Fethullah Gulen - Biography

8/2/2019 Fethullah Gulen - Biography

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/fethullah-gulen-biography 1/52

FETHULLAH GÜLEN

Biographical Album



2



“Be so sympathetic and tolerant that your bosom becomes wide

as the ocean. Be inspired with aith and love the human being.

Let there be no troubled souls to whom you do not oer a hand

and about whom you remain unconcerned.”

F ethullah Gülen is a urkish scholar, preacher, thinker,

author, opinion leader, education activist, and peace

advocate. He is regarded as the initiator and inspirer

o the worldwide civil society movement, the Gülen Movement,

which is committed to education, dialogue, peace, social justice,

and social harmony. Gülen has published more than sixty books

in urkish, many o which have been translated to more than

thirty languages. He was listed among the top hundred public

intellectuals in the world by Foreign Policy magazine in May 2008.

Gülen is known or his philosophical and active stance or humanrights, democracy, interaith and intercultural dialogue, science,

spirituality, and against violence, segregation, and turning

religion into a political ideology. Not only does his discourse

cherish values such as empathetic acceptance, altruistic service to

one’s community and humanity in general, the complementary

roles o mind and heart, sincerity, and love o the creation; his lie

exemplies them. “Serving humanity to serve God” and “living

to let others live” are the core principles o his understanding o

service. His promotion o sympathy, compassion and harmonious

coexistence can best be reected in a comparison with that o

Rumi, the 13th century Anatolian Su and spiritual poet and

one o Gülen’s sources o inspiration.

Gülen started his career as a preacher and education activist.

In time, he succeeded in mobilizing hundreds o thousands o

people or the purpose o serving society by uniting around high

human values. Despite the high regard millions hold or him, he

considers himsel only one o the volunteers o the civil society

movement he helped originate and denounces any attribution

o leadership. Gülen has never married, and has spent most o

his lie in urkey, his native country. He currently resides in

Pennsylvania, the United States, at a retreat acility.

Brie Portrait

3



4

The city o Erzurum



F ethullah Gülen was born into a amily o modest means in Erzurum,

urkey, in 1941, and was raised in a spiritually enriching environ-

ment. He completed his education in modern and traditional insti-

tutions. He studied Islamic sciences and attained his teaching certication.He attended the training circles o local Su teachers, where he learned the

principles o Islamic spirituality and humanism.

He was also introduced to the writings o Said

Nursi, a renowned scholar o Islam who taught

that Muslims should welcome the benets o

modernity and nd inspiration in the sacred

texts to engage with it.

Gülen’s parents played a great role in his early

education. His ather, an imam, enjoyed reading

classical books, reciting poetry, and meditat-

ing on the early period o Islam. It was he who

instilled a love o learning and love or the Prophet and his companions in

the young Gülen. His mother, a volunteer Qur’an instructor, taught him the

recitation o the sacred book and exemplied spiritual lie and perseverance.

Gülen became a haz, one who knows the entire Qur’an by heart, at the age

o twelve, and started preaching in local mosques when he was only ourteen

years old.

Early Lie

5

Gülen in his early youth

For centuries, the spiritual and humanistic

tradition o Islam has been represented

mainly by Susm, which became a major

source o Gülen’s thought and discourse.



6

Selimiye Mosque



P assing the exam administered by the

urkish State’s Directorate o Religious

Afairs in 1959, Gülen was appointed

as an imam and preacher to an historic mosque

in Edirne, a city in the European part o urkey.

In this period o his youth, he was both socially

active and personally ascetic. Living humbly and

residing in a small section o the mosque, he had

the opportunity to deepen his knowledge o Islamic

tradition, inormally study the social and natural

sciences, and examine the classics o both Eastern

and Western philosophy and literature. It was his amiliarity with a broad range o

literature that would equip him or his comprehensive interpretations.

Gülen became a well-known preacher in the city in only a short time. He developed

good relations with local authorities, leaders and members o the society through

his outreach eorts. In the meantime, he witnessed the erosion o spiritual and

moral values, especially among younger generations, and strove to nd a solution

to the problem. For this purpose, he organized a series o public lectures. Inrecognition o his success in public service, Gülen was promoted to the positions

o central preacher and director o a boarding school in Izmir, a large city on the

Aegean coast o urkey.

