What is Islam's Gulen movement?

[Gerald]

Turkey's Gulen movement, which promotes service to the common good, may have grown into the world's biggest Muslim network. Is it the modern face of Islam, or are there more sinister undercurrents?

From Kenya to Kazakhstan, a new Islamic network is attracting millions of followers - and billions of dollars.

Inspired by a little-known Turkish imam, the Gulen movement is linked to more than 1,000 schools in 130 countries as well as think tanks, newspapers, TV and radio stations, universities - and even a bank.

This massive network is unlike anything else. It has no formal structure, no visible organisation and no official membership.

Its supporters say they simply work together, in a loosely affiliated alliance inspired by the message of charismatic preacher Fethullah Gulen, who promotes a tolerant Islam which emphasises altruism, hard work and education.

Turkish businessmen are attracted by what they see as his international outlook and pragmatic approach to issues like using credit.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-13503361


Note: 25 May 2011 Last updated at 00:04 GMT

[Gerald]

Certainly no news ... but there is big money in these networks and organizations.

[Skybird]

The Gulen movement tries to give itself an open-mionded, tolerant image and claims to modernise Islamic thoughts. But if you read the writings of its founder Fettulah Gulen, you soon realise that this guy was ultra-orthodox and most repressive on women, basing all his do's and dont'S on the Shariah directly. Turkey sees it as a hidden sword for something that could be called Islamic education jihad, meaning a global offensive to influence public opinion as well as individuals' attitudes in favour of orthodox Islamic values coming along under new, deceptive labels. The Turkish state is massively involved in supressing and preventing publication of critical books and reasearches on the Gulen movement, therefore.

Don't believe their smiling, "modern" surface". They are extremely orthodox in their real value basis, and are anything but "reforming" or "modern" or "tolerant". But they are acting very clever.

In Wetsern countries and Germany, the issue gets realised only slowly.

I had red some of Gulen'S work in a commented edition longer time ago. I perceived it as very underhanded a threat. It tries to anchor most archaic and fundamentalist Islamic values by relabeling them while leaving their content untouched. Again, Gulen bases all his permissions and prohibitions directly on the tradition of the Shariah. This alone should tell you all you need to know.

This alone should tell you all you need to know.

Skybird wrote that post so that alone should tell you all you need to know about what was written there as it is about two things he really hates with a blind passion Turkey and Islam.
Its a pity Gelen lives in the states as if he was in the EU Sky could have had a real fit about the secret turkish islamic EU conspiracy

[Gerald]

Sky .. a live and mobile libraries,

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Vendor

Sky .. a live and mobile libraries,

Ah no, just by chance knowing about it a bit. It got pretty widespread in Germany, without anybody noticing it, globally probably far more influential than the Mili Görus movement which is more focussing on certain hotspots in the world like Germany, but not even half as known. Most people you ask usually never heared of Gulen, or do not care - which makes it's spreading so dangerous and unopposed. Most people do not critically question their surface. It's true that for example they prfeer to build schools over building mosques - but one has to know that this is in order to educate Muslims better to defend Islam against opposition in hosting nations, and to enforce it in ways that are not physically violent, but by debate that should neutralise the opposition to Islam over its own values of freedom and democracy. Still, Gulen in the end argues for the establishing of a Shariah-basing value system, which makes him an extremely clever orthodox, but still a an orthodox.

The movement is spreading rapidly amongst Turks living in Germany. So do the ultranationalistic Turkish Grey Wolves, and Mili Görus. They all have close ties to the Turkish ministry of religion, and the AKP circles around Erdoghan & Gang.

Several critical ex-Muslim academics and orientalists as well as apostates attack Gulen movement ferociously. They sometimes compare Gulen to an Islamic Scientology, or a secret organisation of the Turkish state comparing to Opus Dei. To some part I agree, there are similiarities, though Gulen Movement is no 100% equivalent to any of the two.