Fethullah Gulen: Turkish Scholar, Cleric

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.

Source: National Public Radio , January 08, 2014

Tags: Fethullah Gulen | Hizmet (Gulen) movement |

Related News

The cleric, the coup and the conspiracy

In Pennsylvania, Gülen and his aides scrambled to denounce the coup attempt as it unfolded. “As someone who suffered under multiple military coups during the past five decades, it is especially insulting to be accused of having any link to such an attempt,” Gülen said in a statement, referring to Turkey’s spotty democratic history. The U.S. also was quick to condemn the coup attempt, but not quick enough for many in the Turkish government and media.

UK Parliament: No evidence that Gülen, movement behind coup attempt

Contrary to accusations made by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Turkish government, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the UK Parliament has concluded that Fethullah Gülen and the movement he inspired as a whole were not behind a failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15.

The Gülen movement: advocators of interfaith activities in Turkey

To cover up the [corruption] investigations, the newspapers close to the government use many derogatory labels for the movement, such as “promoters of light or moderate Islam,” “the protestantization of Islam,” “collaborators and allies of foreign intelligence agencies,” and “Christian missionaries under an Islamic guise.”

Fethullah Gulen named the world’s No. 1 public intellectual

Over half a million people voted in our poll to find the world’s top public intellectual. Of the many voting campaigns that were mounted, only one had a decisive impact on the results. Tom Nuttall on the campaign that delivered Gülen’s victory.

Fethullah Gülen says Turkey’s involvement in a war would bring mass destruction

Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has warned against the dire consequences of Turkey’s possible involvement in a war in Syria or Iraq, saying Turkish authorities should avoid any action that may cause the Turkish people to experience sorrows similar to those of World War I.

Islamic scholar Gülen rebukes ISIL over ‘brutal atrocities’

Gülen said in a statement on Thursday, released by the Alliance for Shared Values, an umbrella body of instutitions linked to the Gülen movement, that he “deplored the brutal atrocities” by the terrorist group “hiding behind a false religious rhetoric.” He joined the “people of conscience” from around the world in calling for these perpetrators to immediately cease their “cruel and inhuman acts.”