Fethullah Gulen: ISIL Actions, Disgrace to Faith


Date posted: September 20, 2014

Turkish scholar Fethullah Gulen has sent out a strongly worded statement, against the barbarity of the ISIL militant group.

“As a practicing Muslim, I strongly condemn the brutal atrocities of the ISIL terrorist group. Their actions are a disgrace to the faith they proclaim and are crimes against humanity.”-Fethullah Gulen

This is not the first time the renowned thinker has criticized the group that uses religion as a guise to mask its motivations. To that Fethullah Gulen’s reply is:

“Religion provides a foundation upon which to establish peace, human rights, freedoms and the rule of law. Any interpretations to the contrary, including the abuse of religion to fuel conflicts, are simply wrong and deceitful.”

Fethullah Gulen, who has inspired the grass roots Hizmet, or service movement, has been an outspoken critic of all groups like ISIL.

ISIL has been accused of horrible acts of torture against minorities in Iraq. And Fethullah Gulen has come out strongly against any form of persecution.

Gulen, who espouses inter-cultural faith and dialogue as essential tenets of his philosophy has offered condolences to the victims of ISIL’s violence- the families of James Foley, Steven Sotloff and others.

Fethullah Gulen’s message has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, La Times in the US.

Source: Ebru News , September 17, 2014


Related News

Gülen’s lawyer: Targeting overseas Turkish educators breaks law

Nurullah Albayrak, the legal representative of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, in a written statement on Wednesday spoke out against a front-page story in the pro-government Star daily that published the photos of 160 educators at Turkish schools overseas that are affiliated with the faith-based Gülen movement, saying the daily is breaking the law and violating those individuals’ human rights by depicting innocent people as criminals.

Understanding Fethullah Gülen (2)

Ekrem Dumanli One of the reasons for the difficulty in understanding Fethullah Gülen is the term “community” itself. Unfortunately, the meaning attached to this word connotes a group of people closed to and isolated from the outside world. It is also used to refer to illegal organizations. Both approaches are tendentious. As Ali Bulaç says […]

After Fethullah Gülen’s demise what will happen to the Hizmet Movement

To figure out what course of action must be taken for the Hizmet Movement after Fethullah Gülen’s demise, we must look at the movement in its current form. Today, the Hizmet Movement, which is also popularly known as the Gülen Movement, is not administered by a central structure.

A Case for Why Gulen Would Never Support a Coup

In his interview with the prominent French newspaper Le Monde, Gulen has called the July 15 events in Turkey a “terror coup.” As a man who has always condemned terrorism and violence in any shape or form, to which his life’s work is evidence, it is hard to believe that Gulen could have had the slightest connection to the coup.

Fethullah Gulen and His Movement: A Brief Introduction

KASHIF HASAN KHAN July 1, 2012 We often talk about revivalism in education system so as to change the direction of our young generation, who seems to have forgotten the very fundamentals. Undoubtedly, our leaders have played a vital role and contributed a lot to it, but we can’t live up to that forever; we […]

Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel honors Fethullah Gulen with Peace Award

Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College awarded its prestigious 2015 Gandhi King Ikeda Peace Award to Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen in recognition of his life-long dedication to promoting peace and human rights.

Latest News

Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison

Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney

Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement

ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment

New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

In Case You Missed It

Turkish Food Festival seeks to teach Greenville about Turkey’s culture and cuisine

Right to dissent in Turkey

Turkish charity calls for increased aid to Gaza

Gülen’s relatives dismayed over smear campaign against Islamic scholar

Police raid prominent journalists’ foundation GYV in Turkey

To escape from Turkey, they told their children it was a game

Tortured detainee would choose 50 years in prison over return to custody in Turkey

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News