December 31, 2011

Gulen Movement's inclusiveness and benefits to wider society

fgulen.org

Is the Gülen Movement trying to build a separate, exclusive society?

The majority of people who participate in the services are introduced by friends.

The fact that it is not via relatives or through some kind of clan system shows that relationships in the Movement can be inclusive, transformative and lasting. Also, the fact that introduction to and participation in the Movement or service-projects occurs through acquaintances in everyday life and through work colleagues indicates that the cultural perspective or worldview of the Gülen Movement is regarded as legitimate and rational. The participation of individuals who did not grow up within the Gülen community or its networks is also significant: it indicates purely individual choices and a strong subjective identification; people make an active rationalizing and reckoning of the decision to participate in the collective action of the Movement.

December 30, 2011

Turkish school graduates in Bosnia now teachers at alma maters

Ömer Çetres / Zlatan Kapiç

Ten graduates of Turkish schools in Bosnia which were opened right after the Bosnian war are now working as teachers at the schools they attended as students, the Anatolia news agency has reported.

The Turkish schools, which were opened with the help of volunteer Turkish teachers right after the 1992-1995 Bosnian war, are among the top educational institutions in the country.

December 29, 2011

Ahmet Şık’s book and Ergenekon’s media campaign

Emre Uslu

The Odatv trial has finally begun after months of waiting. The time between the first arrest and the beginning of the trial was a very long time and reason for widespread complaint. This time is not only problematic for the suspects who may have spent excessive time in prison -- and may not even be found guilty at the end of their trial -- it is also a problem for prosecutors who have arrested well-known suspects.

During this period, suspects have used media outlets to spread their message to the public and create the image that they are not guilty but are imprisoned because of their political stance. There are many people in Turkey who spent years behind bars because they did not have media influence.

December 28, 2011

Why is the Gülen Movement made up of service networks?

fgulen.org

In everyday life, intimate interpersonal relations and emotional relationships with those closest to them allow individuals to make sense of their world through networks.

Interpersonal interactions and affective bonds are the fundamental background to movement participation. Through the service-networks people become more able to reach out to other systems, relations, meanings, goals and interests. Without such networks, it is not possible for most people to reach out to all these on their own.

December 27, 2011

Social backgrounds of the people in the Gülen Movement and those who support "externally"

fgulen.org

What social backgrounds do people in the Gülen Movement come from?

People are attracted to the Gülen Movement by exemplary friends from the Gülen Movement, by people in their immediate environment, neighbors, and relatives and by their conduct and sincerity, by reading Gülen's works and listening to his lectures, by the overall meaning and the message of the altruistic services, and by the worldview of the Gülen Movement.

December 26, 2011

Nature of participation and membership in the Gülen Movement

fgulen.org

What kind of people participate in the Gülen Movement?

Many people from all walks of life and different intellectual backgrounds participate in the service projects.

The types of service Gülen advocates – education, health, intercultural and interfaith dialogue, cooperation of civilizations – require action, and concern relationships in the everyday lives of all members of society and humanity.

The relationships are affective: interpersonal, social, informal and integrative; professional: formal and contractual; cultural: educational, self-reflective, altruistic and apolitical; locational: project-based and inclusive; and transnational: – peaceful, collaborative and civilizing.

December 25, 2011

The Gülen Movement and its Chief Priority

fgulen.org

What is the Gülen Movement?

The Gülen Movement originated in 1970s' Turkey as a faith-inspired initiative to improve educational opportunities for a local community; since then, it has grown into a transnational educational, inter-cultural and interfaith movement.

It is estimated that participants number in several millions. The Gülen Movement has securely established, respected institutions (of different kinds, but mostly schools) on every continent.
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