Fethullah Gulen promotes democracy (CBS News)

Date posted: April 23, 2014

Fethullah Gulen promotes tolerance, interfaith dialog, and above-all: he promotes education. And yet he’s a mystery man — he’s never seen or heard in public — and the more power he gains, the more questions are raised about his motives and the schools.

Fethullah Gulen’s embrace of Western values has helped to modernize Turkey.

Abdulhamit Bilici, general manager of the Cihan News Agency in Istanbul said: Until early 90’s Islamic movement had the problem with the concept of secularism, democracy and other universal concepts.

So Fethullah Gulen was the one of the pioneers in the sense he said in the early 9o’s: “Turkey will not turn from democracy”
Democracy and Islam of course are compatible.

Tags: Democracy | Fethullah Gulen | North America |

Related News

The Gülen Effect: Filipino Muslims, Christians connect for peace

Fountain Magazine held a conference recently, titled “Peacebuilding Through Education”, in New York in cooperation with the Peace Islands Institute. Some institutions were honored with the best practice award, as they have served the peacebuilding under difficult conditions. Among the honorees was The Filipino–Turkish Tolerance School (FTTS), Zamboanga, The Philippines. Below is an article about this school […]

What is lacking in democratization package is democracy itself

This time’s so-called democratization package to soon be submitted to Parliament is an overt effort to make judicial proceedings nearly impossible if the consent of a governor or one of their deputies has not been granted. A prosecutor who wants to start an operation will first go to the governor (read: the government) in order to get a license to use law enforcement bodies in any sort of operation. This move is not only against democratic norms and the principles of transparency and the rule of law, but is also a clear reflection of a defensive mechanism in light of mounting corruption and graft claims surrounding senior government officials.

Rubin says Gülen’s extradition would convince Erdoğan that blackmail works

“If Gülen is turned over, however, I suspect relations will get worse because the extradition will convince Erdoğan that blackmail and bluster work,” said Rubin in an interview published in the Vocal Europe magazine on Monday.

Main opposition CHP’s visit to Gülen organization a ‘unifying action’

The main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) recent visit to the Turkic American Alliance (TAA), one of Fethullah Gülen’s U.S.-based organizations, was an “inclusive, unifying action,” CHP deputy chair Faruk Loğoğlu has said. “There is no doubt that some circles will be annoyed by the breakfast we had [with TAA officials]. But we did not […]

A warning from and for a troubled land – how easily a democracy can be dismantled

Recently a messenger came to Colorado with dark warnings from a troubled land: Abdulhamit Bilici, the former editor-in-chief of Zaman, Turkey’s go-to newspaper before President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s brutal crackdown. You don’t often meet people like Abdulhamit Bilici in the United States. You almost can’t believe that someone with his backstory sits before you.

When The Last Barricade Falls: Remembering Unlawful Takeover Of Turkey’s Largest Daily – Zaman

On March 4, 2016, exactly one year ago today , hundreds of riot police officers fired rubber bullets and gassed loyal readers of Turkey’s best-selling daily when they stood vigil on the sidewalk across the newspaper’s offices to peacefully protest the news of impending the unlawful takeover of Zaman newspaper.