The Gülen Movement In Turkey: The Politics Of Islam And Modernity

What is the Gulen Movement and why is Turkey's President Erdogan so convinced that the organisation and its charismatic leader were behind the failed military coup of 15th July 2016? The Gulen, or Hizmet, movement in Turkey was until recently the country's most powerful and affluent religious organisation. At its head is the exiled Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, who leads from a gated compound in the Pocono Mountains of the USA. The movement's central tenet is that Muslims should engage positively with modernity, especially through mastering the sciences. It has hundreds of Gulen-run schools and universities in Turkey and worldwide, especially in the United States, cultivating the next generation of Muslim professionals. This study, by Caroline Tee, analyzes the complex attitudes of Gulen and his followers towards secular modernity, highlighting its influence within Turkish politics.