The Gülen Movement: Building Social Cohesion Through Dialogue and Education

"The existence of social conflicts and the lack of social cohesion are at the center of public debates in many societies. In recent years, these issues have often been linked to Muslims and their religious beliefs. The Islamic response to these allegations and the social problems evoking them has been diverse: this book concerns the reply of a transnational movement of volunteers inspired by the teachings of Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish Muslim scholar. This study represents an attempt to incorporate the Gülen Movement--also called the Volunteers Movement--into a social movement theory approach. In pluralist societies, there are different communication structures and different ways of conflict resolution. The Gülen Movement proposes and practices dialogue and education as two means to establish peace, by maintaining social cohesion and mending the social cleavages dividing Muslims and non-Muslims. It is not only Gülen's spiritual message that has inspired people to pursuit [sic] these ideals, but also his leadership. By focusing on its spiritual, intellectual, and practical dimension and its social background, this book contributes to a comprehensive understanding of one of the most promising contemporary social movements"--Publisher's description, back cover.