How does the Gülen Movement respond to provocation coming from outside agents?
The Gülen Movement is quite unlike exclusive, ideological solidaristic organizations with limited material and ideational resources. In the latter, organization is based upon symbolic incentives – either ideological or solidaristic: such incentives prove a significant surrogate for lack of material resources. Such organizations are at any time liable to use violent and coercive means. This becomes ever more likely as the rigidity of their organizational model or structure increases.
For some forty years now, the collective action of the Gülen Movement has shown no such tendency, nor been tempted in that direction. If any individual in the Movement has felt tempted to violence in response to provocation coming from outside agents, the Gülen Movement has successfully contained such impulses. The verbal and written discourse of the Gülen Movement has been and is available to all and shows no sign of condoning or inciting even disruption, still less violence.
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