Early Career

7

a

c

b

a - The monumental Selimiye Mosque in the city o Edirne

b - Daru’l-Hadis Mosque and the Qur’an school where Gülen preached and taught

c - The historic Üç Şereeli Mosque to which Gülen was appointed as an imam and preacher

Gülen in his twenties



8

The city o Izmir



W orking in Izmir was the turning point in Gülen’s career,

as the city would be the cradle or the movement that

crystallized around his discourse and activism. He main-

tained his ascetic way o lie. He ound only a couple o hours a day

to sleep because o his daily commitments o reading, preaching,

teaching, giving lectures and seminars, and meeting with community

members. He attracted the atten-

tion o learned citizens, includ-

ing the academic community and

college students, as well as common

people.

Gülen’s discourse was distinguished

by his depth o knowledge, sensitiv-

ity and stellar eloquence. His topics

ranged rom religious practices to

social justice, rom child education

to naturalism. His sermons were

well structured, and the systematic

presentation o some topics would

extend over many months, which was uncommon at that time. He

also expanded the unction o the mosque by launching a Q & A series

in which he responded to people’s concerns and curiosities, including

those regarding the challenges o modern times.

In his endeavors, Gülen especially aimed at urging the younger

generation to harmonize intellectual enlightenment with virtuous

spirituality, and to serve ellow humans altruistically. During the

years o political turmoil in urkey, he witnessed many young urks’

attraction to extremist ideologies via the violent polarization o

socialism and nationalism. He strove to inspire the urkish youth

and lead them toward an apolitical way o service to society, based

on a peaceul lie-style.

Nationwide Preacher and Education Activist

9

Gülen giving a public lecture

Gülen speaking in a cofee house



Gülen traveled to numerous cities and towns across urkey to give

sermons in mosques and speeches at gatherings in various places,

including theatres and even cofee houses. His sermons and speeches

were recorded on tape, distributed by volunteers all around the

country, and enthusiastically embraced. In his thirties, Gülen was

already one o the ew preachers recognized nationwide.

As Gülen asserts, he simply thought to cultivate the public credit given

to him by channeling good intentions and devotional energy toward

a positive end. He encouraged people to set up student dormitoriesand hostels to promote better education or the youth. He also encour-

aged people to establish university preparatory courses to support

children, especially the children o middle- and low-income amilies,

in their preparation or higher education. People who shared Gülen’s

service-ethic initiated local scholarship unds or needy students,

rom which thousands o students would benet every year.

Since the ‘80s, Gülen-inspired entrepreneurs and educators have set

up more than a hundred highly successul private schools in urkey.

As o the ‘90s, similar private schools have been started mostly in

countries in Central Asia and Arica, and some in Europe and the

Americas. In the meantime, participants in the movement have also

established universities, hospitals, relie organizations, tutoring

centers, business associations, media outlets, publishing houses, etc.

a - Yamanlar High School, established in Izmir by Gülen-inspired people

b - A top-notch university preparatory course in Istanbul

10

a b



MacedoniaAzerbaijan

Nigeria Madagascar

11



F ethullah Gülen delivered his last sermons in 1991 in the largest mosques o

the country, ater which he ceased preaching. However, he continued to be

active in community lie, teaching small groups o graduate students and

taking part in service projects. He traveled abroad to the United States in 1992, where

he visited the 8th President o urkey, urgut Özal, during his medical treatment in

Houston. He also met urkish-American academics and community leaders, as well

as the leaders o other American aith communities.

During the ‘90s, Gülen pioneered a rejuvenation o the interaith dialogue spirit in

the urkish-Muslim tradition, which was orgotten amidst the troublesome years o

the early 20th century. Te Journalists and Writers Foundation, o which Gülen has

been the honorary president, organized a series o gatherings involving leaders o religious minorities in urkey. In January 1998, Pope John Paul II sent a celebration

message to Gülen or the Ramadan Festival, in appreciation o his interaith dialogue

initiatives. In the ollowing month, Gülen met the Pope at the Vatican or the purpose

o improving dialogue. Gülen oered to help organize a number o interaith events

in Harran and Jerusalem to contribute to peace in the region. His name eventually

became a symbol or interaith dialogue and understanding in urkey.

