March 1, 2012

The Function of the Hizmet Movement in Society

Onur Emir

The Gulen Movement (also widely known as the Hizmet Movement)[1] was first established in the 1970s in Turkey with educational and dialogue institutions. Since then, people inspired by Fethullah Gulen have spread it around the world through schools, dialogue centres, charitable aid work, clinics, hostels, and print and broadcast media outlets[2]. This paper asks the question, ’What is the main function of these diverse initiatives?’ Answering that question necessarily answers the more popular question ‘What is the aim of this Movement?’