July 17, 2012

The Gülen Movement: A Sufi-type Spirituality for Modern Societies

Thomas Michel

1. The need for a modern spirituality

Fethullah Gulen
The emergence in Europe and North America of interest in the thought of Turkish scholar Fethullah Gulen is a phenomenon that demands explanation. Several American universities, such as Rice and Georgetown, have held academic seminars to study the various aspects of his thought. In Europe, in the Netherlands, for example, at least four universities (Nijmegen, Tilburg, Erasmus in Rotterdam, and Amsterdam) have hosted seminars on “Forerunners for Peace,” which prominently feature the views of Gulen and his movement.