Opinions
What Bishop Welby’s appointment reminds: Are we responding to God’s calling?
Levent Koç* November 12, 2012 I heard from some of my clergy friends that they chose to become pastors because they responded to God’s calling. In fact, you may hear from any person God has called to pursue a certain mission; he/she responds to the calling so as to become a good servant of God, […]
Swinging between hope and despair – Opposing news from Yemen
Levent Koç* We are in an era where we are swinging between hope and despair. More things push us towards despair than what makes us hopeful. Recently, I read two news stories about Yemen; one hurt my hope, the other refreshed it. Yemen is a poor country, often mentioned in the world media because of […]
Gülen Community and Gülen’s Reminder
Hadi Uluengin, April 13, 2011 Last week in this column I wrote that large masses whose common denominator is to adopt Fethullah Gülen’s spiritual leadership cannot be referred to as a ‘cemaat’ or religious community or brotherhood. I made this claim because the Gülen Movement’s (aka Hizmet movement) pluralism in quantity and diversity in quality […]
Is Gülen Movement A Religious Community (cemaat) or A Social Community (camia)?
Hadi Uluengin, April 6, 2011 Before studying the Gülen movement (aka Hizmet movement), first, we must agree on definitions. Such a consensus will place the discussion on a more appropriate and objective foundation. This lexicon agreement is required first and foremost because of recent claims and accusations—which are perhaps true, perhaps false, or perhaps half true, half […]
Planting Seeds of Understanding – A Buddhist View on Gulen Movement
Imagine … “a world where people are deeply grounded in a moral and ethical tradition, where humility and service are highly valued and where reason, science and technology are fully utilized for the benefit of all.”[1] Does this sound like some sort of utopia that we would like to choose for the human race? A […]
A Catholic Priest’s Letter to Fethullah Gülen
In Niğde, we visited the schools of the Sungurbey Education Foundation, established by a private businessman-donor, Celal Afşar, whom we were privileged to have as our host. He is also a close colleague of Fethullah Gülen and good friend of Fr. Alexei Smith. Mr. Afşar asked Fr. Alexei to write a letter to Mr. Gülen, […]
Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right
Dr. Brian L. Desbiens* As kids, our parents told us: “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” So it is with confusion and sadness that I read about the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi and the death of Ambassador Stevens. The violence was allegedly carried out in reaction to the airing of an American […]
A festival in Houston: Silk road festival
Beril Dedeoglu / October 12, 2012 The Syrian crisis has turned the social transformation process in the Arab world into well-known inter-state tensions. As of today, when talking about possible ways to resolve the Syrian crisis, we only mention states and their policies. Great powers have strategic expectations regarding the Syrian crisis. However, this crisis […]
Filling in for Missing Pieces: Peacebuilding Through Education
The Fountain Magazine and the Peace Islands Institute (PII) recently organized an international conference titled “Peacebuilding Through Education: Challenges, Opportunities, Cases”. The conference featured prominent experts and policy maker from across the world. Hakan Yeşilova, the editor-in-chief of Fountain Magazine, made the welcoming speech. Below is his speech. Honorary Ministers, academics, guests: Good morning and […]
In Houston, a celebration: Silk road festival
“Yes, I am very pleased,” Annise Parker, mayor of Houston, told me. “The community of Turks, here in particular, are very outward, extroverted and curious in a sense of cultural understanding. I wish the others, too, would be like them. They contribute a lot to our prosperity and future and teach us a lot about where they come from, Turkey.”
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 […]
Is Former Chief of General Staff Özkök a Closet Gülenist
JOOST LAGENDIJK In Turkey, it is very easy to learn about all the different points of view. Columnists and editors from all newspapers and TV channels have come forward with their often very outspoken assessments. In Europe and the US it’s much harder for people to get a real good picture of the significance of […]
Teaching Peace in Schools
Alp Aslandogan, President, Alliance for Shared Values* This week New York City hosts the United Nations General Assembly, the Clinton Global Initiative and the Education Nation conference. These massive events focus on international diplomacy and peace, societal problem-solving and improving classroom instruction. However, just a few blocks away from these grand assemblies, a smaller group […]
