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.
‘I admire Fethullah Gulen’s vision of a world that’s different from the one we have’
I appreciate that he’s [Fethullah Gulen] an Islamic thinker who spoke out after the attacks on September 11, immediately. In our country, for years after September 11 people kept saying, ‘why aren’t the Muslims speaking up’, and he did speak up but he wasn’t broadcast. He didn’t have the microphone in his mouth, so to speak. And I always regretted that because he was one who did.
Erdoğan’s parallel bicycle gets rotten
SELÇUK GÜLTAŞLI Because he believes that the lies about the so-called “parallel state” are a useful tool to cover up the corruption charges, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan keeps riding this parallel bicycle. He is aware that once he stops riding this bicycle, he will fall off and the corruption charges will be exposed to […]
Turkey: Democracy in peril – A human rights report
In a springtime of hope, the first decade of the 21st century, Turks and outside observers shared a dream that Turkey might become that bright star in an otherwise muddled constellation of the Middle East—a real democracy in a predominantly Muslim country, committed to civil liberty, human rights, pluralism, and civil society. That hope has disappeared as but a short- lived meteor in the dark, troubled sky. It is no more; and there is little optimism for its return in the foreseeable future. Turkey’s democracy is in regression.
Canadian singer Loreena McKennitt praises Fethullah Gülen’s work
In her remarks, she recalled Gülen’s call for love, compassion, forgiveness and celebration of diversity for which she affirmed her full support. ‘I personally relate to Mr. Gülen’s ideas and his whole views very much. I think he has identified some very critical points up from which we must consider taking on our lives. I was very impressed about to hear his work and all the centers around the world that are supporting his work. I would love to support it by myself.’
Ex-ministers call on gov’t to abandon efforts to shut down Turkish schools
Reactions are growing in the face of the government’s effort to close Turkish schools abroad that are affiliated with the Hizmet movement, inspired by the teachings of Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.
Hizmet’s approach to politics and politicians
Hizmet movement gets its strength from this independence. Because the movement gets money from no other sources than its own volunteers, it does not take orders. No doubt this is why certain people are made so uncomfortable right now by the Hizmet movement.
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