Is Gulen that powerful ?

Submitted by Lazman (United States), Dec 12, 2009 at 13:00

Yes, in a recent publication by Georgetown University, Fethullah Gulen was ranked as the world's 13th most powerful Muslim behind PM Erdogan at 5th ranking, yet it may be deceiving given Gulen and his organization's subtle Islamist approach.

Fethullah was even named as the number one scholar in the world by the British magazine Prospect last year. However, it is believed that Zaman, which is an Islamist newspaper tied to Fethullah, somewhat hijacked the title by asking all its readers to go to the website and vote for him.

Maybe Daniel Pipes can do a piece on Fethullah Gulen and the organization in the future and share his perspective on this powerful Islamic movement and its followers. Or maybe Gulen is the too powerful elephant in the room.

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Daniel Pipes replies:

I am not researching this topic but the journal I publish, the Middle East Quarterly, had this important article early in 2009: "Fethullah Gülen's Grand Ambition: Turkey's Islamist Danger" by Rachel Sharon-Krespin. It stirred considerable debate within Turkey.