Turkish Islam and the secular state

"In the first book of its kind, M. Hakan Yavuz and John L. Esposito explore recent reformations of Islam and culture in Turkey and the successful Islamic modernist Fethullah Gulen movement. As one of the most significant religious movements to emerge in Turkey in the past fifty years, the Gulen movement combines a devotion to Islam with love for modern learning, especially modern science. This groundbreaking work focuses on and explains the nexus of complex historical and political developments that have contributed to the transformation of Islam in Turkey, and to the movement's sphere of influence stretching into the Balkans and Central Asia through the establishment of schools outside Turkey. The book cogently traces the origins of Gulen's ideology and his early efforts to propagate his views through educational activities. It details the various strategies employed by Gulen's followers to put his ideas into practice, both in Turkey and around the world. Contributors describe its intellectual and religious formation, its spread across Turkey and Central Asia, and its influence on citizens outside the movement, including leading Turkish politicians"--Jacket.