Do the relational networks function as a substitute for family or other relationships?
No, the relational networks do not take that kind of form. Instead, they are built and strengthened through interaction and through the value that is attributed to individual views, to contribution to philanthropic projects and to collective reasoning. Individuals are not looking for a communal identity, or to replace or relocate primary associations (gender, age-group, locality, ethnicity, etc.). The participants are not previously isolated people. They do not see the Gülen Movement as a surrogate family. They are not using networks as a temporary means to search for identity or to achieve or resist political power. They find an authentic relation to themselves and to others and therefore call one another and the whole society to responsibility.
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