European turks in between local and transnational Islamic networks: The hizmet movement as a translocal actor in the religiosity of turks in France and Germany

Abstract

This chapter retraces the development of the Hizmet or Gülen movement from a small group in Turkish İzmir into a transnational network operating in several countries, one offering a wide range of services such as remedial teaching schools, media channels, and NGOs and that is highly attractive for second-generation Turks. The first part of the chapter explores the history of Turkish immigration to France and Germany and the structures of Muslim organizations existing among Turkish immigrants in these countries. It describes how associational life among the first generation of Turks focused on the mosque, on various informal services gathered around it, and on a “cultural folk Islam” tied to Turkish ethnicity. It was only later that some transnational, but also fundamentalist, Muslim organizations such as Süleymancilar, IGMG, or Kaplancilar appeared. Following on, in the second part of the chapter we outline the historical development of the Hizmet movement and its current structures in France and Germany. By using several interactions between Hizmet representatives and members of the national governments in France and Germany as examples, we show the degree of acceptance and institutionalization that the movement currently enjoys. As a general conclusion we suggest that Hizmet offers an alternative religiosity because of its transnational orientation, its decentralized, bottom-up structure, and its combination of secular and pious practices, allowing young Turkish Muslims to become involved in society, to be successful, and to live their faith in a way that suits them and their values.