Religious communities and ISIL

Prof. Mumtazer Turkone
Prof. Mumtazer Turkone


Date posted: November 4, 2014

The sole antidote to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) are religious communities which traditionally establish very strong social balance.

Anyone who knows religious communities and can pass objective judgments about them will agree with this assertion. Violence, as symbolized by ISIL, is a result of the increased disintegration of traditional religious communities that maintain social peace, as well as of the traumas of modern society. ISIL is said to have some 25,000 militants from 80 countries. Any study of the social environment in which these militants grow up will reveal that they fail to obtain communal support and services. Profound hatred merges into a superficial Islam, which consists of memorizing a handful of verses or hadiths, to produce the savagery known as ISIL. Religious communities teach us to suppress or tolerate hatred, helping us divert the destructive energy of anger to solidarity and cooperation.

ISIL’s Salafi ideology relies on a very simple perception of religion: the literal interpretation of the Holy Qur’an and Prophet’s words. These literal interpretations can hardly solve the complex problems of contemporary societies. For organizations that turn religion into a war slogan like ISIL, nothing more is really needed. They only want to use religion as a motivator for killing and dying. ISIL’s terrifying fighting capabilities come from this motivation. Suicidal youths, who lead solitary lives in Western cities that fail to give meaning to their lives, become suicide bombers for ISIL by way of religious motivation.

The Salafi mentality is not the only movement that relies on the literal interpretation of religion. State-endorsed Islam or official Islam, also has to rely on this formal understanding of Islam in order to survive. The conception of religion, as represented by the Religious Affairs Directorate, shares exactly such a mentality. However, religious communities seek to find a common ground and common language, arriving at reconciliation instead of conflicting with each other. Such a question may still be formulated: Does ISIL’s propaganda fall within the range of authority of the Religious Affairs Directorate? The answer is obvious: more easily compared to religious communities.

As is the case with all religions and countries around the world, religious communities go beyond prayer and religious discourse in an attempt to solve social needs effectively through cooperation and solidarity. They derive their real strength not from the esoteric interpretation of religion, but from their performances in the social sphere. Religious communities compete with each other in terms of their social services and this competition raises the bar on social solidarity and therefore, plays a constructive role. As a result, not only the religious conception, but also the civil society sphere can become more pluralistic. For instance, the education sector constitutes a major area of social responsibility. The rise of the Hizmet movement is indisputably the result of its success in the education sector. Parents know that if they send their children to a school run by the Hizmet movement, they will receive the best academic training. Moreover, they can be assured that their kids will refrain from drug use, gangs and shady political organizations like ISIL.

While the Religious Affairs Directorate fails to raise any remarkable objection to ISIL’s Salafi interpretation of Islam, Cübbeli Ahmet Hoca, a civil religious leader, has been conducting an effective debate with ISIL. The criticisms he voices about ISIL can hardly be answered by the theoreticians of ISIL.

Thus, traditional religious communities constitute the only alternative and antidote to ISIL. ISIL’s relentless hostility against mystical interpretations and traditions is proof. Religious communities, as the only civil power in society that have perfected the art of satisfying society’s spiritual and material needs, represent the only basis for society to resist terrorist tendencies.

Source: Today's Zaman , November 3, 2014


Related News

Turkey torture claims in wake of failed coup

Kamil continues. “‘If you don’t speak, we’ll bring your wife here and rape her in front of your eyes’, they said. Then they took me to a dark room and tried to forcefully insert a baton into my anus. When they couldn’t do it, they left. Maybe I will forget the other torture – but for the sexual part, it is carved into the dirtiest corner of my heart.”

Gülen’s message on ISIL in UK-based Guardian newspaper

Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen’s message on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) appeared on Wednesday in the UK-based Guardian newspaper. In the message, Gülen says the actions of ISIL are a “disgrace to the faith they proclaim and crimes against humanity.”

GYV rejects claims that Hizmet movement dominates Turkey’s judiciary

The Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV) has strongly criticized and denied news reports suggesting that the Hizmet movement, which is inspired by well-respected Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, dominates the judiciary and bureaucratic positions within the Turkish state, calling the claims groundless. The claims appeared at a time when prosecutors summed up their case in […]

Afghan Turkish Schools have brought 75 medals to Afghanistan

The students of Afghan Turkish schools have won 75 medals in international science olympiads this year. The students who won medals were rewarded at an award ceremony at Afghan Turkish School in Kabul. These students have brought to Afghanistan 12 gold, 24 silver and 39 bronze medals, 75 medals in total. Mr. Faruk Vardak, the […]

Pro-gov’t columnist claims Obama could be Gülen’s White House ‘imam’

Mehmet Barlas, a columnist from the pro-government Sabah daily who is known as a staunch supporter of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, claimed in his column on Wednesday that US President Barack Obama could be an “imam” of the faith-based Gülen movement in Washington.

AK Party deputy Hakan Şükür against closure of prep schools

Former national team captain and current Justice and Development Party (AK Party) İstanbul deputy Hakan Şükür, referring to the government’s plan to shut down prep schools, has said it was wrong to vote “yes” on their closure before a process is carried out which eliminates the need for the schools.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Mass firings in Turkey: ‘We have been given a social death sentence’

Dialogue and Friendship Dinner in Portland, Oregon

Actually, the president is electing his republic

Tanzania to host int’l language, culture festival

Pak–Turk cooperation: Turkish NGO to support free eye surgeries

Fethullah Gulen issued messages of condolence for victims of the ISIS attacks in Iraq and Bangladesh

Another woman detained on coup charges one day after giving birth

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News