A Civilian Response to Ethno-Religious Conflict: The Gulen Movement in Southeast Turkey

Mardin in Southeast Turkey has suffered ethno-religious conflict for more than two decades. Mehmet Kalyoncu presents an extensive analysis on the activities of the Gülen movement as an antidote to this conflict. How the local people of different ethno-religious backgrounds mobilized and participated, how this eased ethno-religious tensions, and how the work of volunteers minimized support for terrorist organizations such as the PKK and Hizbullah, illustrates the appeal of Gülen's and the movement's ideas to people of diverse ethno-religious backgrounds. The success of movement participants in Mardin lays possible guidelines for tackling ethno-religious conflicts elsewhere in the world.