Bruce Eldridge Education, according to Gülen, is a key tool in the development of society. For Gülen, education is an all-encompassing lifelong process. As an educationalist, Gülen does not confine his understanding of education to one particular facet of life. A proper education includes religion. “If [a thing] is a fundamental principle of religion, then […]
Doğu Ergil Can the Gülen Movement be characterized as a Sufi order? Is it possible to call it a Sufi order considering the teachings regarding the spiritual realm and practices of daily life? Although the basic dynamics of the Gülen Movement and the dynamics of the classical Sufi traditions appear similar, in terms of organization […]
M. Hakan Yavuz* The question of just who Fethullah Gülen is has vexed many. According to his own declaration, he is a stranger in his own land, a political and spiritual exile in his birthplace, as well as not fully at home in any particular era. He is a stranger (garip) steeped in anxiety, a […]
Yuksel A. Aslandogan, Muhammed Cetin Fethullah Gülen’s motivational efforts started initially with teachers and potential sponsors. He went to great lengths to motivate college students to choose education as their profession. He saw altruism as the key to convincing business owners and entrepreneurs of the feasibility of sponsoring educational projects. Today, a transcending responsibility that […]
Fethullah Gülen I would like to make it very clear that any terrorist activity, no matter by whom it is carried out or for what purpose, is the greatest blow to peace, democracy, and humanity. For this reason, no one—and certainly no Muslim—can approve of any terrorist activity. Terror has no place in a quest […]
Helen R. Ebaugh A major focus of Mr. Fethullah Gülen’s teaching is the need to create bridges between the Muslim world and the West, along with the importance of synthesizing scientific and technological advances in contemporary Muslim society. He believes that just Turks played a pivotal religious and cultural role under the Ottomans for centuries, […]
The place where Gülen lives has been a heated topic among the Turkish public given recurrent news reports that appear in dailies in an attempt to cast doubt on where the Islamic scholar, who left Turkey in 1999, resides. While speculation and news reports among some national media outlets have claimed that prominent Turkish Islamic […]
Gülen, in many places and occasions, talks about “Ideal Person” and the “Golden Generation,” which is made of those ideal persons. The ideal persons or the golden generation will hopefully appear among us soon like flowers blossom in the spring. But before spring is winter. That is, their coming will not be easy. Among wavering crowds […]
In democratic societies, freedom of expression and freedom of the press are inalienable fundamental rights. This position is put forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights. Being able to express marginal, radical or extreme views is a requirement of democracy and freedom of expression so long as […]
Hizmet is a faith-inspired civil society movement that seeks to create a culture of coexistence within universal, humanist values and is comprised of volunteers. The essence of volunteerism is to make a contribution without the expectation of anything in return. Put a different way, whoever does his service with any expectations whatsoever would not be […]