Islam and Turks in Belgium: Communities and Associations (New Directions in Islam)

Drawing on qualitative research conducted in Brussels, Wallonia and Flanders, Islam and Turks in Belgium examines the interdependence between Muslim community and association. With a focus on social groups, religious structures and circles within Turkish populations, this book demonstrates how communal and associative movements operate through a combination of relationships of proximity and distance. Proximity is a way in which Muslim organisations establish religious, social, and cultural ties with communities. Distance, on the other hand, takes into account social, historical, and political elements from abroad, and refers to the relationship with the Muslim world more broadly. As this reciprocal web of relations gives rise to Islamic mobilisations, it leads to the emergence or persistence of different figures of authority within associations and communities who articulate traditional, charismatic, and bureaucratic legitimacies. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of the sociology of religion, migration, race, ethnicity and Islamic studies. Contents 6 Chapter 1: Introduction 7 Scope of Research: Questions, Issues, and Contexts 9 Research Methodology 12 Archival Research 12 Ethnographic Research 13 Mixed Methods 14 Research Ethics on Studying Muslim Communities 16 Epistemology and Hypotheses of Research 17 Chapter 2: Religious Movements Among the Turks in Belgium 23 The Diyanet 23 The Formation of the Diyanet as a Religious Authority Among the Turks 24 The Organization of the Diyanet in Belgium 25 The Types of Religious, Social, and Cultural Activities in Which the Diyanet Engages 28 Milli Görüş 30 The Formation of Milli Görüş as a Religious Movement 30 The Organization of Milli Görüş in Belgium 32 Types of Religious, Social, and Cultural Actions 34 The Süleymanlıs 35 The Nurcu Movement 38 The Gülen Movement 40 The Organization of the Gülen Movement in Belgium 41 Types of Activities of the Movement 44 The Nationalist Ülkücü Movement and Religion 45 The Ülkücü Movement as a Historical Category in the Turkish World 45 The Ülkücü Organization in Belgium 47 The Menzil Brotherhood 49 Shiism and the Turks 52 General Aspects of Shiism and Its Geographic Distribution Among the Turks in Belgium 52 The Alevıs 55 Organization of Alevism in Belgium 56 Alevi Ritual Practices and Cultural Activities in Belgium 58 Chapter 3: Islamic Movement, Mobilization, and Authority 60 Introduction 60 The Case of the Yeşil Camii Mosque in Houthalen-Helchteren 61 The Case of Verviers 63 The Muslim Mobilization 67 Islam and Traditional Power 71 Religion and Bureaucratic, Administrative, and Associative Power 73 Islam as a Permanent Movement 79 Proximity and Territoriality Among the Turks 80 Proximity and Social Relations 83 The Relationship to the Distance 87 Permanent Movement and Religious Temporality 90 Chapter 4: Conclusion: Community (Cemaat) and Association (Cemiyet) 93 Bibliography 97 Index 102