Opinions
Gulen Movement: An attempt to represent Islam and Muslims positively
Gülen has influenced a whole generation of Muslims globally. The good part of his writings is that it motivates people to put his thoughts into practice: the ideas do not remain theory and inspirations but become a charter or action-plan.
We’ll kiss the hands of those who tell us our shortcomings
HÜSEYİN GÜLERCE I have been a guest of the esteemed Fethullah Gülen for one week. I am visiting not just as a friend, but as a journalist as well. Being here in this place as a writer is very exciting. You are in the same place, breathing the same air as this person who has […]
Fethullah Gülen: An Islamic sign of hope for an inclusive Europe
Thus Gülen and the initiatives inspired by his teaching challenge the tendency found among some Muslims groups to separatist withdrawal from the wider non-Muslim society. By contrast, they offer a basis for Muslim engagement with the wider society based upon a confident and richly textured Islamic vision.
Turkish experience in Sudan: making a difference
ABDULLAH BOZKURT Turkish volunteers also established what many here say is a very accomplished school in the capital, nurturing and educating future generations of Sudanese who will be keen to maintain friendly ties between the two nations. I was not planning to end up in Darfur last week when I booked the flight to Ankara […]
Civic engagement, success and the Gülen movement
MUHAMMED ÇETİN The recent extraordinary interest in activities by and related to the Gülen movement leads many to think about civic engagement and its efficacy and success. Civic engagement is extremely vital for improving and enhancing conditions in any contemporary democracy. It means promoting the quality of life in a community through both political and […]
Gulen Charter Schools: Ignorance and Lies Beyond Reality
“Ignorance, fear, hatred, and lies beyond reality” seems to be a common pattern of many accusations in our world. The pattern well explains the motif of the statement, “Fethullah Gülen infiltrates the United States through our charter schools.” It seems to me that the only truth of the statement is that it aims to disturb […]
The Gülen Movement: Paradigms, Projects and Aspirations
Gülen movement could be compared with Gandhi and his movement of nonviolent resistance. Of course, the context of both figures is very different. However, the scope of their influence is not dissimilar. What both have shared is the capacity to bring hope and to enable others to find hope.
Why does Öcalan need to approach the Gülen movement?
Emre Uslu The Turkish public has recently been discussing Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan’s peace offer to the Gülen movement. Many observers saw this as a surprise step from Öcalan. Last week I had the chance to speak with both Kurdish politicians and followers of Gülen in the Southeast. Unlike widely believed rumors, […]
Foreword to “The Gulen Movement: Civic Service without Borders”
I have long been an admirer of Fethullah Gulen not only because he speaks of and promotes a compassionate version of Islam, but also because the movement he has inspired enables that vision by establishing educational institutions that practise and embody what they teach.
Portrait of Fethullah Gülen: A Modern Turkish-Islamic Reformist
Bekim Agai Fethullah Gülen, founder of a worldwide Islamic education movement, regards morality and education as the engine for a contemporary Islam that is compatible with laicism. Many are on the lookout today for “reformist thought” in the Islamic world. The question here is what qualities an Islamic reformist is expected to demonstrate and what […]
