Amir Hussain on Fethullah Gulen and Hizmet Movement


Date posted: October 6, 2014

Dr. Amir Hussain is a professor of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. He has written numerous scholarly articles, and his area of research is on the study of Islam, specifically contemporary Muslim societies in North America.

In his talk, Amir Hussain focuses on Hizmet Movement’s drive to “go out into the world as Muslims” and “do service, do justice”. Commenting on the many layers in which the Hizmet Movement provides a vehicle for people to serve others, he notes, “So, it’s not that to be religious you have to be an imam and lead the prayers in the masjid. You can be a journalist, you can be a photographer, you can be a teacher… you can live your life as a good Muslim.”

“I think the Hizmet Movement is perhaps the best face that Islam can have to say, ‘Here we are as Muslims.’”

“… here you’ve got this great movement that comes out of Islam in Turkey, to say, “how is it that we are to live our lives as Muslims?”

Well, first of all, we’re supposed to be good Muslims. We’re supposed to be observant, we’re supposed to be practicing… we do all the things that make us Muslims.

But then, how do we go out in the world as Muslims?

What are the things we’re required to do?

And we’re required to do service, we’re required to do justice.

And that’s really one of the key things about the Hizmet Movement, is that it provides a vehicle for people to do that.”

“I think, the key contribution of the Hizmet Movement, what makes it unique, is the emphasis on interfaith, the tremendous work that is being done there. The second thing, would be the emphasis on education.”

*Produced by Spectra Media exclusively for Irmak TV, Atlas of Thoughts (Fikir Atlasi) connects the scholars, politicians, jurists, religious figures, journalists, and academics reflecting on Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen and the Hizmet Movement with the audience. Each episode features a person from a different segment of the society with diverse experiences regarding the Hizmet activities and its volunteers. If you are interested to hear about the Hizmet and Mr. Gulen from these people’s perspectives, do not miss this show!

Source: Spectra Media

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