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

Abstract

Books Reviewed: M. Hakan Yavuz, Toward an Islamic Enlightenment: TheGülen 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 NancyGallagher, 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 Anatoliarelevant to more than 150 countries across the world? To some, it is theauthenticity, dedication, activism, sincerity, and solidarity of the participantsin what Fethullah Gülen, the inspiring figure behind the movement, has calledthe “volunteers movement” or simply hizmet (service). This global movementprovides opportunities for education, promotes intercultural dialogue, supportsdemocratization and human rights, and connects businesses and activists forcommunity partnership. To others, there is something sinister, something morethan meets the eye, and hence it is a “project” with ulterior motives rangingfrom creating an Islamic state to serving the interests of Israel, the UnitedStates, and the Vatican. When there is such disagreement, a social theory perspectivebecomes critical to sorting out all of these competing and conflictingexplanations. The three books under review provide various kaleidoscopes tomake sense of such convoluted interpretations and raise interesting questionsfor future work in the burgeoning literature.1The movement began as one of the many Islamic communities inTurkey’s diverse informal religious sector, which has traditionally offered aprivate alternative to the official Islam represented by the Diyanet (TurkishDirectorate of Religious Affairs). By the mid-1990s, however, it had distinguisheditself from most of the rest through its words and deeds. This is thestory of an enigmatic “preacher” who led a core group of seminary disciples ...