What’s in a Movement? Competing Narratives on Transnational Islam

Abstract

Books Reviewed: M. Hakan Yavuz, Toward an Islamic Enlightenment: The Gülen Movement (New York: Oxford University Press, 2013); Joshua D. Hendrick, Gülen: The Ambiguous Politics of Market Islam in Turkey and the World (New York: New York University Press, 2013); Sophia Pandya and Nancy Gallagher, eds., The Gülen Hizmet Movement and Its Transnational Activities: Case Studies of Altruistic Activism in Contemporary Islam (Boca Raton, FL: BrownWalker Press, 2012). What makes the ideas of an Islamic scholar from the heartland of eastern Anatolia relevant to more than 150 countries across the world? To some, it is the authenticity, dedication, activism, sincerity, and solidarity of the participants in what Fethullah Gülen, the inspiring figure behind the movement, has called the “volunteers movement” or simply hizmet (service). This global movement provides opportunities for education, promotes intercultural dialogue, supports democratization and human rights, and connects businesses and activists for community partnership. To others, there is something sinister, something more than meets the eye, and hence it is a “project” with ulterior motives ranging from creating an Islamic state to serving the interests of Israel, the United States, and the Vatican. When there is such disagreement, a social theory perspective becomes critical to sorting out all of these competing and conflicting explanations. The three books under review provide various kaleidoscopes to make sense of such convoluted interpretations and raise interesting questions for future work in the burgeoning literature.1 The movement began as one of the many Islamic communities in Turkey’s diverse informal religious sector, which has traditionally offered a private alternative to the official Islam represented by the Diyanet (Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs). By the mid-1990s, however, it had distinguished itself from most of the rest through its words and deeds. This is the story of an enigmatic “preacher” who led a core group of seminary disciples ...