‘Hizmet is really something that demonstrates what’s universal about Islam.’
Date posted: February 21, 2015
Kathleen Moore is the professor and the chair of Religious Studies at University of California, Santa Barbara. She received her doctorate from University of Massachusetts Amherst. Kathleen wrote several books about Muslims in United States, Muslim women in America and Islamic law. She teaches courses like Muslim Diasporas and the law, introduction to religion and politics, Islam in America, and law, religion and secularism, and religious liberty.
“People who identify with the Hizmet Movement really have influenced the way I view it, in that I can see that it’s gonna have a lasting impact, because Hizmet is really something that demonstrates what’s universal about Islam, for the members of the Hizmet Movement, that there are universal values that you find in other faith traditions as well.”
“I find that the Hizmet Movement has been the most sustained group that is committed to genuine dialog, to really talking about all of it. Not just the best parts of their tradition, but every part of the tradition, and connecting what that means for their lived experience; commitments to taking care of people, to disaster relief, to feeding people…”
“A key difference between the Hizmet Movement and other social movements in the Muslim world, the Mediterranean region, and so on, is that the Hizmet Movement really is dedicated to dialog across boundaries. And the Hizmet Movement doesn’t serve just Muslims. It’s there to serve the needs of the world.”
“The Hizmet Movement is really inspired by Gülen’s philosophy and the message that it isn’t about the “I,” it’s the “I” within the whole. And it’s an organic, holistic system, and so, there’s a real conscious emphasis placed on how the actions of individual members of the Hizmet Movement have ramifications for the rest of the world.”
*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 , April 18, 2014
Tags: Fethullah Gulen | Hizmet (Gulen) movement | North America | USA |
