August 18, 2010

Fethullah Gulen’s critics have no supporting evidence, says academic

Emre Oğuz

Helen Rose Ebaugh
American sociology professor Helen Rose Ebaugh, who has written a book analyzing the Gülen movement, has said those criticizing the movement have no documents to back up their criticisms.

Ebaugh, the author of a book titled “The Gülen Movement: A Sociological Analysis of a Civic Movement Rooted in Moderate Islam,” was speaking at a conference organized by the Copenhagen-based Dialog Forum Foundation over the weekend. Stating that she received letters from some circles harshly criticizing Fethullah Gülen and the movement inspired by him after she began her research, Ebaugh said that when she called on them to prove their accusations they had failed to do so. She says they did not send her anything supporting their claims because such evidence does not exist.