During this period, Gülen made himsel increasingly available or comment and

interviews in the media and began to meet oten with prominent state dignitaries,

authors, journalists, artists, businessmen and media leaders. His aim was to

help cultivate a mutual understanding o peaceul coexistence among the diverse

Start o a New Era

a - Gülen with Chie Rabbi o Turkey’s Jewish community David Aseo in 1996

b - Gülen with Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew in 1996

c - Gülen with Israel’s Sephardic Chie Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi Doron in 199912

a

b

c



13

Gülen with Pope John Paul II

at the Vatican in 1998



14

constituents o a society divided into many biased ideological actions. On many occasions,

Gülen reiterated his ideas and opinions regarding human rights, modernity, humane

secularism, democracy, open society, and tolerance. He always emphasized that his way

o service to society was apolitical but not anti-politics. In his own words, his principle

was to keep the same distance to every political party and to support whomever is

serving society without discrimination.

Nonetheless, some marginal religious groups in urkey opposed Gülen’s interaith

dialogue initiatives and even accused him o being “heretical” and, more oddly, “a hidden

cardinal.” Responding in riendship, Gülen oten declared that interaith dialogue was

not a novel thing that he had invented, but rather, a neglected tradition o urkish

society and a religious obligation or establishing sustainable peace. Conversely, some

ultra-secularist, ultra-nationalist, and communist circles, who stood or and even

beneted rom a closed and divided society, started a deamation campaign in the

media against Gülen, accusing him o having a long-term political agenda to turn

urkey into a theocratic state, an ideology that Gülen has always disavowed. Tey

eventually persuaded a prosecutor to bring charges against him in 2000. Tese charges

were ound to be baseless and were dismissed in 2008. (For urther reading, see: Loye

Ashton, “A Contextual Analysis o the Supporters and Critics o the Gülen Movement” at

www.guleninstitute.org/index.php/Articles)

a - Gülen with Prime Minister Tansu Çiller in 1996

b - Gülen with Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit in 1997

c - Gülen receiving visitors rom the cinema and the press

a

b

c



15

Gülen with the recipients

o the Journalists and

Writers Foundation’s

“Tolerance Awards” in 1996



The retreat acility in Pennsylvania,

where Gülen currently lives

16



I

n 1999, Fethullah Gülen traveled to the

United States to receive medical care or his

cardiovascular condition. He underwent aheart operation in 2004, ollowing which his doctors

recommended he avoid stress. For this reason, he chose

to live ar away rom the politically-charged atmosphere

in urkey, and was granted permanent residency by

the U.S. government in 2006. He was among the rst

Muslim scholars to publicly condemn the September

11 attacks. His condemnation message appeared in Te

Washington Post on September 21, 2001.

Gülen currently lives with a group o students and

his doctors at a retreat acility in Pennsylvania, where

he dedicates his time to reading, writing, teaching,

individual and small group worship, and receiving aew visitors, as his health permits. He has been visited

by American academics and religious leaders as well

as members o the urkish-American community. He

maintains his ascetic and spiritual way o lie, spending

Years o Retreatin the United States

17



most o his time in his modest room. He remains

concerned with happiness and alleviating the sufering

o humans around the world. He also encourages people

to be involved in organizing aid campaigns or those

aected by natural disasters throughout the world, inplaces such as Indonesia, Myanmar, and Haiti. Most days

he devotes a hal an hour to conversation and answering

the questions, and is sometimes consulted about service

projects. His conversations are recorded and made

available to the public on a website (www.herkul.org).

Troughout the years in Pennsylvania, he has been

interviewed several times by local and international

journalists.

a - Turkish journalist Nuriye Akman interviewing Gülen in 2004

b - Gülen sufers rom several health problems and receives routine

medical care.

18

a

b



19

Gülen in his room

at the retreat acility



20

l ’ k



21

F ethullah Gülen’s works can be classied in two

main genres: recorded speeches and books. Te

ormer comprises the published collections o

audiotapes and visual material rom his sermons and

conversations over decades. His books consist o the

compilations o the lead articles he has published in

various periodicals and the edited transcriptions o

his speeches. He has also published a book o poetry

which has appealed to lyricists and musicians. Gülen

has published more than sixty books in urkish, many

o which have become bestsellers in urkey, reaching

millions o copies in total. Some o his books have beentranslated to other languages.

