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

Cemevi next to mosque embraced by residents in Malatya

Since the groundbreaking ceremony of the first ever joint mosque-cemevi (Alevi place of worship) culture center was held in Ankara on Sept. 8, there has been an ongoing debate on the presence of joint religious centers, with Cihan news agency reporting on Monday of a site in Malatya’s Doğanyol district that has a mosque and […]

The Dialogue Eurasia Platform serves world peace for 15 years

The DAP is operating in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Ukraine.

Book Review: A Hizmet Approach to Rooting out Violent Extremism

The violent extremist ideology cannot be rooted out until an effective, coherent, comprehensive and well-reasoned counter-narrative is evolved. For that, all the theological, religious, political, historical, instrumental and socio-psychological underpinnings of the global jihadism have to be counter-argued and dismantled.

Why do I take sides

The faith-based social movement Gülen has inspired as one of the major civil society forces in Turkey which, through educational, media, business and social solidarity institutions, promotes democratization, socio-economic development and integration with the global community.

TİB conspired to libel Hizmet, tampered with system logs

An anonymous whistleblower from the Telecommunications Directorate (TİB), the agency responsible for carrying out legal wiretaps, sent an email to newspapers and TV stations on Tuesday claiming that there is a conspiracy to bring the Hizmet movement under suspicion of infiltrating the TİB.

Turkey cooperating with Israel to help Gaza

Diplomatic sources confirmed that an official from the Turkish Red Crescent went to Israel to coordinate humanitarian aid to be sent to Gaza. “There is no other way to provide aid to Gaza,” said the sources on Thursday. Dismissing claims that the Turkish official will be negotiating a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza, sources said Turkey is only in contact with the officials from Hamas and the US regarding the Palestinian territory.

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

Hizmet’s focus is on serving humanity, not only promoting Turkish

Erdogan’s Turkey silencing dissent, abusing terrorism charges – HRW report

Turkish charity Kimse Yok Mu delivers aid to Afghani flood victims

Erdoğan’s war against Hizmet: Step by step

‘Escape from Turkey’ recounts stories of post-coup crackdown victims fleeing Turkey

Hizmet Movement: Partners We Want

Gülen movement forms supranational new elite

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News