One of the foundational principles of the teachings of M. Fethullah Gulen, and thus one of the animating principles of the Hizmet movement, is the notion that education is one of the primary means by which the human person becomes most authentically human and thus reaches her or his full potential.…
In many parts of the world, the quality of education provided by Gulen schools is relatively high, especially in the field of physical sciences where high technology laboratories and computer rooms are provided. Perhaps shedding more light on the educational philosophy of Gulen is appropriate here. There has not been one particular ideology promoted within the Gulen educational philosophy.…
In public schools, no attention is paid to the individuality and differences of students. The education is structured, strict and competitive. Here at L’Ecole des Etoiles, it is more individual oriented. They adapt it according to the personal differences. I see that children are confident both intellectually and morally, in every way. …
It isn’t fair to blame Islam for the atrocities of violent radicals. But when terrorists claim the Muslim mantle, then they bear this identity, if only nominally. Thus members of the faith must do whatever possible to prevent this cancer from metastasizing in our communities. If we don’t, we’ll be partly responsible for the smeared image of our faith.…
The development of the Gülen movement, also known as the Hizmet movement, in Kurdish-populated cities goes back to the late 1980s. The first Hizmet institutions were university exam prep centers (dershane) in Diyarbakir and Urfa in 1988. Hizmet’s educational initiatives were financed by local businessmen, who developed friendship ties through weekly tea conversations (sohbet). Hizmet’s charity activism is aimed at removing prejudices in both Turkish and Kurdish constituencies, and accordingly, building social trust in the long run.…
The common characteristics of Turkish school students, as frequently stated by all the participants, are being well-bred, hard working, honest, goal oriented, self-disciplined and rational individuals who appreciate the modern way of living. As is mentioned by Weber, these characteristics seem to reflect the values of Puritanism which played an important role in the development of capitalism in the USA, because these moral values and belonging to such a group were assets in the market economy. …
The findings of this study show the effectiveness of the Gülen-inspired educational institutions in Azerbaijan and their importance to the development of the country. Graduates of Gülen-inspired schools contribute to the betterment of the Azerbaijani education system and the development of the nation. The stories the participants told paint a clear picture of the contributions that Gülen-inspired schools are making to the country’s intellectual and social landscape: dedicated teachers providing quality education and forming strong ethical principles and moral values in their students. …
Fethullah Gülen envisages self-perfection as a means to revitalize compassionate acceptance of others, which is central to true humanism. It empowers spirituality against the carnal self (nafs) instead of shunning the material world. The compassionate acceptance of others, dialogue and a mutually supportive existence are central to discovering ‘true identity’. The two essential components, action and thought, are integrally linked to serving and guiding others…
The Gülen-inspired schools (or “Turkish schools” as they are often known) have now spread to 120 countries, the majority of which are not even officially Muslim, as far away as Africa and Latin America, the United States and East Asia. They have sometimes been established in countries where no Turkish Embassy or Turkish community had previously existed. In the end there can be no doubt that the schools serve the broader Turkish national interest in the goodwill that is created, similar to the American Peace Corps. Hizmet provides a major network of international connections.…
When asked why they give $1 million or more dollars each year to movement projects, the group of businessmen in Istanbul gave the following reasons: to make better human beings as Mr. Gülen encourages; to educate our youth; to please God; to earn a reward in the next life; to be part of a bigger movement to better the world; to provide hope to our people in Turkey and around the world. …