Gülen’s Works

Gülen’s books in English:

•Speech and Power o Expression, New Jersey: Te Light, 2010.

•Te Messenger o God, Muhammad: An Analysis o the Prophet’s Lie ,

New Jersey: Te Light, 2005.

•Emerald Hills o the Heart: Key Concepts in the Practice o Sufsm (Four volumes),

New Jersey: Te Light, 2004.

•Te Statue o Our Souls: Revival in Islamic Tought and Activism , New Jersey:

Te Light, 2005.

•oward a Global Civilization o Love and olerance, New Jersey: Te Light, 2004.

•Essentials o the Islamic Faith, New Jersey: Te Light, 2006.

•Essays, Perspectives, Opinions, New Jersey: Te Light, 2004.

•Pearls o Wisdom, New Jersey: Te Light, 2005.

•Questions and Answers about Faith, Fairax: Te Fountain, 2000.



One o the international conerences on the

Gülen Movement, held at the University o

Southern Caliornia, Los Angeles

22

T Gül M t



A lso called the “Voluntary Service” (Hizmet in urkish)

by participants, the Gülen Movement is a worldwide

civic initiative rooted in the spiritual and humanistic

tradition o Islam and inspired by the ideas and activism o

Fethullah Gülen. It is a aith-inspired, non-political, cultural

and educational movement whose basic principles stem rom

Islam’s universal values, such as love o the creation, sympathy

or the ellow human, compassion, and altruism. Te movement

is not a governmental or state sponsored organization. It ocuses

on the betterment o the individual toward a positive change

in society. Te movement is distinguished or its support o democracy, its openness to globalization, its progressiveness

in integrating tradition with modernity, and its humanistic

outlook. Gülen describes it as “a movement o people united

around high human values,” and disapproves o the attribution

o the movement to his name.

Te bases o the movement are diverse service projects

that are initiated, unded, and conducted by people who

are motivated to various extents by Gülen’s humanitarian

discourse. Ranging rom private schools to poverty aid programs,

these projects are independent o each other in operational

terms, so the movement has no hierarchical structure.

Te Gülen Movement has paved an exemplary way o working

together to overcome the problems o humankind, regardless

o religious, ethnic or cultural diferences. Te movement sets a

precedent, not only with its activities, but also through its ways

o generating nancial support, thanks to its revivication o the

Islamic values o giving and hospitality. Research shows that the

average nancial contribution o participants in the movement

to the service projects is 5 to 10 percent o their annual income.

Although the movement’s origins are tied to the urkish-Muslim

identity, the Gülen Movement is now active in as many non-

Muslim as Muslim countries and attracts participants o diverse

aiths and cultures. Te explanation or this, as sociologist

Helen Rose Ebaugh writes, is that the inrastructure o the

movement, in terms o organizational leadership, volunteers,

nancial donors and the inspiration behind the movement, is

transported by the urkish diaspora, ie. by urkish immigrants

settling in countries all over the world as students, proessionals

and businessmen. Te result is that the movement is now

transnational in its outreach and impact.

For urther reading: Helen Rose Ebaugh, Te Gülen Movement: A Sociological

Analysis of a Civic Movement Rooted in Moderate Islam, New York and Heidelberg:

Springer, 2010

Te Gülen Movement

23



Students o a Gülen-inspired

elementary school with their

teacher in Turkey24

Educational Institutions



“I we do not plant the seeds o love in the hearts o young people, whom

we try to revive through science, knowledge, and modern culture, they

will never attain moral perection.”

— F. Gülen, Pearls o Wisdom

Education is the pivotal eld o service in the Gülen Movement.

Hundreds o educational institutions have been established

by Gülen-inspired people in urkey and more than a hundred

countries throughout the world.

Te Gülen-inspired schools are non-religious private institutions sponsored

by generous entrepreneurs, altruistic educators, and dedicated parents.

Using cutting-edge instructional technology and having demonstrated

outstanding academic achievements, many o these schools rank among

the most prestigious in their countries. Each school ollows the curriculum

o the host country, with a majority o the subjects taught in English. Te

schools provide scholarships or students who cannot aford the tuition.

