Taking A Look At The Gulen Movement

The Gülen movement is a transnational Islamic social movement, inspired by the Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen. The members and other supporters of the movement describe the movement as a “faith-inspired, non-political, cultural, and educational movement whose basic principles stem from Islam’s universal values, such as love of the creation, sympathy for the fellow human, compassion, and altruism” (Brief History of the Gülen Movement, 2016). However, the opponents of the Gulen movement have different opinions based on their religious and political views. Most westerners with non-Islamic background argue that Fethullah Gulen and the members of the Gulen movement are “dyed-in-the-wool Islamist who wishes to transform the United States and Turkey into Shariah states” (Wagner, 2016). In addition, the opponents of the Gulen movement from the Muslim world argues that Fethullah Gulen is a “Zionist CIA Agent, secret cardinal of Pope, and a Western Trojan horse trying to Christianize the Muslim world or help western world to exploit Islamic world” (Koc, 2012).

Regardless of the opinions from both sides, it is important to understand Fethullah Gulen and his movement’s ideology and the activities they conduct in order to change the social fabrics of the societies.

Fethullah Gulen

His father was a local Imam (Muslim Preacher) and wanted his son to follow his footsteps. Therefore, Gulen’s formal education was strictly religious. Although there is no substantiating evidence, according to Gulen’s followers, Gulen started to read Quran at the age of four and memorized the Quran by the age of ten. Completing his religious and Arabic learning in 1951, Gulen started to preach at the local mosques throughout the eastern and central Anatolia. Gulen was quickly draw attention from more experienced preachers. While travelling through eastern Anatolia, Gulen was introduced the work of Said Nursi at the age of