‘Mr. Gülen is to me simultaneously both incredibly modest and a visionary’


Date posted: February 14, 2015

Stephanie Varnon-Hughes is a Founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Inter-Religious Studies™ . She completed her Master’s in Church History in 2008 and her STM in 2009 at the Union Theological Seminary. She is completing her doctoral studies at Claremont Lincoln University, focusing on inter-religious curriculum and engagement.

“I’m inspired by the Hizmet Movement. I didn’t realize that until I came in contact with the Movement, but all of my life, education and service and dialog have been transformative to me. … This is the work that all of our hearts should be doing. So it remains a source of inspiration for me in my work.”

“One of the things that always strikes me about Mr. Gülen is his appreciation for poetry … And I just think it’s another fruit that someone who does so much for education and service also wants to nourish the souls of people; not just give them a desk, not just give them books, not just give them aid, but make sure that the imagination and the soul are not luxury items. They’re for each person.”

“There is a verse, I believe in the Koran, that God made us many nations and people so that we might get to know one another. … If we only study ourselves, and we only study the small world around us, our knowledge will never be enriched. But if we get to know one another, and get to know more about science, and more about the world, and more about other things, our knowledge is enriched.”

“I think that all of us—if you think about a tree with roots and the nutrients that come from the soil—all of us are more enriched when we have access to wisdom from different traditions. And that’s our work here, and it’s clearly the work of Mr. Gülen and the Movement.”

*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 17, 2014

Tags: | | | |


Related News

Fethullah Gülen and the Hizmet Movement by Ori Soltes, Georgetown University

Ori Z. Soltes talks in this video about Fethullah Gülen from sufi perspective. Ori Z. Soltes is Goldman Professorial Lecturer at Georgetown Univeristy where he teaches theology, philosophy and art history at the department of theology and he is former Director and Curator of the B’nai B’rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., where he curated over 80 exhibitions.

Princeton professor accuses Gulen of orchestrating Turkish coup, Harvard professor disagrees

Edward Owen, professor of Middle East history at Harvard, said that he did not believe in Reynold’s certainty of Gülen’s guilt. Owen added that when a person writes “alarmist pieces” like Reynolds’, the main audience for the pieces is Washington. “It is a way of calling attention to yourself, and I imagine that Professor Reynolds would like his name registered by the people in Washington as somebody to go to, to employ, when there is a change in administration in Washington,” Owen said.

Destici: No one should attempt to change law to save themselves

Grand Unity Party (BBP) leader Mustafa Destici, speaking about an ongoing corruption operation and the government’s response to it, said on Sunday that everyone has a responsibility to respect the laws in the country and that efforts to change the laws to protect a certain group of people from accusations are unacceptable.

Int’l symposium in Washington D.C. to discuss Hizmet’s contribution to world peace

An international symposium under the name of ‘The Hizmet Movement and PeaceBuilding” will be held on Oct. 25-26 in Washington D.C. In attendance at the symposium organized by Georgetown University, American University, Mount St. Mary’s University and the Rumi Forum will be numerous academics and scientists from more than 20 countries in six continents.

State Islam versus civic Islam

Using the Hizmet movement, AK party wants to create a common enemy that would be recognized as such by different social groups. It demonizes the movement and makes it a target of the social opposition. But all these tricks and methods do not eliminate one basic truth. There is an unusual experience in Turkey. There is an ongoing war between “state Islam” and “civic Islam.”

Fethullah Gülen, sent a message to the Geneva Peace Conference

Humanity continues to face problems ranging from hunger and poverty to armed conflicts and all forms of discrimination, but these realities should not lead us to a sense of despair, apathy and hopelessness since a growing number of individuals, families, communities, institutions and civil society organizations as well as government sectors and intergovernmental agencies are slowly and patiently planting the seeds and nurturing the seedlings for the building of a more peaceful world, a world with much less suffering, conflicts and destruction.

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

Aydan Meydan from Bosna Sema School won the “Inspiring Educator Award”!

Another woman faces detention just after giving birth: opposition deputy

Shocking change and disappointed hearts…

The system is the root cause of corruption

Walking in the Shoes of Others: Stepping in and out of Turkey

Peace Islands Institute Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Gülen urges Hizmet members to defend prep schools in civilized way

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News