The Gulen Movement in Ireland: Civil Society Engagements of a Turkish Religio-cultural Movement

In recent years there has been a growing interest among sociologists regarding the transnational engagements of migrant communities and organizations. This paper contributes to this body of knowledge by focusing on a Turkish religio-cultural society in Ireland, namely the Turkish Irish Educational and Cultural Society (TIECS). This society is affiliated with the Turkey-based transnational Gulen movement. Drawing on ethnography and qualitative interviews conducted with members of TIECS, the study examines their contribution to the discourse on Islam and integration in Ireland and shows how they exploit global opportunity spaces in order to expand the Gulen movement's presence in Europe.