Opinions
Islamic scholar gave Buddhist point to ponder
Sanitsuda Ekachai 21/06/2012 I have just returned from Turkey, one of the world’s most beautiful countries. What has stayed deeply in my mind, however, is not the country’s picture-perfect postcard beauty, but its people, its modern take on Islam and a host of questions for my own country. During the visit, we, a group of […]
Would Gülen want to return to Turkey?
Mehmet Ali Birand June/16/2012 Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has invited Fetullah Gülen “Hodja,” who has been living in the United States for years, back to the country. He said, “this longing should come to an end.” In particular, the timing of the speech at the closing of the “Turkish Olympics” was a nice, well-thought-through […]
Hizmet movement and government
Yavuz Baydar June 14, 2012 Is it the movement attacking the government, or vice versa? Some believe that it is, some hope that it is, some deny that it is and many others feel deeply concerned that it is. I tend to belong to the latter camp. It is undeniable that the Hizmet movement (aka […]
A rift between the Hizmet movement and the AK Party?
BÜLENT KENEŞ June 14, 2012 For some time, Turkey has been obsessively talking about an alleged contention between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Hizmet movement (aka Gulen Movement). This matter is being discussed in dozens of newspaper columns and TV programs every day. The Hizmet movement’s demands are about principles. These […]
Fortunately, we have not closed Gülen schools
Mehmet Ali Birand June 9, 2012 When I was invited to become one of the judges in the International Turkish Olympiad, I was initially surprised. I was also a bit embarrassed because I never considered myself to be an expert in Turkish songs and folk songs, but I could not turn the offer down because […]
Hizmet’s focus is on serving humanity, not only promoting Turkish
BÜLENT KENEŞ June 5, 2012 His life changed completely when a Turk moved to the apartment block where he was living in Moscow. His parents had divorced and his mother had become an alcoholic and a drug user. “I have turned into a street kid,” he had said. One day he met a member of […]
Can Washington Ever Welcome a Nonviolent Muslim?
Michael Shank June 6, 2012 CBS News’ 60 Minutes recently produced a show about Turkish Muslim scholar Fethullah Gulen, spurred by concern about the so-called Hizmet movement’s (aka Gulen movement) alleged connection to a growing network of high performing and nationally ranked charter schools in the U.S. These schools rank in Newsweek’s top ten miracle schools in America and have […]
The role of civil society in Turkey’s democratization
BÜLENT KENEŞ May 22, 2012 Neither the state nor political parties can act as guarantees for democratization and democracy. With the fact that the main impetus behind and guarantee for our democratization is our ever-growing civil society, we need to consider whether we are attaching due importance to “Civil Society Organizations”. In the speech I […]
What befell Niyazi-i Misri in the past is happening to Fethullah Gülen now
BÜLENT KENEŞ I immediately accepted an invitation from my dear teacher Ziya Kesiriklioğlu, who had taught my religious course at high school and who I hadn’t seen for more than 25 years, to an event in Lemnos to commemorate a major Islamic scholar from my hometown of Malatya who had lived 300 years ago and […]
A study tour of Turkey with Gulen movement
Dr. Tariq Rahman May 24, 2012 The hospitality of Turkey, more precisely the Gulen Movement (aka Hizmet movement), started in Pakistan in the form of a call by Harun Koken who looks after the Turkish schools in Pakistan, the Rumi circle and a number of other educational activities in Pakistan. He gave me a book entitled The […]
Factory settings of Turkey as a nation-state
ABDÜLHAMİT BİLİCİ 18 May 2012 If we were to give a title to an article discussing the problems most heatedly debated in Turkey, I think the best option would be “Woes of transitioning from an empire to a nation-state.” It has been no easy task to transform a multi-faith, multi-lingual and diversity-dominated empire into a […]
Are there autonomous Hizmet groups?
İHSAN YILMAZ 18 May, 2012 When we look at the recent discussions and debates surrounding the Hizmet (Gülen) movement especially in the Turkish media, I observe that some writers are inclined to see the movement composed of a few relatively autonomous groups with sometimes clashing visions and practices. I do not think that behind this […]
Becoming a Dialogue Movement: What Can Dialogue Learn from Other Movements?
Frances Sleap Tue, 01 May 2012 Local intercultural dialogue efforts may have a real impact on the quality of the relationships of those involved. But how can dialogue have a larger-scale, more pervasive effect on our society? In a 2010 Dialogue Society discussion, Revd Donald Reeves suggested that dialogue needs to become a movement. Dr […]
Turkish Schools in Africa
Taha AKYOL May 2, 2012 The Central African Republic is one of the poorest countries in the world. In its capital Bangui, even electricity is not stable! We’ve arrived in Bangui during the night. Roads were terrible. We got to our hotel at midnight but even though our rooms were at the 11th floor, the […]
