March 16, 2010

The protocols of the learned elders of Fethullah Gülen

Mustafa Akyol

If you have the chance to talk to a staunchly secular Turk these days and want to hear something mind-boggling, just ask him a simple question: “What the hell is this Gülen movement?”

Fethullah Gulen
Fethullah Gulen
It is very likely that you will then listen to a chilling conspiracy theory about how this evil cadre of “Islamists” is taking over Turkey step by step. You will learn how they have “infiltrated” every state institution, from the police to the judiciary, and now are defusing the power of the military, the last bastion of secularism. You might even hear that the 69-year-old Mr. Fethullah Gülen, who has lived in the United States since 1999, is similar to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in the sense that he will soon come back to bless an “Islamic revolution” prepared by his disciples.

No central authority in the Gulen Movement

Prof. Pim Valkenberg

Hizmet: aka the Gulen Movement
Which term should we use to denote the supporters of Fethullah Gülen, if we stop using the convenient but theologically problematic term “Gülen Movement”? The only term that should certainly be included, would be the term “service”, derived from the Turkish word hizmet, and used by Fethullah Gülen himself.