Gülen discounts neither past nor modernity


Date posted: October 9, 2010

A conference titled “Mapping the Gülen Movement,” which took place in Amsterdam on Thursday, witnessed a detailed examination by academics and experts of various aspects of the Gülen movement.

Organized by the Dialoog Academie in the Netherlands, the international “Mapping the Gülen Movement” conference was held at the famous Felix Meritix Congress Center in Amsterdam. The conference was attended by many social scientists and academics from various universities, with one of the speakers well-known Turkish professor Doğu Ergil, who noted in his presentation that the Gülen Movement was a civil movement that called for maximum participation and support from its members. “Just as he has never discounted the past, Fethullah Gülen has also never been someone to discount or exclude modernity itself. Unlike the politicization of Islam, or political Islam, the Gülen movement has always embraced a view that does not shut out Western society and that does not clash with modernity,” he said. Touching on Turkey’s particular situation, Ergil also noted that the Gülen movement had never been at odds with the various elected governments of Turkey and that it helped contribute to finding solutions to long-term national problems by casting wide social nets and using peaceful methods to generate answers. Ergil explained: “This method, which begins by initiating change within itself first then aiming to spread this change to society, is, unlike the Kemalist method that aims for a ‘top-down’ sort of revolution, a movement that begins to develop within society itself. In harmony with social ethics, the law, social contracts and universal law, this movement is involved in some very important work.”

Speaking at an Amsterdam conference, Professor Doğu Ergil noted that the Gülen movement has never been at odds with any of the elected governments of Turkey and that as a movement it did not discount the past. As for Professor Thomas Michel from Georgetown University, he noted that the secret to the success of the movement lies in the sincerity of its volunteers.

Gulen ConferenceProfessor Thomas Michel of Georgetown University touched on the religious aspects of the Gülen movement, noting in particular Gülen’s propensity for references to Mevlana and the influence Sufism has had on him, with the importance placed on divine service and sincerity. Noting that it is not the bigness or smallness of any particular work that is important but rather the sincerity with which a person sets out to do that bit of work, Michel went on, “If good works are the body, their spirit is the sincerity with which they are approached.” With this, Michel connected the success of the Gülen movement to the sincerity backing the movement and its members. He underscored the vital aspect played by sincerity in all acts, regardless of size, and noted that once sincerity was present, the act itself gained value and importance. Also pointing to the importance of the act of service within this large movement of volunteers, Michel noted: “A teacher teaching physics in Kyrgyzstan and a businessman involved with charity in İzmir are both worshipping in fact.

Fethullah Gülen keeps the concept of worship quite wide. He notes that serving the people is serving the greater good, and he connects self-rescue to the rescue of others.”

‘I was curious, so I researched it’
Professor Helen Rose Ebaugh from the University of Houston noted for her part that when she first found out about the Gülen movement, she was curious about where the “water for this windmill was coming from.” She explained that she decided to research it herself, going on: “I went to İstanbul, Bursa and Mudunya, and I looked into the flow of money. I stayed as a guest at the homes of some businessmen in İstanbul. In Islam, the left hand is not supposed to know what the right hand has given. But what I really wanted to learn was who was giving what exactly. After our pleasant teatime chat, I asked my question, and numbers started to be explained to me. Everyone noted that they were giving away 10 percent of their earnings.

Just think about this network and strength. These are believable people. But in Turkey, I have never seen the state give over monetary support to all this. As for Azerbaijan, the state gives over some buildings and plots of land for schools.”

The Story published on Today’s Zaman http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-223853-100-gulen-discounts-neither-past-nor-modernity-concludes-conference.html


Related News

Ishak Alaton: Fethullah Gülen is the most “other” in Turkey

The AK Party government, which seems to be without an alternative and lacks an equally dominant opposition to check and balance it, is in big trouble, which they are not fully aware of, says Alarko Holding Chairman İshak Alaton.

Pak Turk International Schools, Colleges Organize 14th Inter-School Mathematics Olympiad

The 14th edition of much awaited annual event National Inter Schools Mathematics Olympiad (ISMO) was held in 28 branches of Pak Turk international school and college and around 14,000 students participated from all over country.

Antioch came together over Iftar

FAZİLET CANDAN – ANTIOCH Ramadan brings peace, mercy and blessings to the society. One good example if this was an iftar in Antioch, Turkey, where Alevite and Sunni Muslims, Jews, and Christians came together. Antioch has been remembered because of terrorism and some political incidents in the city. However, Alevites and Sunnis, Christians and Jews […]

Pro-Erdogan gang leader says will hang all Gülenists

Sedat Peker, a convicted gang leader and staunch supporter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said they will hang all people linked to the Gülen movement from flagpoles and trees, the Diken news website reported on Sunday.

Men accused of attempting to rape 6 teachers: We thought they were Gulenists

Three suspects accused of attempting to rape 6 female teachers in İzmir have told a court they “wanted to force” the teachers to leave the town because they thought that the victims had links to the Gulen movement, which the government accuses of masterminding the July 15 coup attempt.

Hizmet movement and the AK Party

Nazli Ilicak The Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV) has responded to a series of claims about and slanderous accusations against the Hizmet movement. Currently there is a lot of insulting talk on social media and in some media circles about the movement. Some columnists who support the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) claim that members of […]

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Inside the rural Pa. compound where an influential Muslim cleric lives in exile

Gulen turns coup accusations on Erdogan

Pak-Turk school teachers to be deported as Erdogan visits Pakistan

HRW: 6 Turks taken from Kosovo to Turkey face risk of torture and abuse

International Panel for “Sharing Coexistence Experience” in Korea

TÜBİTAK scolded for hiding olympiad winners were from Hizmet schools

WSJ: Turks fleeing Erdogan fuel new influx of refugees to Greece

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News