Millî Görüş

Millî Görüş
Name	Millî Görüş
Founded	1969
Founder	Necmettin Erbakan
Ideology	Political Islam, Turkish nationalism, Conservatism
Region	Turkey, Europe
Headquarters	Ankara

Millî Görüş is a Turkish political and social movement founded in the late 20th century that combined Islamic revivalism, Turkish cultural identity, and conservative social policies. It originated in Ankara and Istanbul and has influenced multiple political parties, social organizations, and diaspora networks across Europe. The movement has been associated with prominent figures, institutional initiatives, and contentious debates over secularism, democracy, and identity in Turkey and among Turkish communities abroad.

History

The movement traces its roots to the intellectual and political activities of Necmettin Erbakan, who engaged with ideas circulated in Ankara, Istanbul, Konya, Eskişehir, and Bursa during the 1960s and 1970s. Erbakan’s early affiliations connected him with networks linked to Milli Selamet Partisi, National Order Party, Alparslan Türkeş, and broader currents influenced by debates in Cairo and Tehran. In the 1970s the movement’s organizations intersected with student groups at Ankara University, activists from İstanbul Technical University, and municipal politics in Beyoğlu and Kadıköy. After the 1980 Turkish coup d'état and the 1997 Turkish military memorandum, the movement underwent splits and reconfigurations, spawning parties that contested elections in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir, and rural provinces. Key moments include the formation of parties that succeeded one another through legal bans and rebrandings, interaction with Soviet-era debates about religion, and engagement with European institutions in Brussels and Strasbourg.

Ideology and Principles

The movement synthesizes doctrines articulated by Erbakan and associated thinkers with intellectual currents from Islamic Modernism, transnational networks linked to Muslim Brotherhood, and conservative thinkers in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Its program emphasizes moral revival, economic self-sufficiency, and cultural preservation, drawing on scholarship from Aydın Sayılı-era histories, juridical debates influenced by Suleyman Demirel-era policy, and critiques of Western hegemony discussed in forums in Geneva and New York City. The ideological framework references jurisprudential debates associated with scholars from Cairo University, social doctrines debated in London think tanks, and economic models compared with those of Malaysia and Indonesia. Core principles have been presented at conferences hosted by institutions in Ankara, Istanbul, Munich, and Rotterdam.

Political Activities and Parties

Political expression took shape through successive parties, electoral campaigns, and coalitions. After the National Order Party era, later incarnations contested seats against parties such as Justice and Development Party (AKP), Republican People's Party (CHP), True Path Party, and Motherland Party (ANAP). Leaders campaigned in constituencies in Ankara, Istanbul, Bursa, and Sakarya, participated in municipal administrations like Kayseri and Konya, and negotiated with state institutions including the Constitutional Court of Turkey and the Supreme Board of Elections. Internationally, representatives engaged with bodies such as the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, and municipal councils in Berlin, Vienna, and Amsterdam.

Social and Cultural Initiatives

Affiliated foundations, charities, and educational institutions promoted social programs, vocational training, and cultural activities in neighborhoods in Fatih, Esenler, Kasımpaşa, and suburbs across Europe. Initiatives included establishing madrasah-inspired schools, community centers modeled after projects in Cairo, cultural festivals comparable to events in Istanbul Biennial contexts, and publishing houses producing works discussed at forums in Ankara, İstanbul, Frankfurt, and Antwerp. Outreach programs targeted youth associations, trade unions, and migrant support groups in cities such as Cologne, Rotterdam, Zurich, and Brussels.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

Organizationally the movement developed hierarchical and networked bodies with provincial offices, local branches, and transnational committees. Key leadership figures included Necmettin Erbakan and subsequent politicians who led successor parties, with organizational hubs in Ankara and Istanbul. Structures incorporated advisory councils, women's branches, and youth wings that paralleled models used by parties like Hamas-affiliated civil society groups, though rooted in Turkish contexts such as Konya and Samsun. The movement interacted with professional associations, chambers like the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey, and academic faculties at Boğaziçi University and Hacettepe University.

Controversies and Criticisms

Critics—ranging from secularists, Kemalist institutions, and leftist groups to international observers in Brussels and Washington, D.C.—have raised concerns about alleged authoritarian tendencies, church-state separation debates, and positions on women's rights debated in Ankara courts and public fora. Legal challenges before the Constitutional Court of Turkey, media coverage in outlets in Istanbul and Ankara, and protests in public squares comparable to events in Taksim Square highlighted tensions. Opponents from parties like CHP and intellectuals associated with Atatürk-era reforms criticized elements of the movement, while analysts in universities such as Middle East Technical University and İstanbul University produced studies scrutinizing its policy proposals.

International Presence and Diaspora Activities

Diaspora networks established branches, mosques, cultural centers, and advocacy organizations across Europe and North America, with notable concentrations in Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Sweden, and France. Activities included lobbying municipal governments in Berlin and Rotterdam, engaging with the European Parliament and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and forming coalitions with immigrant organizations in Toronto, New York City, and Zurich. Connections extended to Turkish consular networks in Düsseldorf and Antwerp and to transnational religious networks linking to scholarship in Cairo and Riyadh.

Category:Political movements in Turkey Category:Turkish diaspora