Fethullah Gulen: Turkish Scholar, Cleric — And Conspirator?
A Rare Interview: Jamie Tarabay Meets Turkish Scholar Fethullah Gulen
Date posted: January 8, 2014
Al-Jazeera America reporter Jamie Tarabay interviewed Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen in his home last spring. It was published in The Atlantic last August. Gulen is a Turkish spiritual leader to millions of Turks, both in Turkey and around the world, and the head of the Gulen movement. His network of followers spans the globe, and it has opened academically-focused schools in 90 countries, including the U.S.
Robert Siegel speaks with Tarabay about the interview.
The Muslim Martin Luther? Fethullah Gulen Attempts an Islamic Reformation
Erdogan is clearly intent on marginalizing the Gulenist movement, even at the expense of the rule of law in Turkey. Turkey would clearly be harmed if Gulenist teachings on tolerance and individual rights were successfully quieted. But the loss for Islamic culture would be an even greater tragedy.
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The U.S. is also treading very carefully on the Gülen issue. The movement has been Turkey’s top lobbyist on Capitol Hill for a decade.
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Publishing a book in 2009 about Francis of Assisi’s peaceful encounter with Egypt’s Sultan Malik al-Kamil during the Fifth Crusade led me to meet a lot of people with an interest in improving interreligious relations. Among them were a number of Turkish immigrants who are followers of the Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen. I observed that through a network of private schools, foundations and media organizations, they have worked very hard to improve Muslim-Christian relations.
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The Muslim Way to React
One book, one contest, one excitement… An interesting campaign was organized in India, in order to better understand the messages from Prophet Muhammad, the messages which transcend time and space. 80 thousand Muslims in India read the book ‘The Infinite Light’, written by Fethullah Gulen, and were tested over the book. Very well, but what was […]
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I’ve been in the military judiciary for years and I haven’t observed anything like it [“parallel state” in regards to the Hizmet movement], and I haven’t observed it in the civilian judiciary, either.
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