Opinions
Society, not community!
Considering that the issue of “the Community” has been discussed extensively, I would like to make a humble contribution to this matter. Most of the arguments raised on this matter have been wrong or unfair. Those who raise these arguments have little knowledge of the cultural atmosphere and the emotions of the members of this […]
Are politics and Hizmet from different walks of life?
The possibility of rivalry or conflict between ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and Hizmet (the Gülen movement, which consists of followers of Turkish scholar Fethullah Gülen’s ideas), came to the agenda once again when individuals known to be Gülen followers took the side of the judiciary in a debate between the government and […]
The Community has infiltrated the European Court of Human Rights as well!
This title will clearly sound absurd and nonsensical for a normal person. As a matter of fact, it is not intended for the people who, like you, are in perfect mental health and who can think reasonably and normally. It is for those paranoid people who are obsessed with the “Community” (the Hizmet movement, also known as Gulen movement)
The Middle East and Turkish civil Islam’s transformative influence on Islamism
NEW DELHI — I am in New Delhi to present a paper at an international conference called “The Arab Spring: Region and India,” organized by the Center For West Asian Studies of the Jamia Millia Islamia. My paper’s title is “From Islamism to Non-Islamism: Turkish faith-based civil society’s transformative influence on Islamism as an inspiration […]
A word on the power of the Fethullah Gulen-followers
HASAN CEMAL I am a person who knows the power of the Gülen Community (the “Cemaat”), or as the colloquial phrase goes, the Fethullahians or Fethullah-followers, very well. I can easily say they are both powerful and competent. How do I know that? Because of football. Yes, that is so. They are very well organized […]
Those who infiltrate the state
The guardianship regime was in control of the country for over a century. It did not want to share its power with anybody. There was only one option left: to intimidate, to repress, to brutalize and to make others submit. To achieve this, it laid the groundwork through provocations and psychological warfare tactics; it created […]
The Abant Platform: the Arab Spring and Turkey’s role
Immersion in the complex and often nuanced debates at the Abant Platform made everyone realize that the Arab Spring heralded a new era, not only for the Arab world but for regional and global politics. In fact, many were unsure about the prospects of stability and democratization in the short term, but were optimistic this turbulent process would eventually bring much sought-after normalization to the region.
Sabotage: government-Gülen movement relations
We are facing a new situation that we are all trying to understand. First, the summoning of the undersecretary of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT), Hakan Fidan, and several other MİT administrators to testify as suspects has turned into an unprecedented and serious problem. Those waiting in the wings encouraged a debate that started as […]
The Gulen Movement: A Paradigm for the Engagement of Faith and Modernity
In the midst of this time of crisis and opportunity, my question tonight is this: What is the future of religion in the new world order that is painfully emerging in our times? How can religion support—and constructively critique—this new international order? I personally believe, very deeply, that God is raising up leaders in every […]
Hizmet, forming a party and capturing the state!
During the recent political crisis surrounding the National Intelligence Organization (MİT), the judiciary, the police, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Hizmet movement, a few pro-AKP writers have implied that Hizmet has been interfering with politics. Unfortunately, these writers do not appear to have any idea of a proper and well functioning democracy, […]
Zaman University in Cambodia: a candle in the darkness
Zaman University was officially opened in Phnom Penh on Feb. 21, 2011, by the deputy prime ministers of Cambodia and Turkey, signaling the significance of this event. This educational development was encouraged by the government of Cambodia and supported by the Turkish Muslim community, which is inspired and guided by the Hizmet Movement. Business people […]
Or is it Gülenophobia?
Turkey’s frequently changing agenda has recently been dominated by one issue: An İstanbul prosecutor overseeing an investigation into a Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)-linked terrorist organization has asked the Ankara Prosecutor’s Office to hear the testimony of National Intelligence Organization (MİT) Undersecretary Hakan Fidan and has obtained arrest warrants for four other MİT agents. MERVE BÜŞRA […]
“Hizmet Reaches out to others giving much ground for hope” tells Prof. Leo D. Lefebure
In a recent Conference of Jesuits Among Muslims in Rome (September 2011) presenting his views on Hizmet movement, Prof. Thomas Michel, SJ of Georgetown University, Washington concluded: “‘Are Gülen and the Hizmet community friends or foes?’ I must answer that they are our friends. They are the kind of Muslim interlocutors for an active dialogue […]
Should the Hizmet movement form a political party?
Despite the image some have tried to create, we have been writing that the Justice and Development (AKP) and the Hizmet movement are two different entities. One of them is a political party and the other is a faith-based civil society actor. They have, of course, been on the same page with regard to many […]
