Transformation of the Islamic Community, Disciple and Master in the Digital Field on the Axis of Populism and Neoliberalism: The Case of the Uwaysi (Üveysi) Religious Community

In this article, the Uwaysi community, an Islamic mystical community that shares hundreds of broadcasts on the Youtube platform and actively uses many other social media channels, will be discussed.

Uwaysi is a method of spiritual enlightenment that has existed in the Islamic mysticism tradition. In the history of Islamic Sufism, when Uwaysi is called, it is understood that the Muslim Sufi group is enlightened by the spirituality of any great Islamic personality who has passed away. With the expression "Uveysi", which is the subject of this study, there is no mention of Sufi dervishes who individually define themselves as Uwaysi in the Islamic Sufi tradition or history. The Uwaysis, who are the subject of the research, are the members of the community who learn and practice a kind of Uwaysi method under the influence of the community, which is understood to have been founded by Muharrem Karabay in İzmir in 2007.

The emphasis on individualism and individualization in the discourses of the Uwaysi community, which is organized as an active religious community and uses the media effectively to increase the number of its members, is striking. Although Muharrem Karabay claims to offer a method of mystical creed, he vehemently opposes the definitions used by traditional Sufi communities such as disciple, mentor, community or sect, claiming that they enslave Muslims, and defines traditional sects or communities as harmful and malicious to Muslims. In the article, the narratives used by the leader of the community in the promotion of the community are analyzed with the method of discourse analysis, and how the community positions itself and how it distinguishes itself from other Islamic mystical communities.

According to the findings, it has been seen that the Uwaysis criticize the hierarchical relationship between the disciple-guide in traditional Sufi communities and the unquestionable authority of the master, and define their own community as a more flexible community structure in which the disciple and the master act as individuals with equal positions. In all discourses, it is often claimed that one can individually complete the journey of seeking God through dreams.

Here, a populist discursive strategy comes into play to legitimize the Uwaysi path, and it is claimed that the disciples or sheikhs exploit and deceive Muslims through communities. Thus, it is stated that all of the traditional communities are defined negatively and the Sufi methods in the context of the traditional sect are also dysfunctional, and it is stated that the Uveym is a reliable and valid way today. Using a populist rhetoric, the community-taught Uwaysi path is presented as a recipe for salvation for ordinary Muslim people under the persecution of elite political and religious leaders.

Despite the pretense that this path is individual, members are encouraged to seek the guidance of congregation teachers and intra-communal group interaction is encouraged. Thus, members are included in a community-type organization rather than a group of individuals. In addition, the members are promised that if they apply this method, they will quickly reach various spiritual positions, gains, talents and worldly blessings that may never have been achieved in traditional sects for many years. In this respect, a rationalization/rationalism discourse, which is not present or even rejected in traditional Sufi teachings, is used, and it is guaranteed that the individual can achieve worldly and otherworldly gains in proportion to his efforts to do dhikr and goodness. In this respect, it is seen that a Protestant understanding in the context of rationality and individuality is included in traditional Sufi thought, and thus traditional Sufi teachings are modified and derived in a new way with the discourse of Uwaysi and served to potential community members in various social media environments.

Keywords: Religious community/sect, Social Media, Youtube, Uwaysi, Foucault, Discourse analysis, Neoliberalism, Populism.