The Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, who has gained recognition far beyond Turkey, along with the Hizmet movement inspired by him, is now also in the public spotlight in German-speaking countries. On one hand, the Gülen movement is met with respect and recognition for its globally successful educational work, interfaith dialogue efforts, and successful media initiatives. At the same time, skeptics warn of a supposed hidden agenda of Islamism. Muhammed Mustafa Akdag has conducted cross-border research for years on issues related to the Gülen movement. He investigated the concept of humanity that Fethullah Gülen and the service movement inspired by him represent and engaged deeply with Gülen's roots in the Islamic tradition.