Publication: From transnational political movement to a Europeanized Muslim non-governmental organization : the Islamic community Millî Görüş (IGMG)
Abstract
Almanya'daki Milli Görüş hareketi 1969 yılında Braunscweig'deki bir mescit etrafında kurulmuş ve Almanya Türk Birliği olarak adlandırılmıştı. 1985'te Avrupa Milli Görüş Teşkilatları (AMGT) ve son olarak 1995 yılında Islamische Gemeinschaft Milli Görüş (İslam Toplumu Millî Görüş, IGMG) adını almıştır. IGMG dönemiyle birlikte Almanya'daki Milli Görüş genel merkez düzeyinde dikkat çekici dönüşümler geçirmiştir. Temelde ulusaşırı göç literatürüne dayanan tezimin ana araştırma sorusu IGMG'nin kurulmasından sonra organizasyonun nasıl dönüştüğüdür. Araştırma sonucunda bu dönüşümde etkili olduğu görülen faktörler şunlardır: IGMG'nin Türkiye ile güçlenen ve zayıflayan ulusaşırı ağları, insani kaynak ve mali yardım sağlaması, Alman ve Türkiye devletlerinin IGMG'ye yönelik kurumsal baskıları, İslami holding şirketlerinin iflası, IGMG yönetiminde nesil değişimi, Alman kurumsal stratejilerinin etkisi, IGMG'ye yönelik suçlamaları ve IGMG'nin bunlara karşı verdiği cevaplar. Bu araştırma çerçevesinde söz konusu faktörlerin etkisiyle IGMG'nin siyasi bir hareketten Avrupalılaşmış bir Müslüman sivil toplum kuruluşuna dönüştüğü iddia edilmektedir. Çalışmada belge analizi, derinlemesine mülakat, arşiv araştırması ve katılımcı gözlem yöntemlerinden yararlanılmıştır. Çalışmanın Avrupa'daki İslami hareketlerin anlaşılmasına ve ulusaşırı göç literatürüne katkı yapması hedeflenmektedir.
The Milli Görüş movement in Germany was founded in 1969 around a mosque in Braunscweig and named the German Turkish Union. It was renamed The Union of the New World Vision in Europe (Avrupa Milli Görüş Teşkilatları, AMGT) in 1985 and finally Islamische Gemeinschaft Milli Görüş (The Islamic Community Millî Görüş, IGMG) in 1995. With the IGMG period, Milli Görüş in Germany underwent a remarkable transformation at the leadership level in terms of both personnel and vision. Based on the transnational migration literature, the research question of my thesis is about how the organization has been transformed since the mid-1990s with the establishment of the IGMG. My research has found three factors effective in this transformation: reinforcements of links, the IGMG's strengthening and weakening transnational connections with Turkey (including its providing human resources and financial assistance to the Turkish Milli Görüş), institutional pressures on the Milli Görüş in both Turkey and Germany, the bankruptcy of the Islamic holding companies, the generational shift in IGMG's management, the impact of German institutional strategies, including the accusations against the IGMG and the IGMG's responses to them. The thesis concludes that the IGMG been transformed from a political movement to a Europeanized Muslim NGO as a result of these factors. Main methods used in the research include document analysis, interview, archival research, and participant observation. Thus, this thesis hopes to make a contribution to the study of Islamic movements in Europe as well as the transnational migration literature.
The Milli Görüş movement in Germany was founded in 1969 around a mosque in Braunscweig and named the German Turkish Union. It was renamed The Union of the New World Vision in Europe (Avrupa Milli Görüş Teşkilatları, AMGT) in 1985 and finally Islamische Gemeinschaft Milli Görüş (The Islamic Community Millî Görüş, IGMG) in 1995. With the IGMG period, Milli Görüş in Germany underwent a remarkable transformation at the leadership level in terms of both personnel and vision. Based on the transnational migration literature, the research question of my thesis is about how the organization has been transformed since the mid-1990s with the establishment of the IGMG. My research has found three factors effective in this transformation: reinforcements of links, the IGMG's strengthening and weakening transnational connections with Turkey (including its providing human resources and financial assistance to the Turkish Milli Görüş), institutional pressures on the Milli Görüş in both Turkey and Germany, the bankruptcy of the Islamic holding companies, the generational shift in IGMG's management, the impact of German institutional strategies, including the accusations against the IGMG and the IGMG's responses to them. The thesis concludes that the IGMG been transformed from a political movement to a Europeanized Muslim NGO as a result of these factors. Main methods used in the research include document analysis, interview, archival research, and participant observation. Thus, this thesis hopes to make a contribution to the study of Islamic movements in Europe as well as the transnational migration literature.