Have there been any instances or accusations of coercion, punishment or duress in the Gülen Movement?

Fethullah Gülen

There is certainly no pressure to join, believe or conform in the Gülen Movement. All participants are voluntarily and consciously involved. There have been no instances or accusations of coercive persuasion, manipulation of consciousness, forced self- or ego-destruction, brainwashing or psychological punishment or duress. None of these account for people taking part in the Gülen Movement.

Belonging to a community-based project or a service-network in the Gülen Movement signifies the integration of an individual into a collective, where there are appropriate channels for the expression of people’s aspirations and intentions to serve humanity. Moreover, participation is open-ended and multiple. People take part in intersecting and overlapping networks of affiliation. The service-networks can communicate with one another. At the same time each can be internally integrated but externally separated from the others by geography, objectives, local realities or regional sensitivities. Individual mobility and multiplicity of affiliations are encouraged and available to all in the Gülen Movement. Associative, occupational, communal and institutional channels to handle demands are always open and help to prevent segregation and conflict.