Kenneth Hunter on Fethullah Gulen and Hizmet Movement


Date posted: July 16, 2015

Kenneth Hunter is the Principal of the Prosser Career Academy High School. He studied theology at Chicago Loyola University and taught world religions in high schools. He served as the chairperson of Illinois State Board of Education Language Arts Assessment Advisory Council (2002-2012). He is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Chicago.

But what I’ve found with Niagara and the folks who are imbued with the spirit of Hizmet, they go out of their way to bring that Godness into the world, and I’m continuously, and continually, impressed by the way in which they do that, and manifest love in the world.

“…when you look at interfaith and you look at dialog, dialog enhances not only the person who reaches out, but it also enhances the person who is reached out to. They become one. There’s like a new creation that occurs. … I find that dialog does the same thing. It creates on one side the person who reaches, and it creates on the other side the person who is reached. Because in the end, they’re both reaching for each other.”

“I can’t think of anything more miraculous for human beings to do than to reach out to each other, fearlessly, courageously, bravely, and to get to know one another. ”

“I believe the eradication of poverty is most important…. So the eradication of poverty, which is something I’ve come to know in the Hizmet Movement, and Kimse Yok Mu, where, Kimse Yok Mu is a movement that says “is there anybody out there?” I believe that’s the translation of it in Turkish, it’s about coming out and moving people into situations where they can help to eradicate poverty.”


*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 8, 2014


Related News

Scholarly views in the aftermath of the coup attempt: A responsible government would rather support the Hizmet Movement

When the Hizmet Movement or Hocaefendi are mentioned specifically by governmentally influenced press in Turkey, it harms Turkey. Yes, it harms Hocaefendi, but not nearly as much as it harms Turkey. Turkey is hurting itself today when it limits political discussion, when it maligns its political adversaries, when it uses political tools and economic tools to harm social services and educational institutions in Turkey.

Who staged a coup against whom on Dec. 17?

When its involvement in corruption and bribery became public, and that this seemed like the tip of an iceberg, the government thought that it must cover up the subsequent investigation, fearing that yet more investigations would be started — and so crushed the police force and the judiciary like a steamroller.

A Muslim voice to be heeded

The majority of Muslims openly and loudly reject violent extremism regardless of the religious or ethnic identity of the perpetrator, but that is not what the Western media focuses on. If we closely look into a broad poll, we will see hundreds of Muslim leaders denouncing terrorism, and one of these Muslim voices that we don’t listen to is Fethullah Gülen.

The Gülen movement as the victim of an orchestrated smear campaign

When the Justice and Development Party (AKP) took office in 2002 under the leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the party’s commitment to democratization was promising. As many political scientists agreed, the first years of AKP rule were a success story, and that was why, with its secular multi-party democracy and its Muslim character, Turkey had emerged as a role model for the Muslim world.

Former US envoys to Ankara say Erdoğan doing great harm to democracy

“Whatever his achievements over the past decade, Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is destroying his country’s parlous democracy. That is a profound problem for Turks and Turkey’s Western allies. Staying silent, out of fear that speaking out would harm some short-term interests, risks Turkey’s longer-term stability.”

Philippine army awards Kimse Yok Mu for aid and contribution to peace

The Philippine Army Civil Military Operations Command has presented an “honor award” to Turkish charity organization Kimse Yok Mu for its aid activities and contributions to peace in the country.

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

TAA holding annual Turkic American Convention in Washington

Worldview: No evidence, no extradition of Pa. cleric to Turkey

Journalist: I was threatened over not supporting government

Police waiting at hospital to detain İzmir woman after childbirth

Fethullah Gülen and the role of nonviolence in a time of terror

Irvine’s new arrivals — Turkish asylum seekers, after a failed coup and a sadly successful purge

Trip to Turkey leaves a lasting impression

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News