Brief History of the Gulenist Cult - 1 скачать в хорошем качестве

Brief History of the Gulenist Cult - 1

The Gulenist cult, presented by cult members as a “service” (Hizmet), is a strictly hierarchical cult named after its leader, the U.S.-based Turkish national Fethullah Gulen. The Gulenist cult, which posed as a charity organization with religious undertones for decades, seeks to expand its clout not only in Turkey but across the world.The cult emerged in the late 1960s in the city of Izmir as a faith-based initiative centered around creating educational opportunities in the form of scholarships, dormitories, schools, and private tutoring centers. After establishing a presence throughout Turkey in the 1970s and 1980s, the Gulenist cult expanded its operations internationally, first in the post-Soviet states, and became a global movement with social, economic, and political aspirations inspired by the writings and preaching of cult leader Fethullah Gulen. It has grown into a transnational cult movement comprising foundations, companies, and professional associations. It has no formal structure, no visible official structure, and no official membership. However, there is a strict hierarchy among its followers. In their idiosyncratic chain of hierarchy, an elementary school teacher might possess the authority to give orders to an army general. For decades, the key points in the Gulenist cult were secrecy and Gulen’s complete control over his organization. Although Gulen is seen by his followers as an infallible spiritual leader, who emphasizes education and altruism, he actually established one of the oldest (more than four decades of cultist radicalization) and most violent examples of a modern cult on a global scale. There are hundreds of thousands of Gulenist cult members in various countries, where they hold influential positions in institutions ranging from the police and secret services to the judiciary.