PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS VALUES IN THE MUSLIM WORLD: THE CASE OF THE GÜLEN MOVEMENT

Abstract

The premise of this paper is that human rights values are a persistent theme of Fethullah Gülen’s thought and tajdid and expressed by the Gülen movement through example. That tajdid is collectively constructed and communicated by allowing for adaptation and indigenisation in flexible response to different socio-cultural con- texts. What is more, Gülen’s views on democracy, pluralism, human rights and free- dom of belief directly promote human rights values and norms. The paper argues that the Muslim world is very important to Gülen’s overall aspiration for an inclusive civilisation and thus the movement is now active in most parts of that world. In time, as in Turkey, Gülen’s ideas will enable and empower the periphery in Muslim socie- ties to influence the centre ground and open the way for wider enjoyment of freedom and human rights. The paper is in three sections. The first looks at the underlying dynamics of Gülen’s influence and the nature of his tajdid, to assess whether his influence is transferable elsewhere. The second appraises the content of Gülen’s tajdid arguing that human rights values are an inherent theme of his discourse on Islam. Here, the paper analy- ses Gülen’s views on Anatolian Muslimness, democracy and politics, human rights and freedom of belief, illustrating Gülen’s incremental ijtihad on temporal punish- ment for apostasy in Islamic law. The third part traces the movement’s activities in the Muslim world, arguing that the movement has now entered a phase of adoles- cence, and asks whether Gulen’s tajdid and discourse, through the practice of the movement, can indeed promote human rights values in this world.

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