Standing by the Education Rights of Schoolgirls

Dr. Alp Aslandogan
Dr. Alp Aslandogan


Date posted: May 30, 2014

ALP ASLANDOGAN

Claiming that God directed the senseless kidnappings of hundreds of schoolgirls in Nigeria is nothing but reprehensible. The assailants, Boko Haram, either have a dubious understanding of their faith or, more likely, are acting in their own selfish political interests, apparent from the reports of lavish lifestyle of their deceased founder, M. Yusuf. The religious ideology proclaimed by groups like Boko Haram or Al-Qaeda is “a political ideology fashioned by misinterpreting, misrepresenting and corrupting the religious text” as Dr. Rohan Gunaratna of International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research in Singapore points out.

To Nigerian Muslims, it is clear that the actions of Boko Haram, which include attacks on churches and mosques, killing hundreds of people including Christians and Muslims, are criminal and terrorist acts and have nothing to do with their professed faith. Nigerian Muslim cleric Ibrahim Ahmed Abdullahi, who publicly condemned Boko Haram’s violence and was later killed by the group, told the Associated Press that the group recruits from among the impoverished youth by promising them “a more prosperous life at the end of a Kalashnikov rifle.” Abdullahi told the AP in November 2010 that for people living in absolute poverty, any invitation to bring about change has an appeal.

Boko Haram is not alone among terrorist groups that feed on the desperation of young people, giving them a false hope of a better future and pushing them into a quick sand of perpetual violence. PKK in Turkey, a Marxist organization that is responsible for some of the highest number of suicide attacks in the world after Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers and Al-Qaeda, has been feeding on the desperation of Kurdish youth whose families suffered ultranationalist policies and poverty for decades. University of Chicago professor Robert Pape, author of Dying to Win (Random House, 2006) and co-author with James Feldman of Cutting the Fuse (University of Chicago Press, 2010), demonstrated through 30 years of research that suicide terrorism in particular is associated with political occupation, rather than religious fundamentalism.

Actions of Boko Haram and others like it have no justification in or any association with any faith. They are rather associated with totalitarian mentalities that feed on young people’s desperation, which is often a result of various forms of inaptitude, injustice or oppression by local governments, non-governmental actors or foreign powers. Needless to say, none of the conditions that play a role in the formation of such groups justify any of their atrocities. Muslims around the world must continue their loud condemnation of such terrorist acts and support the international community in aiding the releases of these schoolgirls.

Influential Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, who is considered by TIME magazine as “the most potent advocate of moderation in the Muslim world,” has strongly condemned the kidnappings in Nigeria as well as other such violent acts. In an interview with the Atlantic in the aftermath of the attack on Malala Yusufzai in Pakistan, he said that denying girls access to education simply goes against the spirit of the Muslim religious tradition and that women should be able to take on every role in our society, including those of physicians, military officers, judges and head of state. He has advocated for women to have a powerful voice in the ongoing dialogue about the future of our communities.

Gulen believes that holistic education that augments math, science, language, humanities and arts with character development is the solution to addressing systemic societal problems. Intolerance of diversity and discrimination against women are but two examples of such societal problems that start at the mindset of the individual and should be addressed at that level first and foremost. That is the reason the Gulen-inspired educators around the world have been establishing educational institutions as the quintessential tool for building free and fair societies that protect and celebrate human rights of all citizens.

Individuals who share Gulen‘s ideas have founded hundreds of private, STEM-based, secular schools around the world, including in countries like Nigeria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan that serve boys and girls. President Karzai of Afghanistan and President Sharif of Pakistan recently praised the contributions of such schools to their societies.

The senseless abductions of young girls seeking nothing but a chance to learn only illustrates the threat that education poses to groups committed to a narrow worldview that suppresses human rights of others who do not think like them. The kidnappings must serve as a reminder to all in the Muslim world of the important role that education plays in cultivating free societies and in protecting people against totalitarian, oppressive forces.

Muslims must do more to publicly promote the shared values of life, liberty, compassion and dignity. These values are conferred on us by God, who in the Qur’an (Chapter 17, verse 70) has ordered us to: Treat people with dignity out of respect for their Creator, be concerned with the well-being of every human, have compassion for every suffering person and value every life equally.

As someone who comes from a family of teachers — my mother, now deceased father, sister, two aunts and other relatives — I constantly observed the effort these educators put into developing young minds and helping them achieve their true potential. I saw how their students appreciated that and expressed their gratitude later in their lives.

All around the world, there are people similarly dedicated to helping young generations actualize their true human potential, especially in areas where such opportunities are scarce. So when I see events such as those in Nigeria, it renews my commitment to the promotion of education and the protection of human rights and freedoms. If totalitarian-minded people are against educating girls, it must surely be the right thing to do.

Source: Todays Zaman , May 28, 2014


Related News

Turkish Schools In Somalia

The Bedir Turkish High School in Mogadishu, Kıblenuma Elementary School, Kıblenuma Girl’s School and Somaliland VifakTurkish School in thecountry offer modern vocational trainingf or Somali children as well as winning medals in international contests, leading to increased hopes for a better future in thecountry.

An interview at a party-state

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s witch-hunt campaign to find and eliminate people who are sympathizer of the Hizmet movement and not sympathizer of the government was reflected in interviews that were organized by the Ministry of Education last month. It seems Turkey has totally become a party-state.

Sakarya court orders stay of execution on closure of Fatih Koleji

The Sakarya Administrative Court on Friday issued a stay of execution on the closure decision for Fatih Koleji, a Hizmet-affiliated school that has been running in the Beyköy district of Düzce province, saying that the school is allowed to continue to operate in the 2014-2015 education period.

Nigeria demands Turkey’s apology over ‘unjustifiable’ students deportation in coup crackdown

Nigerian lawmakers have urged the Turkish government to apologise for arresting and deporting dozens of Nigerian students. The majority of the youths attended the Fatih University, which is among thousands of educational buildings Turkey has shut down in a crackdown following the failed coup.

Turks, Rio de Janeiro gov’t sign agreement to further education efforts in Brazil

The Brazilian-Turkish Cultural Center (CCBT) and the Rio de Janeiro state government signed an education cooperation agreement on Tuesday paving the way for the establishment of a long-anticipated “Brazil-Turkey Intercultural High School” by Turkish entrepreneurs sympathetic to the faith-based Gülen movement in Duque de Caxias, a city in southeast Brazil.

‘Hizmet conspiracy’ theories rejected at iftar hosted by Alevis

Participants of an iftar held by the Federation of Alevi-Bektaşi Associations under the theme “Solidarity in the light of the Quran” at the Renaissance Polat Hotel in İstanbul on Wednesday evening expressed their disbelief in the existence of any conspiracy prepared by the Hizmet movement.

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

Turkish entrepreneurs open university in Bucharest

Cemevi next to mosque embraced by residents in Malatya

Coup d’état attempt: Turkey’s Reichstag fire?

Giuliani pressed Trump to eject Muslim cleric from U.S., a top priority of Turkish president, former officials say

Businessman jailed over Gülen links dies of cancer after his belated release from prison

A Symphony of Compassion

Scholarly views in the aftermath of the coup attempt: A responsible government would rather support the Hizmet Movement

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News