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

Tags: | | | |


Related News

In Houston, a celebration: Silk road festival

“Yes, I am very pleased,” Annise Parker, mayor of Houston, told me. “The community of Turks, here in particular, are very outward, extroverted and curious in a sense of cultural understanding. I wish the others, too, would be like them. They contribute a lot to our prosperity and future and teach us a lot about where they come from, Turkey.”

Gulen – Erdogan History in 2 minutes

Nowadays, most articles about Turkey, Erdogan and Gulen have a default sentence: “Erdogan and Gulen were former allies”. It is said and written so many times that eventually became a fact. However, the reality is not that simple.

How will prep school controversy influence elections [in Turkey]?

Gülen is a very important opinion leader in Turkey. He is not a politician but the leader of a social movement featuring religious motives. In addition to his followers, conservative people and groups also pay attention to his views and comments. Even those who are opposed to his worldview send their children to the schools set up by his followers because these schools provide very high quality education and training.

Turks living in Britain see it as their duty to integrate

For a long time, Turks have been a largely invisible minority group in Britain. But thanks to those campaigning for a British exit from the European Union who have argued that Turks are a national security threat, and those warning that 12m Turks want to come to Britain if Turkey becomes an EU member state, […]

Smear campaign against Gülen fails after new details emerge on eavesdropping

The defamation campaign against the Gülen or Hizmet movement, which the Turkish president and his political Islamist Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government accuse of illegally wiretapping government officials, collapsed after it became clear that foreign security and intelligence agencies were involved in eavesdropping on senior Turkish officials.

Turkey Heads Toward Radical Islamic Dictatorship

Thousands have been arrested. Civil rights are suspended. People are jailed with no way to consult lawyers or present a defense. The coup has become an excuse for Erdoğan to purge state institutions, and even the private sector, of his critics, regardless of their guilt with regard to the insurrection. The Turkish government — and a 100% state-controlled media — has accused the U.S. government of being behind the coup attempt itself and harboring its purported mastermind, Fetullah Gulen.

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

American reporters got an intriguing glimpse into the political mind-set in Turkey

International Festival of Language and Culture

Commemorations for former President Özal, supporter of Turkish schools abroad

3 taken into custody for asking Minister Ala questions

Turkish mob boss to gov’t: Why bother with diplomacy? We’ll kill Gülen, his followers

Talking with the “Religious Terrorist” that Turkey Wants Trump to Extradite

African queen promises to give support to Turkish schools

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News