In every local circle in which I interviewed, members expressed their trust in how their donations were being used. Repeatedly, interviewees said they never worried how their money was being used because they know it is being well spent.
Local circles are typically organized in two ways: (l) according to location and neighborhoods; and (2) according to education and jobs. For example, doctors in the same general area will meet together as will dentists, lawyers, accountants, teachers, factory workers, etc. In small meetings, participants talk about a variety of things, including religion, technical work, family and any aspect of life that is raised by members.
The development of the Gulen movement, or Hizmet (service), as its followers prefer to call it, in the Netherlands reflects the evolution of the Turkish community in general. Initially this largely consisted of single men who were recruited as workers in low-wage sectors of the Dutch economy.
How does Gulen manage to oversee a network of schools, media companies and other for-profit or non-profit organizations that are run based on his teachings? First of all, the word “oversee” means, “supervising (a person or work), especially in official capacity”. Therefore, by definition, it is not possible for Mr. Gulen, a man residing in […]
Martin Taylor In my previous blog, in an effort to understand and explain how the Gülen Movement (also called Hizmet) operates without a top-down organizational structure, I looked at Gore Inc, a privately owned high-tech company producing over a thousand products and an annual turnover of $2.5 billion with over 9,000 employees and factories in more […]
Martin Taylor The Gülen Movement, also known as Hizmet (service), is a social movement inspired by the Turkish Islamic scholar and peace activist Fethullah Gülen.[1] It began in Turkey in the 1970’s and operates principally in education, dialogue, media and relief work. It has founded over a thousand schools; even more dialogue organisations; clinics; media outlets; humanitarian aid […]
Dr. Ihsan Yilmaz When we look at the discussions and debates surrounding the Hizmet (Gülen) movement especially in the Turkish media, I observe that some writers are inclined to see the movement composed of a few relatively autonomous groups with sometimes clashing visions and practices. As someone who has been working on the movement in […]
Muhammed Cetin Participation in services takes relatively stable, enduring forms. Individuals come and go and replace one another but the projects remain and continue. Individual needs and collective goals are not mutually exclusive; they are one and the same thing, and in daily life coincide and interweave closely with the action of the Gülen Movement. […]
Muhammed Cetin One common characteristic of participants in the Gülen Movement is their acceptance of the scholarly authority of Fethullah Gülen. They tend, in addition, to emphasize particular aspects in the practice of their faith. These aspects emerge as distinguishing features or styles in their positive discourse and peaceful action. However, certain factors disable any sort […]
The volunteers of this movement have established in many countries around the world credible institutions and organizations operating in a variety of fields including education, health, media, dialogue, and relief, national and international trade. These are disparate organizations established by individuals or via a collective group of volunteers who operate professionally. The aforementioned organizations are […]
From Hizmet News