The Gulen schools are signposts to a silent transformation in Turkey

Fatih elementary school, Istanbul
Fatih elementary school, Istanbul


Date posted: May 7, 2012

ATUL ANEJA, May 5, 2012

In the enclosed greens of a football ground at Istanbul’s Fatih University, a heated contest is underway. Young men from Kyrgyzstan, dressed in red, are feverishly locking horns with a team from Azerbaijan, attired in blue and white clothing.

The atmosphere around the ground is electric — the result of enthusiastic support that both teams get from the ebullient student fraternity in Fatih university, known for its cosmopolitan, international character. The contest ends in a 1-1 draw and both teams with their supporters head for the dining halls for a well-deserved lunch.

Fatih University reflects the silent transformation that Turkey is undergoing. The University is a private enterprise inspired by the Gulen movement (aka Hizmet movement) — a vehicle that has softly but powerfully conveyed a contemporary message of inclusive Sufi thinking. Reflecting the ideas of Fethullah Gulen, the movement also promotes solid values of business enterprise, modern education as well as non-discrimination and secularism in the political domain. It is also a shining example of the Gulen Movement’s commitment to spread quality education on a global scale. Gulen schools now operate in nearly 140 countries. The University is also a manifestation of the rise of the Anatolian Tigers— the pious and enormously successful grassroots businessmen from Anatolia, Turkey’s Asiatic part. The Gulen schools, as well as a handful of private universities such as Fatih, receive a significant part of their funding from the coffers of the Anatolian Tigers.

Source: Excerpted from the article Worldspace: Contradictory colours published on The Hindu http://www.thehindu.com/arts/magazine/article3383564.ece


Related News

Former football star, İstanbul deputy says he is subject to hate crime

AK Party government used the Hizmet movement, its human resources, intellectual muscle and power in the international arena and at home until it became stronger [than the movement].

Is the AK Party turning into the old CHP?

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and EU Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu had attributed the EU and global media’s criticisms of the AK Party administration’s mistakes to the Hizmet movement.

Yamanlar Koleji crowns Turkey with second gold medal

Furkan Bahar, a student from Yamanlar Koleji, a private high school in İzmir, has won a gold medal at the 46th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) held in Hanoi, Vietnam between July 20 and 28. IChO welcomed representatives from 77 countries. Bahar, a member of the national chemistry team appointed by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK), became the winner of Turkey’s only gold medal in the competition.

NTA Tuesday Live on Turkish Hizmet Movement in Nigerian

A Turkish political, non-governmental, civil society organisation, Hizmet Movement, has made commendable contributions in Nigeria’s socio-economic life. The movement, which began in the late 1960s, particularly focuses on education, charity and dialogue, which it believes are the remedies to ignorance, poverty and disunity.

President Obama sends message to Gulen-inspired International Cultural Festival

US President Obama sends a message to Gulen-inspired “The International Festival of Language and Culture” that took place in Washington DC at the DAR Constitution Hall, Washington DC’s largest Concert Hall on April, 2018, 2016.

Fatih, Yamanlar, Samanyolu schools win medals at science Olympiad

İstanbul’s private Fatih Science High School, Ankara’s private Samanyolu Science High School and İzmir’s private Yamanlar Science High School picked up several medals on Wednesday in the 20th National Science Olympiad and the 17th National Mathematics Olympiad for primary and secondary schools.

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

German Lawmakers Call for Probe on Imams Suspected of Spying for Turkey

Lawyer files criminal complaint against Gülen

Dutch, German intelligence agencies uncover Turkish kidnapping, murder plots

Turkish charities take benevolence across borders during Eid al-Adha

A serious question for a respected newspaper

Hizmet movement and government

To escape punishment, punish them all

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News