As many people have observed, Gülen-inspired schools are symbols o peaceul coexistence and dedication to the service o humanity. Tey also

serve as an environment or intercultural, interethnic, and interaith

harmony, especially in conict-ridden regions such as the Philippines,

Macedonia, Aghanistan, Northern Iraq, Bosnia, and Kenya.

Educational Institutions

Fatih High School in Istanbul

Samanyolu High School in Ankara

25



Tere are several Gülen-inspired universities in urkey and

abroad. Tey are private universities supported by oundations,

and with their academic achievements, stand in service o their

respective nations and humanity in general.

Te Gülen-inspired dormitories are distinguished acilities wherestudents can live and study together under the tutelage o

dedicated teachers. Tese residencies provide living arrangements,

especially or those who cannot aford room and board, in

addition to tuition and books.

Te Gülen-inspired preparatory courses are among the best in

urkey. Tey prepare students or the state exams mandatory

or all students who wish to attend science high schools and

universities. All these course-centers provide scholarships or

students who cannot aord the tuition.

Many tutoring centers and reading rooms have been set up by

Gülen-inspired charitable oundations, especially in south-eastern

urkey, where the youth and women have ewer opportunities to

pursue higher education. Tese centers and rooms are ree and

open to everyone. Te teachers working there are all volunteers.

Çağlayan Elementary School in the city o Ura

One o the tutoring centers in south-eastern Turkey

26



Fatih University in Istanbul

27



Volunteers bringing ood aid to

a remote village in eastern Turkey

28

Relie & Healthcare Organizations



“Tere is no limit to doing good to others. Tose who have dedicated

themselves to the good o humanity can be so altruistic that they live

or others. However, such altruism is a great virtue only i it originates

in sincerity and purity o intention, and i it does not defne the othersby racial preerences.”

— F. Gülen, Pearls o Wisdom

T

he Gülen-inspired relie organization “Kimse Yok

Mu” (meaning “Isn’t Anybody Tere?”) is one o the

largest and most eective in urkey. It aims to bring

aid to disaster victims and other needy people in urkey and

around the world. Having created new undraising techniques,

the organization raised considerable unds or the victims o the

sunami in south-east Asia, the oods in Bangladesh, and the

earthquakes in Pakistan, Peru, and Haiti. Kimse Yok Mu builtaround 20 schools in those countries ater the catastrophes. Te

organization brings poverty aid and medical assistance to many

Arican countries every year.Sudanese woman receiving

ood aid rom Kimse Yok Mu

29

Relie & Healthcare Organizations



Tere are several Gülen-inspired relie organizations in

the United States. Helping Hands Relie Foundation,

established in New Jersey in 2008, aims to create real

and lasting change or people in need in the United

States and around the world. It is dedicated to providingrelie to disaster victims and the poor, and to helping

people prevent, prepare or, and respond to needs and

emergencies.

Tere are also several hospitals in urkey ounded by

Gülen-inspired entrepreneurs and doctors. Tese high-tech

modern hospitals provide top-notch care in an atmosphere

that respects the patients as human beings, and provide

sponsorship or economically disadvantaged citizens.

a - Raindrop Helping Hands’ aid to Hurricane Ike victims in 2008

b - Sema Hospital, one o Istanbul’s largest private hospitals30



Kimse Yok Mu volunteers carrying

ood supplies in Bangladesh

31



32

Interaith & Intercultural Institutions



The Gülen Movement is well-known or its interaith and intercultural dialogue activities. Tere are numerous institutions or

dialogue established by Gülen-inspired people in many countries. Tese initiatives aim to help bring various communities

together in order to promote understanding, mutual respect, compassion, cooperation, and broader community service.

Te 20th Abant Meeting on “Democratiza-

tion or a New Social Consensus” (March

2010) organized by the Journalists and

Writers Foundation. Te JWF is the lead-

ing organization or interaith and inter-

cultural dialogue in urkey.

Luncheon Forum eaturing John J.

Cullerton, Illinois Senate President, by

Niagara Foundation in Chicago

Lecture on “Christian-Muslim Relations

since Nostra Aetate” organized by

Intercultural Dialogue Platorm in

Brussels, Belgium

Let Page - The 7th Annual Dialog and Friendship Dinner in Houston (November 2009) organized by the Institute o Interaith Dialog. Headquartered in

Houston, Texas, the IID serves seven southern states.33

Z h d t i I t b l



Zamanheadquarters in Istanbul

is supported by news bureaus in

Ashgabat, Baku, Brussels, Bucharest,

Frankurt, Moscow, New York, and

Washington, DC.

