‘Hizmet Movement is teaching “habits of the heart”, without any request for payback’


Date posted: February 28, 2015

Retired Judge Robert Spitzer was a public prosecutor in the Office of the District Attorney, Riverside County, California, 1977-1990. He served as a judge of the Superior Court of the State of California, 1990-2008, where he presided over criminal and civil jury trials. He retired in 2008.

“Perhaps one of the greatest contributions that the Hizmet Movement can make in the world, or is making in the world, is teaching these “habits of the heart”, associated with generosity of spirit, of giving; and they do this without any request for payback. It’s an unrequited gift, one that is not expecting anything in return; an example of true love.”

“The individuals in the Hizmet Movement present to Americans a life of Islam which is not frightening, which, where the values and concerns relate primarily to those of family and faith.”

“In my experience, the Hizmet Movement has been very involved with interfaith dialog as a dynamic in bringing people together. When I was in Turkey, the Movement guides took me to churches, mosques, as well as synagogues, and were open to discuss the various differences and similarities between the faiths.”

“In southern California, we have an Anatolian Festival every year or two, where communities from Turkey come, including the Armenian community—which has a church—and the Jewish community, and there are opportunities to discuss religion with people of other faiths.”

*Produced by Spectra Media exclusively for Irmak TV, Atlas of Thoughts (Fikir Atlasi) connects the scholars, politicians, jurists, religious figures, journalists, and academics reflecting on Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen and the Hizmet Movement with the audience. Each episode features a person from a different segment of the society with diverse experiences regarding the Hizmet activities and its volunteers. If you are interested to hear about the Hizmet and Mr. Gulen from these people’s perspectives, do not miss this show!

Source: Spectra Media , April 23, 2014

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