With conservative Muslim believers becoming more visible in Turkey these days, a movement founded by a charismatic Islamic theologian, Fetullah Gülen, is attracting increasing outside interest. The Gülen movement’s public profile is defined mainly by a worldwide network of schools that it operates, yet little is known about the inner workings of the organization’s educational component.
Amid a struggle to determine religion’s role in Azerbaijan, a controversial movement led by Turkish theologian Fetullah Gulen is attempting to establish itself as the face of moderate, politically acceptable Islam in Baku. There are several factors, however, that are limiting the Gulen movement’s ability to achieve its goal.
An armed Kurdish group slowly weaning itself off Marxist-Leninism and a powerful Islamic movement that preaches interfaith dialogue laced with Turkish nationalism: the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Fethullah Gulen Movement do not seem to be natural bed-fellows.
