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| Hizmet | |
|---|---|
| Name | Hizmet movement |
| Founder | Fethullah Gülen |
| Founding date | 1970s |
| Headquarters | Pennsylvania, United States; Turkey |
| Area served | Global |
| Ideology | Islamic activism; social conservatism; interfaith dialogue |
Hizmet
The movement known as Hizmet emerged as a transnational social and religious initiative associated with educator and preacher Fethullah Gülen. It emphasizes grassroots social outreach through schools, charitable organizations, and interfaith dialogue, while attracting attention from states, media, and legal systems across Turkey, the United States, and many other countries. Scholarly and journalistic accounts debate its organizational coherence, political ambitions, and role in episodes such as the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt.
The movement traces roots to the teachings of Fethullah Gülen, who began preaching in the 1960s and 1970s alongside figures from the Nur movement, engaging audiences in cities like İzmir, Sakarya, and Istanbul. Early development involved networks of teachers, businessmen, and civil society activists influenced by thinkers such as Said Nursi and interacting with institutions like Anadolu Üniversitesi and local mosques in Anatolia. Expansion intensified during the 1980s and 1990s through migration and diasporic ties to locales including Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Kenya, and Malaysia.
Adherents draw on a synthesis of Islamic pietism connected to the writings of Said Nursi and the preaching style of Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan, promoting values commonly expressed in sermons, conferences, and publications distributed via networks linked to outlets like Zaman newspaper and the Samanyolu Broadcasting Group. Common activities include founding charitable trusts, relief projects in response to disasters involving organizations such as International Blue Crescent (IBC), and participation in interreligious forums alongside delegations from Vatican representatives, World Council of Churches, and delegations from Jewish community organizations and Buddhist interlocutors. Critics and supporters alike reference engagement with professional associations, trade groups, and communal institutions including commerce chambers and business federations in cities like Istanbul, Ankara, New York City, and Washington, D.C..
The movement has been associated with an international network of private schools, universities, and cultural centers that established campuses and language institutions across continents—named examples include Fatih University (closed), private schools in Chile, technical colleges in Malaysia, and charter school chains in the United States such as those connected to local education authorities in Texas and Florida. Cultural initiatives included media outlets like Samanyolu TV, publishing houses, symposiums at universities like Harvard University and Yale University, and libraries and museums in municipal partnerships in cities including Bursa and Eskişehir.
Relations with political actors have been contentious: initial alignment with the Justice and Development Party figures led to collaboration and later rupture with senior officials including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Allegations of infiltration into state institutions such as the Turkish Armed Forces, Judiciary of Turkey, and National Intelligence Organization (Turkey) have been central to Turkish governmental campaigns. Events such as the 2013 corruption investigations in Turkey, subsequent purges, and the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt intensified disputes involving prosecutors, police chiefs, and parliamentary debates in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.
Legal conflicts include prosecutions, asset seizures, and designations by Turkish courts and administrative bodies targeting institutions like former media conglomerates and bank accounts linked to business associations. International responses varied: courts in the United States and Netherlands handled extradition requests and civil suits, while organizations such as the European Court of Human Rights and NGOs like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International commented on due process and freedom of association. Governments including those of Pakistan, Kosovo, and Somalia navigated school management disputes, and diplomatic tensions arose between Ankara and capitals such as Washington, D.C. and Brussels.
The network operates through interlocking entities: foundations, private companies, school administrations, and charitable trusts; notable organizational forms include vakıf-style foundations common in Turkey, education corporations in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, and nonprofit associations in Germany and France. Funding sources reported in investigative and financial reporting encompass tuition fees, donations from businessmen associated with trade federations like the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), revenues from media enterprises, and philanthropy linked to entrepreneurs operating in sectors from construction to finance in cities such as Istanbul and Ankara.
Fethullah Gülen remains the central spiritual figure, with other key persons and institutions appearing in public records, media investigations, and academic studies including journalists from Zaman newspaper, executives of Samanyolu Broadcasting Group, educators linked to colleges in Indonesia and Kazakhstan, and businessmen active in chambers like MÜSİAD. The movement's global footprint influenced policy discussions at multilateral forums including United Nations agencies, bilateral education agreements, and local community relations in metropolitan areas like London, Berlin, Toronto, and Istanbul. Its contested status shaped legal precedent, media landscapes, and diplomatic exchanges across continents.
Category:Transnational movements Category:Islamic organizations