34

Media & Publishing Institutions



A mong several Gülen-inspired television

stations in urkey, Samanyolu V is

committed to balanced, objective, and

socially responsible reporting o news; amily-

oriented programming; and the promotion o interaith and intercultural dialogue. Te station

broadcasts globally by means o satellite.

Te mission o Ebru V, broadcast in the United

States, is to continually educate, inspire and

entertain viewers o all ages through original rst-

rate programming in the sciences, sporting events,ne arts, and every aspect o culture.

Zaman newspaper is the largest circulating daily in

urkey. Inspired by Gülen’s ideas, Zaman reports

diverse ideological perspectives and opinions in

an objective ashion, emphasizes dialogue and

tolerance, and has been a rigorous advocate or

reedom o speech. It is published in multiple

languages and distributed in 35 countries.

Te media group in urkey that is considered to

be inspired by Gülen’s ideas includes Aksiyon, the

leading weekly magazine, and Cihan News Agency

which is active in more than 50 countries.

Among several Gülen-inspired periodicals, Sizinti,

the monthly magazine o popular science and

culture, has been published since 1979. With nearly

a million subscribers, it is the bestseller o its kind

in urkey. Te Fountain, a magazine o scientic

and spiritual thought, is published in English-

speaking countries.

Tere are more than twenty publishing houses in

urkey inspired by Gülen’s thought. Publishing

in many languages and great numbers, they are

considered to have vastly contributed to the elds

o education and literature.

35

g

Recognition



36

“You are contributing to the pro-

motion o the ideas o tolerance

and interaith dialogue inspired

by Fethullah Gülen in his trans-

national social movement. You

do it through your everyday lives.

You are truly strengthening the

abric o our common humanity, as well as promoting the ongo-

ing cultural and educational ties that bind our world together.”

—Bill Clinton, 42nd President o the US, in his video message

delivered at the 3rd Annual Friendship Dinner held by the urkish

Cultural Center, New York City, on September 25, 2008

“Gülen reminds us o the under-

standing o Islam which stems

rom love o God and love o hu-

man beings that is practiced inurkish public Susm.” —Bülent

Ecevit, Former Prime Minister

o urkey

“Fethullah Gülen’s notion o ‘empathic

acceptance, tolerance, and respecting

people as they are’ is very important.

Tese are really beautiul and neces-

sary ideals. It is wrong to try to change

others orcibly, which has a lot o exam-

ples today.” —Pro. Dr. Annemarie

Schimmel, German Orientalist and

scholar

“Te Gülen Movement has be-

come a very inuential voice in

the world in both the dialogue

o religions and the civilization

o societies.” —John Esposito,

Proessor at Georgetown Uni-

versity

g



37

“In this post-9/11 world o real

and perceived ‘clash,’ the millions

participating in the Gülen move-

ment continue to provide us with

both spiritual and practical guid-

ance towards peace and tolerance

o others. In a world where the

most prominent Muslim leaders speak o conict and conron-

tation, Gülen provides us with a new voice that calls people o

all aiths to the divine table.” — Ambassador Akbar Ahmed,

Ibn Khaldun Chair o Islamic Studies at American University

“Te Journalists and Writers Foun-

dation and their honorary presi-

dent Gülen are the rst group who

made it possible or the members o

the diferent aiths to come aroundthe riendship dinner tables. We

now ollow their ootsteps in these

activities.” —Mesrob Mutayan

II, Armenian Patriarch o Istanbul

“Te [Gülen-inspired] school is

ofering Muslim and Christian

Filipino children, along with an

educational standard o high

quality, a more positive way o

living and relating to each other.”

