New Book – No Return from Democracy: A Survey of Interviews with Fethullah Gulen


Date posted: August 8, 2017

It was rare, if not impossible, to find in ’80s and ’90s a Muslim cleric who spoke in favor of democracy, integration with the Western world, and universal human values. Fethullah Gülen was one of those. Many of his avant-garde ideas did not only earn him one of the largest and most influential faith-inspired social movements of recent history, but also many foes, especially from the Turkish ruling elite, placing him in the center of many social and political developments in Turkey. Despite the enormous defamation from some political groups in Turkey, Gülen is recognized in the world as a devout Muslim cleric, whose thoughts and life style are deeply rooted in the Islamic faith, but who also believes Islam is not in conflict with the progressive values of the modern world. This book collates Gülen’s ahead-of-his-time comments on some of the debated issues as he phrased in interviews in the past few decades.

Click here to buy the book.

Related Video

Fethullah Gulen’s stance on democracy 1994-2016

 

Tags: | | |


Related News

Clash of two Islams in Turkey

Mr. Gulen and the movement which takes his name are rooted in the mystical tradition of Islam and focus on education and social and cultural projects while Mr. Erdogan is an advocate for political Islam and its desire for political power.

Rule of law(lessness) in Turkey?

It turned out that I was overly optimistic, for I did not want to believe that a prime minister who bravely fought the old, authoritarian establishment in the people’s name for years could have changed so much, adopting just the same behavior we were subjected to in the past. I had thought that those bitter experiences were only a distant memory. Unfortunately, I was wrong — terribly so.

Gülen’s ideas address the entire world

The ideas of Fethullah Gülen, the most discussed figure of Turkey for decades now, have become important topics in the intellectual circles of the world in recent years.

Turkish opposition: Enquiry against Gülen politically motivated

Turkey’s opposition parties across the political spectrum criticized reports that a criminal investigation was launched against Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, saying that the allegations are a political tactic by embattled Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to distract public interest away from a big graft scandal that has implicated himself, his family members and his senior government officials.

The consequences of tyranny never change

Certain groups devised an imaginary and ambiguous crime against the Hizmet movement based on claims of a so-called “parallel state.” However, this is such a vague crime that if those who blame the Hizmet movement for establishing a “parallel state” are accused of the same thing, these charges will seem well-founded, because of ambiguity of the claims.

Question in the aftermath of the Turkey coup – Who is Fethullah Gulen?

Gülen embraces an inclusive and peaceful understanding of Islam. His commitment to dialogue and altruism has inspired the Hizmet Movement. Mr. Gülen and Hizmet participants are known for their commitment to peace, democracy and non-violence, and oppose turning religion into a political ideology.

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

Turkish police to plant Gülen’s books in ISIL cells, journalist claims

Flautre: Investigation into Taraf daily, journalist over MGK docs ‘scandalous’

Turkish school in Philippines partners in a social project

U.S., Turkey at impasse over extraditing Muslim cleric living in Poconos

‘Every minister I met in Africa asked for more schools’

Dangerous and unnecessary tension

Escape from Turkey’s parallel reality

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News