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

The Gülen Movement in the public sphere

The Abant Platform is a good example of a religiously inspired social capital formation in a society with ideological, ethnic and religious fault lines. This platform departs from a belief that religion, and particularly Islam, can be a positive factor in social, political and economic life. The Gülen movement has been quite successful in utilizing its cultural and human capital in order to empower the civil society and expand the democratic space available for the formally excluded periphery vis-à-vis the centre.

Al-Azhar has examined and approved all the works of Mr. Gulen

Egypt’s Al-Azhar University, one of the most respected Islamic Sciences centers in the world, and the Islamic Research Association, has examined the works of Gulen found no contradiction to the school of Sunni Islam. Beyond these works, in some universities, especially Al Azhar, many master’s and doctoral theses on the subject of Hizmet and Mr. Gulen have been published.

Fethullah Gülen’s Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Sri Lanka Explosions

I was shocked and deeply saddened by the devastating news of explosions in Sri Lanka. I firmly condemn this horrific attack, which turned a day meant for the celebration of Easter by Christians around the world into bloodshed.

Turkish daily exposes secret plot against Gülen endorsed by gov’t

A secret national security document recently discovered by a Turkish daily has revealed that Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government signed up to a planned crackdown on the Hizmet or Gülen movement. The Taraf daily published a document on Wednesday prepared by the National Security Council (MGK) on Aug. 25, 2004, persuading […]

Fethullah Gulen’s Maxim: Live So That Others May Live

Gulen places a great importance on the interdependence of individuals, communities, nations and systems on one another. Each fundamental unit within any system plays a role and has an inexplicable effect – small or great – on every other unit within such a system (similar to chaos theory in Mathematics).

Turkish scholar Fethullah Gulen awarded in South Korea

In a moment of respect and hope, Fethullah Gülen received the prestigious Manhae Peace Prize. Journalists and Writers Foundation President Mustafa Yesil accepted the award on behalf of Gülen, who was not able to attend the ceremony due to health problems. Yesil, who delivered a speech at the event, spoke highly of Gülen and his […]

Latest News

Sacramento leaders gather for Iftar dinner in celebration of Ramadan

SEO Skill Suite: Tools for Keyword Research, Technical & Backlink Analysis

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

In Case You Missed It

Reflections on Hizmet Movement at conference in Taiwan

Jailed police chief’s children, aged 15 and 17, detained in new post-coup probe

Fethullah Gulen Condemns the Assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey

Turkish Olympiads – A Blessing from God

Pro-Erdogan journalist says killing Gülen followers, even their babies, a religious obligation

‘I feel like I have been buried alive’: families live in fear and isolation as Erdoğan leads a witch-hunt

Rethinking the state-people relationship [in Turkey]

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News