—Tomas Michel, Ex-Director o

the Jesuit Secretariat or Interreligious Dialogue in Rome, in his

paper, “Fethullah Gülen as Educator”

“Gülen’s activities are an enterprise

to be applauded. Let me add that i

my ancestors had not seen that toler-

ance rom the Ottomans and urkey,

I would not be alive.” —Jak Kamhi,

Prominent urkish-Jewish Business-man

In the Press



urkish Schools Ofer Pakistan a Gentler Vision o Islam

By Sabrina avernise (May 4, 2008, excerpted)

Te schools, which also operate in

Christian countries like Russia, are

not or Muslims alone, and one

o their stated aims is to promote

interaith understanding. Mr. Gülen

met the previous pope, as well as

Jewish and Orthodox Christian

leaders, and teachers in the schools

say they stress multiculturalism and

universal values.

Te urkish schools, which have expanded to seven cities in Pakistan since the rst one

opened a decade ago, cannot transorm the country on their own. But they oer an

alternative approach that could help reduce the inuence o Islamic extremists.

Tey prescribe a strong Western curriculum, with courses, taught in English, rom mathand science to English literature and Shakespeare. Tey do not teach religion beyond

the one class in Islamic studies that is required by the state.

Gülen’s condemnation message o

the September 11 terrorist attacks

that appeared in Te Washington Post

on September 21, 2001:

We condemn in the strongest o terms

the latest terrorist attack on the United

States o America, and eel the pain o

the American people at the bottom of

our hearts. Islam abhors such acts of terror. A re-

ligion that proesses, “He who unjustly

kills one man kills the whole o human-

ity,” cannot condone senseless killing o

thousands.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the

victims and their loved ones.

Fethullah Gülen

Honorary Chairman

Journalists and Writers Foundation,

urkey

38



Gülen Inspires Muslims Worldwide(January 21, 2008, online edition, excerpted)

Te chie characteristic o the Gülen movement is that it does not seek to subvert modern secular states, but

encourages practicing Muslims to use to the ull the opportunities they ofer. It is best understood as the

Islamic equivalent o Christian movements appealing to business and the proessions.

39

Meet Foreign Policy’s op Public Intellectual of 2008

(August, 13, 2008, excerpted)

Foreign Policy: You preach a moderate,

tolerant Islam. What do you think causes

terrorism?

Fethullah Gülen: Islam abhors and

absolutely condemns terrorism and

any terrorist activity. I have repeatedly

declared that it is impossible or a true Muslim to be a terrorist,

nor can a terrorist be regarded as a true Muslim. errorism is

one o the cardinal sins that the Qur ’an threatens with hellre.

o deeat terrorism, we must acknowledge that we are all

human beings. It is not our choice to belong to a particular

race or amily. We should be reed rom ear o the other and

enjoy diversity within democracy. I believe that dialogue

and education are the most efective means to surpass our

dierences.

How Far Tey Have ravelled

(March 6, 2008, excerpted)

urkish-based movement

sounds more reasonable than

most o its rivals and is vyingto be recognized as the world’s

leading Muslim network.

With his stated belie in science, inter-aith dialogue and

multi-party democracy, Mr. Gülen has also won praise rom

many non-Muslim quarters. He is an intensely emotional

preacher, whose tearul sermons seem to strike a deep chord

in his listeners; but the movement he heads is remarkablypragmatic and businesslike.

“I you meet a polite Central Asian lad who speaks good English

and urkish, you know he went to a Gülen school,” says a

urkish observer.

Literature on the Gülen Movement



40

Te Gülen Movement: A Sociological

Analysis o a Civic Movement Rooted in

Moderate Islam by Helen Rose Ebaugh

— Based on interview data and visits to

Gülen-inspired institutions, the book de-scribes the movement rom a sociological

perspective, especially through the lens

o social movement theory. It is the rst

book, grounded in empirical methodology,

to describe the movement to a Western audience.

Islam and Peacebuilding: Gülen Move-

ment Initiatives by John L. Esposito

and Ihsan Yilmaz — Te exploration o

the contributions is made with regards

to the title in hand by the thought and

practice o the global movement associ-

ated with the urkish Muslim scholarFethullah Gülen. Te importance and dis-

tinctiveness o teaching o Gülen and the

practice o the movement is that it is rooted in a condent urk-

ish Islamic heritage while being ully engaged with modernity.

