so many anonymous witnesses? Has Turkey never suffered through military coups staged for this reason or that? Who launched the military coups of 1960, 1971 and 1980 and the postmodern military interventions many years later? Who unjustly executed Prime Minister Adnan Menderes and two ministers of a democratically elected government? While even primary school children know the truth about these facts today in Turkey, should we not take even the slightest sign of a coup very seriously? Or is this callous behavior and turning a blind eye to these events and even distortion of the truth the exact mentality of the coup hawks?

What is behind Çağaptay’s aggression from the other side of the Atlantic? (1)

İdris Bal*

The impact of the Turkish struggle for democracy has already surpassed the boundaries of Turkey. Now all trump cards have been played.

On one side of the game are those who advocate a real democracy similar to that in Western European countries and the United States and the universal values of human rights, equality and justice for all to be established in Turkey. Today, the common people, whose importance has until now been downplayed, want to be on an equal footing with everyone else. They want to get rid of the ridiculously degrading humiliations of the elite; firmly establish the real rule of law in the country; stop the unsolved murders, the number of which has reached thousands; make the statesmen realize their role of serving the public through an embracing collaboration; and ensure harmony between all organs of the state. Whereas on the other side of the game, the unmitigated conformists are thrashing about to protect their own interests in the status quo and are disconnected from the general public, where both the civilian and military bureaucrats are disobeying rulers representing the common people and governmental, legislative and judicial powers are not properly separated and where the legal structure is more defiled than at any time before.

And now, the plot [against the Gulen movement and AKP] is proven…

Mustafa Akyol

Something very important happened last Monday. A short statement from the Turkish General Staff noted that its investigators had gathered “evidence that might prove the existence of the document in question."

“The document in question” was quite a terrible one. It was a military plan to overthrow the AKP government and suppress the popular Islamic movement led by Fethullah Gülen, a retired preacher who lives in the U.S. One idea was to “find” weapons in the homes of people from the Gülen Movement by planting them there first and thus portraying the peaceful community as a terrorist group.