Transnational Gülenist Space and the Integration of Turks in Great Britain

Abstract

Building on the previous chapter, this chapter elaborates on the GM’s civil society activities at the local and national level, on the one hand, and its transnational engagements and activities, on the other. Based on original empirical findings, it reveals how these local, national and transnational ties and activities might affect the integration of Turkish-speaking people in Great Britain. The findings suggest that the movement’s community services and activities (i.e. education, dialogue and religious services and activities) and ‘connecting communities’ activities (i.e. bonding, bridging and linking) are likely to contribute to the integration of its members and the wider Turkish community in Britain. Equally, its transnational ties and networks, that is with the other sister organisations across Western Europe, enabling them to compare different integration policies and practices, and its cross-national activities such as religious and cultural trips (i.e. to Turkey or the Mecca, the holy city of Islam) for young members of the community, contribute to their identity-making processes and reduce the risk of cultural assimilation. Last but not least, no evidence was found suggesting that transnational ties and activities of the Gulenists foster extensive transnational engagements, strong national identities, radical/extremist ideas or practices, isolation from the wider society or ghettoisation and disloyalty towards the settled country; on the contrary, the movement promotes cross-national learning, empowers people and initiatives to discuss the terms of integration, fosters proactive citizenship and more importantly advances ethics of integration.