October 2, 2010

Erbakan, Fethullah Gulen and Erdogan

Yasin Doğan

Years ago I wrote an article that discussed the differences in style and method between Necmettin Erbakan and Fethullah Gülen. The difference that became salient particularly during the Refahyol era, when the Welfare Party (RP) and the True Path Party (DYP) formed a coalition government, and during the Feb. 28 process was that Erbakan tended to give inward-oriented messages while Gülen would give outward-oriented ones.

The former would take into consideration the sensitivities of his own supporters while the latter would attach more importance to the sensitivities of other people and the people outside. Thus, Erbakan would have a difficult time embracing different groups and as a result his movement was perceived as an isolated and self-contained one. On the other hand, Gülen was seen as more open to the outside world and readier to embrace diversity.