September 16, 2011

The Gülen Movement in the Public Sphere

Etga Uğur

Religion is an important source of social capital in many modern societies.

Religion as a body of beliefs, values and norms motivates believers to volunteer in community affairs to provide social services such as health care, soup kitchens, education and helping the poor. Religion also provides a source of common identity to its followers and creates bonds between them. Obviously, religion is only one source of social capital or civic engagement, albeit an important one.