July 15, 2011

How Fethullah Gülen Generated Social Responsibility?

Martin Taylor

Surveillance cameras, community policing (on top of regular policing), “citizenship” classes in schools, even penalties for anti-social behaviour – these and other measures testify to the widespread feeling that society needs help to look after itself. In the UK, the current government has a broad policy agenda, tagged “The Big Society”, which aims to support voluntary groups committed to reviving social responsibility. Even if the state has the will and resources to do so, it simply cannot replace the care and concern of people for each other and for their “commons” – the amenities and public spaces which are a collective heritage, and which they should preserve, improve and pass on.