March 21, 2012

Why is the Gülen Movement being classified as a civic initiative or civil society movement?

fgulen.org

Civil society is an arena of friendships and associations. It provides citizens with opportunities to learn the democratic habits of free assembly, non-coercive dialogue, and socioeconomic initiative. It covers a broad array of organizations that are essentially private, that is, outside the institutional structures of government. These include voluntary associations that are beyond the household but outside the state.

For these reasons the Gülen Movement is now best described as a civic initiative or a civil society movement that started as faith-initiated, non-contentious, cultural and educational service-projects. It is not a governmental or a state sponsored organization. It is an apolitical, social, altruistic action. It centers on the individual, individual change and the education of the individual. Part of this education is also focused on raising consciousness about legality, lawfulness, human rights and one’s constitutionally defined rights. It also works for the consolidation, therefore, of pluralist participatory democracy and equal rights.