Hizmet seems to me to be a very good representative of the best in Islam, in terms of being open, feeling a responsibility to the world, and the pluralism that is evidenced in the Koran, which tells us to respect all the prophets and all the people of the book.
Hizmet Movement is, in my view, an Islamically-inspired, Islamically-grounded movement, or Islamically-rooted movement, founded on the universal and fundamental principle of peace and—the essential values of Islam—peace, mercy and compassion, as normative, moral objectives and which seeks to translate these principles into—through the dynamic of ta’aruf, the dynamic of coming to know one another, especially coming to know the other—into a reality, into a living sociological and anthropological reality.
Love is a Verb is a documentary by Terry Spencer Hesser exploring the ordinary lives and stories of people in Hizmet, a social movement inspired by the Islamic scholar and teacher, Fethullah Gülen, and geared towards serving all people regardless of their faith and religion through dialogue, education and relief work.
As an educator I may be a bit biased, but I think the focus on education that we see in Hizmet, that we see in Gulen and his teachings and his being, that focus on education which is critical to the work of Hizmet is itself the most critical work that can be done in this age.
Paxton Companies estimates 25,000 blankets have been donated and Embrace Relief reports $100,000 in funds have been donated to this cause. Over the past two years more than 40,000 blankets have been collected and $115,000 in funds has been donated. Donations raised for this program will help purchase blankets and supplies in Turkey for the refugees.
Dr. Lawrence Geraty is a Professor of Archaeology and Old Testament Studies at La Sierra University in Riverside, California. He served as the second President of La Sierra University. He completed his PhD in Syro-Palestinian Archaeology at Harvard University.
The outstanding contribution of law enforcement officers was recognized at an award ceremony in Morristown, New Jersey. The Peace Islands Institute’s 5th Annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Award united community members with law enforcement personnel.
The charity Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody There?) and the Embrace Relief aid foundation, founded by Turks residing in the US, have jointly constructed a water well in Uganda dedicated to the memory of James Foley, an American journalist killed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
Dr. Hawkins refers to Fethullah Gulen as a wise man and says, “. I think that his form of Islam is a tremendously powerful, modern form of religion and has a lot to teach the world about how we should get together.” “I think Hizmet goes to the heart of what it means to be a Muslim. The Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) was a man who was not teaching a set of dogmas. He was teaching a revolution of life, a whole new way to interact with the world around them, to interact with God, to interact with other human beings, to interact even with nature…”
Rabbi Lawrence Seidman earned a Ph.D in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. After retiring from the Boeing Company, he dedicated himself to religious and spiritual studies. Lawrence Siedman was ordained as a rabbi in 2009 by the Academy for Jewish Religion.
Father Alexei Smith served as an elected member of the Council of Priests of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for six years, and currently is a member of the Spirituality Commission of the Archdiocese. He served as president of the Interreligious Council of Southern California for five years. In 2007, he awarded the prestigious Religious Leadership Award of the Valley Interfaith Council.