‘Hizmet Movement and Fethullah Gulen inspire uniting people around spiritual ideals’


Date posted: March 28, 2015

Dr. Gerald Grudzen is a Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Religion at San José City College. He teaches Humanities, American History and Comparative Religion. Prof. Grudzen received his MA in Theology from the Maryknoll School of Theology. He completed his Ph.D. in History at Columbia University in New York.

“I would say that the most significant aspect of the Hizmet Movement is its interfaith work. We live in a world that is segregated by different types of classes, groups, religions.. and, in order for humanity to understand that we’re linked together as one family, we need to reach beyond our denominations and realize that we all share a common humanity and a common spiritual principle.

And, I think, in the modern world, since a lot of the spirituality has been secularized, what I like about the Hizmet Movement is that it’s a spiritual movement but it also is attempting to help humanity unite.”

“The Hizmet Movement and what Mr. Gulen is inspiring is uniting people around spiritual ideals. And I like the idea in your schools that you don’t really teach religion directly; you teach ethics. I think that’s another hopeful sign that out of this spiritual movement you’re bringing people together of different religious-cultural backgrounds, but they’re uniting around a certain ethical principle of love and care for humanity and service of humanity.

If we can all share that ideal, then there’s a positive future for humanity.”

*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 , May 5, 2014

Tags: | | | |


Related News

Turkish volunteers in US rush to help Oklahoma tornado victims

ORHAN AKKURT, NEW YORK Turkish charity organization Raindrop Helping Hands, a subsidiary of the US-based Raindrop Turkish House, has been helping Americans suffering in the aftermath of a powerful tornado that hit Oklahoma on Monday, leaving 24 dead. The Turkish charity first provided tornado victims with the most urgent needs such as food, water, gloves, […]

Foreign students express bewilderment over gov’t bid to close Turkish schools

Foreign students who are graduates of schools opened by Turkish entrepreneurs affiliated with the Hizmet movement all around the world, have expressed bewilderment over the government’s plan to shut down the schools, saying that the Turkish government is making a grave mistake in targeting these schools as they are renowned and praised for their high-quality education by foreigners.

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Erdogan’s government has made Gulenists “the enemy you ascribe to everything that goes poorly in Turkey,” according to Henri Barkey, a fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Turkish Islamic scholar Gülen decries domestic violence

Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen had harsh words for the perpetrators of domestic violence, a bleeding wound in Turkish society that has worsened in recent years. [Domestic violence] incidents continued despite some promising steps Turkey has taken to address the issue of domestic violence, which has attracted more media attention and a greater reaction from the public in recent years.

Fethullah Gülen’s Statement of Condolences for Florida High School Shooting

I express my deepest condolences to all those who lost their loved ones during this tragedy, and to the people of Florida. I pray to God, the Most Compassionate, to provide comfort for the parents who lost their children and to lead our society to days of peace and tranquility.

EP kills parallel state lies

Nobody believes that the mass culling and reassignment of up to 10,000 public officials (most from the police department and the judiciary and many of whom are mid-level and senior personnel) so far by embattled Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has anything to do with what the government purports is a fight against a “parallel structure,” a veiled reference to members of the Hizmet movement inspired by Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.

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

Something rotten within the government?

Gülen not only my hero, also a model for other religions

Turkey Blessed with the Prayers of Tanzanian Orphans

Charity Kimse Yok Mu to conduct 30,000 cataract surgeries

Erdogan to become an all-powerful democratically elected dictator

Malaysia deports 3 Turks despite warnings of torture risk

Massachusetts Judges Express Fears Over Arrests, Firings Of Judges In Turkey

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News