Gulen Movement

The Gulen movement is an Islamic religious/civic movement begun in Turkey in the 1960s by Fethullah Gulen, a scholar, preacher, and imam. The movement has spread worldwide to virtually every country. It is one of the many Nur movements that were inspired by the teachings of Said Nursi, an Islamic preacher who taught that Muslims should not reject modernity but engage with it. After being part of Nursi reading circles in his youth, Gulen as an imam in Izmir began preaching the necessity of educating Turkish youth both in the principles of living a faithful Islamic life while being educated in the natural and social sciences and in modern technologies.

In the early 1980s, encouraged by the neoliberal policies of President Ozal, Gulen and his supporters began building Gulen-inspired schools throughout Turkey. These schools follow the state curriculum but are administered by principals and staffed by teachers who are inspired by the Gulen movement. While Islam is not directly taught in these schools, the example of the dedicated teachers, who often tutor children after school and meet with parents to engage them in their children's education, provides a model of dedication inspired by Islamic values. By the mid-to late 1980s, the Gulen-inspired schools were considered among the best in Turkey, and students from these schools began winning the top prizes in international science Olympiads.

The many educational projects that are part of the Gulen movement are financed by trusts established by businessmen who are inspired by the ideas and goals advocated by Gulen in his teachings and writings. In addition, supporters of the movement set up local reading circles, based on people sharing occupational or residential interests, who meet weekly to discuss the Qur'an and the writings of Gulen. The circle participants also support educational projects. The average financial donation given by movement supporters is 10% to 15% of one's annual income.

In addition to the schools, supporters of the Gulen movement have established a large media empire in Turkey (e.g., the Zaman newspaper, Samanyolu television, magazines); Asya Bank, the largest Islamic bank in Turkey; Fatih University; the Journalists and Writers Foundation; six private hospitals; and Kimse Yok Mu Solidarity and Aid Association, a relief agency that supports disaster victims worldwide.

In the past two decades, many Gulen-inspired businessmen have expanded their businesses globally, [Page 491]especially into the countries of the former Soviet Union and into the Balkans. As they become more financially involved in these countries, they see the need for better educational opportunities for the youth there, pledging their own financial resources and soliciting financial assistance from friends and associates in Turkey to build schools and tutoring centers. As former Ottoman provinces, the Balkans and the Central Asian countries were the first countries to which Gulen supporters moved and established Gulen-inspired schools. However, currently, participants of this movement are also found in western Europe, the United States, Australia, South and Southeast Asia, and Africa. The exact number of supporters varies; however, common estimates are that the participants number between 8 and 10 million people worldwide, with approximately 1,000 Gulen-inspired schools existing in more than 100 countries on five continents.

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