Fethullah Gulen’s message in memory of Nelson Mandela
Date posted: December 9, 2013
Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has expressed condolences over former South African President Nelson Mandela’s death, lauding him for dedicating his life to principles such as peace, democracy, social justice and equality.
In a letter he sent to the South African Embassy in Washington, Gülen said, “We remember Mandela’s honorable life and his heritage.”
“We pay tribute to the honorable life and legacy of Nelson Mandela, who devoted himself to the principles of peace, democracy, social justice and equality. Faced with extraordinary challenges and adversity, he chose reconciliation over retaliation and, in doing so, set an example of living a more noble life. As we remember the lessons and wisdom of Mandela, we must reaffirm our commitment to the dignity of all humans, and to our shared values of peace, mutual understanding and respect through open dialogue.”
Unlike Turkey’s classical Islamic activists, Gulen always distanced himself from politics, and like Said Nursi, his main source of inspiration, his message was focused on grassroots social activism, most importantly an education combining both Islam and modern science. Hizmet’s main goal was social: raising a new “golden” generation fusing moderate Muslim and Modern ethics to become the backbone of Turkey’s society and bureaucracy and its messengers to the world.
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Nigeria is an important and relevant place for this conference because it is where volunteers of the Hizmet Movement inspired by Fethullah Gülen’s ideas have established 16 schools, a university and a hospital.
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The Gulen movement has become a global movement. In other words, it is Turkey’s most important export. When you cross boundaries, you have to watch the balance. His statement on the flotilla incident was both domestic and international. However, we must not forget that Gulen does not recommend that people fight those in authority. His statements disturbed both the government and the conservatives in Turkey.
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The management of the Nigerian-Turkish International Colleges (NTIC) says the government of Turkey is insulting Nigeria by requesting the closure of its schools in the country.
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The government has intensified its campaign against the Hizmet movement, a civil society initiative inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen’s teachings promoting interfaith dialogue, peace and tolerance, by putting Gülen on a list of wanted terrorists despite the move lacking any legal basis.
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