| Publication |
2011.
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| Summary/Abstract |
Transnational Islamic organizations play a significant role in the lives of Germany's substantial Turkish Muslim population. Nonetheless the relation between these movements and German authorities is far from uniform. While the Milli Görüs, is the largest Turkish transnational Islamic movement in Germany, the much smaller Gülen Hareketi (Gülen movement) has been significantly more successful in gaining the acceptance of local and national authorities. While traditional explanations argue that the Gülen movement's "liberal," "educational Islam" has much more appeal to Western officials than the Milli Görüs,'s "anti-integrative," "political Islamism," this paper argues that institutional structure of the two movements has historically been a more important factor than their ideological platforms in whether they can gain the trust of German authorities. The learning centers and interfaith dialogue centers of the Gülen movement in Europe served as open, accessible, and neutral sites for German officials to visit and monitor, thereby enhancing communication and diminishing suspicion. In contrast, the mosque-based network of the Milli Görüs, served as a barrier between movement members and state officials. The structures in which the Milli Görüs, and Gülen movement operated thus produced radically different outcomes in their ability to signal German authorities of the movements' ideologies and intentions.
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