
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.

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 […]

Kadri Gürsel Yesterday, in the column I talked about the 12.000 “ashuras” in Chicago by the supporters of the Gulen Movement. Ashura, called Noah’s Pudding in English, is said to represent “living together in peace”. Chickpeas, bean, wheat, and some dried fruits are among the ingredients of Ashura that creates a mixed taste. But while […]

Kerim BALCI Dr. Grinell claimed that the Movement has a political stance: “This Movement supports democracy, human rights and EU membership for Turkey. This is a political position,” he said. Grinell said that having studied Gülen textually he regards Gülen as a conservative leader. “As early as the eighteenth century, Goethe knew that the East […]

Andrew Conte SAYLORSBURG — Just a short drive on a two-lane road from the Dunkin’ Donuts here, the Golden Generation Retreat Center hardly seems like the home of one of the world’s leading Islamic thinkers. A metal gate at the driveway stands open, and no fences or walls protect the 25-acre property from suburban homes […]

CAN BAHADIR YÜCE, WASHINGTON The Gülen movement has long been a part of Turkey’s social landscape. But in recent years interest in the movement has gone far beyond Turkey’s borders of the country, with discussions of Fethullah Gülen and his ideas in forums and platforms including the Arab League, the Russian Parliament, the European Parliament […]

Serhii LASHCHENKO The power of the Turkish philosopher is that he gradually managed to captivate hundreds of thousand of people with his ideas. How did he do that? Through schools. As a good gardener that created his bountiful garden for years and decades, Fethullah Gulen directed his pupils toward consecutive and persistent transmission of knowledge […]

Suzan Hansen wrote an article about Mr. Gulen on The New Republic Magazine. She is trying to answer the question: What does the leader of the world’s most influential Islamic movement really want? What does the leader of the world’s most influential Islamic movement really want? Suzy Hansen November 10, 2010 The New Republic (Full content […]

MURAT TOKAY Professor Doğu Ergil, a distinguished political scientist, has completed his two-and-a-half-year study on the volunteer movement inspired by Fethullah Gülen, a preacher, prolific writer and advocate of interfaith and intercultural dialogue. Titled “100 Soruda Fethullah Gülen ve Hareketi” (Fethullah Gülen and His Movement in 100 Questions) (Timaş Publishing House), Ergil’s book dissects the […]

John L. Esposito In the past week, several alarmist pieces, including Soner Cagaptay’s “What’s Really Behind Turkey’s Coup Arrests?’ and Daniel Pipes’ “Crisis in Turkey,” have warned of a mortal crisis that threatens Turkey’s future and its relationship with Europe and the US. Both are particularly exasperated by the continued arrest and indictment of senior […]

Fethullah Gulen is a provincial Turkish preacher who has inspired a worldwide network of Muslims who feel at home in the modern world. The chief characteristic of the Gulen movement is that it does not seek to subvert modern secular states, but encourages practicing Muslims to use to the full the opportunities they offer. It […]

The Gülen movement refers to a cluster of religious, educational and social organizations founded and inspired by Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish Islamic scholar, author and speaker now in his late 60s. The movement strives to give faithful Muslims the secular education they need to thrive in the modern world. At the same time, it also […]