Leonid R. Sykiainen In a number of his publications Fethullah Gülen analyses in a short but very deep manner the present situation in the Muslim world. He agrees that during a long period of time the Muslim societies have been witnessing a…
Fethullah Gülen refutes in his speeches and writings Islamist claims for an Islamic political platform: “Islam does not propose a certain unchangeable form of government or attempt to shape it. Instead, Islam established fundamental principles that orient a government’s general character, leaving it to the people to choose the type and form of government according to time and circumstances.”…
In Turkey Fethullah Gülen’s community has been a powerful player in the national debate about the place of Islam in individual and collective life. Through emphasis on the importance of ‘secular education‘ and a commitment to the defense of both democratic principles and international human rights, Gülen has diffused a new and appealing version of how a ‘good Muslim‘ should act in contemporary society.…
A marginal group in Turkey lives with their groundless fears, and they perceive this movement in the same way. Their current situation bothers themselves before anyone else; they cannot help but think “what may happen tomorrow?” Nothing will happen, tomorrow is Wednesday, and then Thursday and Friday will come, and nothing will change.…
In a written statement Gülen indicates that the major terrorist activities of the past few years not only set back the prospects for peace in the locations where they took place, but in the world as a whole. “First of all terror is a threat against the most sacred and global of values, human life. In the same way that it murders human life, terror abolishes social trust. …
Q: The relationship between men and women in Islam is one of the controversial topics debated in the modern day. What are your thoughts of the place of women in society? Fethullah Gulen: The Qur’an invites people to form a family…
I regret to say that in the countries Muslims live, some religious leaders and immature Muslims have no other weapon on hand than their fundamentalist interpretation of Islam; they use this to engage people in struggles that serve their own purposes. In fact, Islam is a true faith, and it should be lived truly. …
There is no doubt that the Islamic world lacks intellectuals who are aware and knowledgeable about their own existence and able to interpret and understand the creation correctly. It is a great loss for the Islamic world to lack intellectuals who are aware of the time in which they live and ready to question it and able to voice with no hesitation what they know.…
I would say that the revival of the Caliphate would be very difficult and making Muslims accept such a revived Khilafah would be impossible. The perception of the modern world regarding the revival of Khilafah must be considered.…
One can see several reasons why the spirit of ijtihad was lost and the door was closed. The following are considered some of these reasons: Political oppression, inner struggles, the misuse of the institution of ijtihad, an extreme trust in the present legal system, the denial of reform, the blindness caused by the dominant monotonous present system of the time. …