Gulen on Turkey’s accession to European Union

This is a part of an interview with Fethullah Gulen by Mehmet Gundem of Milliyet Daily in January 2005.

How do you interpret the start of a negotiation process between the EU and a Muslim country, in terms of Europe's identity and vision?

Fethullah Gulen: To date, how Turkey will benefit from this process has been discussed, generally speaking. I am not sure whether European countries are aware, but what Turkey will bring in is much more important. If they are aware of this and still resist, that means their obstinacy has dominated over sound thinking. As a matter of fact, there are many benefits out of this relationship for the reputation and future of Europe.

Our intelligentsia have always chased after the idea of "becoming European." Since the Tanzimat reforms, we have been involved in this process, which gained momentum with the Republic. The first serious agreement was realized in 1963, followed by discussions and forums both in favor and against. I remember in 1966-67 listening to high-profile people who did not approve of this process. Their arguments coincide with those who are against it today: "It is a Christian club; they will trick us; they will make us Christian. . ."

Some Muslims have recently published and distributed books on such grounds: "if they (Europeans) come, they will influence us and steal our youth from us, with the way they look, their mentality, their conception of religion, their notion of God . . ." Europeans, on the other hand, at that time, probably had concerns about our economic poverty and our being Muslims. Perhaps, they were not confident enough about their own religious values, but they did not reveal these inner worries. I don't know if such worries still prevail, but it was evident that they did not have any intention to admit us in.