Does the Gülen Movement engage in identity politics (based on faith or nationality, for example)?
The Gülen Movement does not engage in identity politics. It does not seek to be different from other people, ethno-religiously, culturally or geographically. The Gülen Movement sees a radical form of identity politics as dangerous for society because of its intolerance, exclusivism, and self-defeating fundamentalism.
Movement participants accept and abide by Turkish and international norms, regulations and laws. They share the concerns and problems common to people all over the world, and work to contribute to their resolution. The worldview, intentions and efforts of the Gülen Movement are accepted and approved by the overwhelming majority of people in Turkey and by those who know their efforts outside Turkey. So the Movement is able to become an agent of reconciliation between diverse communities around the world. These efforts are put into practice through legal, formalized and institutionalized means.
The Gülen Movement is defined in terms of its social and multicultural relations; its intention to seek consensus among communities legitimates its transnational projects, so that it does not deviate into, or let others be led astray into, fundamentalism and sectarianism.
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