Punjab university: Honorary PhD given to Turkish scholar Fethullah Gulen


Date posted: May 17, 2012

LAHORE: The Punjab University conferred an honorary doctorate upon Turkish scholar, writer and opinion leader Fethullah Gulen in a ceremony at the Undergraduate Study Centre on Thursday. Addressing the ceremony, PU Vice Chancellor Prof. Mujahid Kamran said that the last honorary degree awarded by the PU was to the Turkish president in 1986. He said that the Pakistani nation felt a kinship with the Turkish, who were leaders of the Muslim world intellectually and politically. He said that Gulen had made a deep and significant contribution to education.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18th, 2012.

Source: The Express Tribune http://tribune.com.pk/story/380480/punjab-university-honorary-phd-given-to-turkish-scholar/

Another version of the news:

LAHORE – Punjab University has awarded an honourary PhD degree to mainstream Turkish scholar, thinker, writer, and poet Fethullah Gulen in a ceremony organised at Undergraduate Study Centre on Thursday.

Speaking on the occasion, PU VC Dr Mujahid Kamran said it was pleasurable to award an honorary degree to Fethullah Gulen who was world’s renowned scholar. He said PU was breaking with the tradition of awarding honorary degrees to political leadership. He said last honorary degree was awarded to the-then Turkish president in 1986 and now 26 years later we were awarding it to a Turkish scholar.

He said it indicated that our hearts throb with Turkish nation and Turkish people were general leaders of the Muslim world, intellectually and politically. He said in scientific research publications in Islamic world, Turkish stood number one. He said the contribution of Mr. Gulen towards the cause of education was deep, significant and worldwide.

The VC said Mr. Gulen had a message for the Muslims also particularly relevant to today’s Pakistan. He said message was that we were human being first and anything afterwards. He said that according to his message, we must deal with each other as human being with respect and passion and we must learn to resolve our differences peacefully and with tolerance. He urged the rulers to allocate at least four percent of GDP towards education and 1 per cent to research and development.

Provincial Minister Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor congratulated the PU for conferment of PhD degree on Turkish scholar. He said we had the required potential to progress and Turkey was supporting us in various projects. He said Mr. Gulen had inspired young generation towards positive activities.

Zaeem Qadri said without balanced educational system, we could not eliminate social problems.

honorary-phd

Photo Credit: Punjab University

President Journalists and Writers Foundation Mustafa Yesili thanked Punjab government and Punjab University for precious gift of honorary PhD degree. The message from Mr. Gulen was read as he could not come to Pakistan because of illness.

Later on his behalf, President Journalists and Writers Foundation Mustafa Yesili received Phd Degree. A presentation on the services of Mr. Gulen was also screened on the occasion. On behalf of chief minister, Minister for Planning and Development Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor, Advisor to CM on Higher Education Zaeem Qadri, PU VC Dr Mujahid Kamran, President Journalists and Writers Foundation Mustafa Yesili, Registrar Prof Dr Khan Raas Masood, Maria I Maldonado, a large number of faculty members, columnists, analysts and people from various walks of life participated on the occasion.

Source: http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/lahore/18-May-2012/pu-awards-phd-degree-to-turkish-scholar

News on Punjab University web site: http://pu.edu.pk/home/section/press/1553


Related News

Does the Gülen movement securitize the Kurdish question?

Turkey’s highly polarized political climate is flooded with conspiracy theories on any given topic. Hence, facts are often lost amid speculations. Recently, a frequent target not only in Turkey but also the West has been the Gülen (Hizmet) movement. Ali Halit Aslan, Friday March 2, 2012 One of the most repeated speculations nowadays is that […]

How will prep school controversy influence elections [in Turkey]?

Gülen is a very important opinion leader in Turkey. He is not a politician but the leader of a social movement featuring religious motives. In addition to his followers, conservative people and groups also pay attention to his views and comments. Even those who are opposed to his worldview send their children to the schools set up by his followers because these schools provide very high quality education and training.

Fethullah Gülen: ‘I have no other goal than to please God’

Interview by Michele Brignone Born in Turkey and for some time resident in the United States of America, Fethullah Gülen is seen by the American pres as one of the most influential spiritual leaders of the planet. A philosopher, theologian and preacher, he is one of the founders of a movement which is widespread in […]

German view of Hizmet Movement (1)

I remember the late, right-minded orientalist Annemarie Schimmel’s words saying, “The most attacked and least understood religion in the West is Islam.” Today, we come across a similar statement in a recently published scholarly report too. I’m referring to the report titled, “Überdehnt sich die Bewegung von Fethullah Gülen?” by Stiftung für Wissenschaftund Politik (SWP), which put the Hizmet Movement under a scholarly microscope.

Islamic scholar Gülen calls on praying for Palestinians, Syrians

Islamic scholar and prominent Turkish figure Fethullah Gülen has called on his followers to pray for an end to the current tribulations in Syria and Palestine, according to Herkül.org, a website close to the movement. Gülen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania but remains an influential figure on Turkey’s political scene, said the problems […]

Turkey’s Erdogan takes cue from Hitler, Stalin and Khomeini

There is something deeply disturbing about the direction in which Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party are taking Turkey. Writing in this newspaper last week, John Lyons compared the sweeping purges to McCarthyism in the US in the 1950s. That was altogether the wrong analogy.

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

Peshawar High Court halts government order to deport Pak-Turk school staff

Turks Taught Us How to Invest In Education, says Congolese Minister

Setting the facts straight on the Gülen movement

Extradition of Turkish Citizens: Moldova to pay 125,000 euros in damages for rights violations

73-year-old says looking after grandchildren as daughter, son-in-law behind bars

Criminal complaint filed against media organizations publishing Gülen’s speeches

Kimse Yok Mu to send aid for Syrian refugees with 50 TIRs

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News