A Dialogue o Civilizations: Gülen’s Islamic

Ideals and Humanistic Discourse by Jill

Carroll — Dr. Carroll places the ideas o

Fethullah Gülen into the context o the

larger humanities and compares his opin-ions with those o major philosophers. Te

book includes chapters on the ideas o the

philosophers such as Immanuel Kant, John

Stuart Mill, Conucius, Plato and Sartre.

Te Gülen Movement: Civic Service With-

out Borders by Muhammed Çetin — Te

book conceptualizes the Gülen Move-

ment using social movement theories in

which the author denes Gülen initiatives

as a civic service dedicated to ostering

dialogue within the global community.

Dr. Çetin rst examines the movementas a cultural actor, and then continues

on another aspect o the movement as

a civil society actor.

AB 3

Helen Rose Ebaugh

v v v

The Gülen Movement

A Sociological Analysis of a Civic Movement Rooted in Moderate Islam



41

radition Witnessing the Modern Age: An

Analysis o the Gülen Movementby Meh-

met Enes Ergene — Te author addresses

dierent aspects o the Gülen Movement

with a ocus on the movement’s adaptation

o the modern world and its inuence on

“the secularist urkey.”

New urkish Republic: urkey as a Pivot-

al State in the Muslim World by Graham

E. Fuller — Te Former vice chairman

o the National Intelligence Council at

CIA wrote about urkey’s new role in the

Middle East especially rom a political

perspective along with its relations with

other Muslim countries. As a means toportray a better view o a Muslim country

with its relation to other Muslim countries, Fuller dedicates a

section to “Te Fethullah Gülen Movement.”

A Civilian Response to Ethno-Religious

Confict: Te Gülen Movement in South-

east urkey by Mehmet Kalyoncu — Te

author studied the positive eect o the

actions o the movement in Southeast

province called Mardin that aces ethno-

religious conict.

Muslim Citizens of the Global World:

Contributions of the Gülen Movement

(edited) by Robert A. Hunt and Yuksel

A. Aslandogan — Te book explores the

responses and contributions o Muslims

in general and urkish Muslims in partic-

ular to the waves o democratization, sci-

entic revolution, changing gender roles,and religious diversity in an increasingly

globalized world.

Essentials o Gülen’s Tought



42

Te human being is the essence and vital element o being, the

index and core element o the universe. Human beings are at the

center o creation; all other things, living or non-living, compose

concentric circles around them.

Human beings, be they man or woman, young or old, white or black,

are to be respected, protected and inviolate. Teir belongings cannot

be taken away, nor can their chastity be touched. Tey cannot be

driven out o their native lands, and their independence cannot be

denied. Tey cannot be prevented rom living in accordance with

their principles, either.

Compassion is a key which opens up the rustiest locks. It is like the

hand o the Messiah, which can revive dead souls.

Love is the most direct and saest way to human perection. It is

difcult to attain the rank o human perection through ways that

do not contain love.

Only those who overow with love will build the happy and

enlightened world o the uture. Teir lips smiling with love, their

hearts brimming with love, their eyes radiating love and the most

tender human eelings.

Love is the rose in our belie, a realm o the heart that never withers.

Above all else, just as God wove the universe like lace on the loomo love, the most magical and charming music in the bosom o

existence is always love.

Emphatic acceptance is our saest reuge and our ortress against

the handicaps that arise rom schism, actions, and the difculties

inherent in reaching mutual agreement.

Emphatic acceptance (hoshgoru in urkish), a term which we

sometimes use in place o the words respect, mercy, generosity, or

orbearance, is the most essential element o moral systems. It is a

very important source o spiritual discipline and a celestial virtue

o perected people.

Only a ew people seem to realize that social harmony and peace

with nature, between people, and within the individual can only

come about when the material and spiritual realms are reconciled.



43

Te peace o this global village lies in respecting all these

diferences, considering these diferences to be part o our

nature, and ensuring that people appreciate these dierences.

Interaith dialogue is a must today, and the rst step in

establishing it is orgetting the past, ignoring polemical

arguments, and giving precedence to common points, which

ar outnumber polemical ones.

People who want to guarantee their uture cannot be indiferent

to how their children are educated. he amily, school,

environment, and mass media should all cooperate to ensure

the desired result. Te school must be as perect as possible with

respect to its curriculum, the scientic and moral standards o

the teachers, and its physical conditions. A amily must provide

the necessary warmth and atmosphere in which to raise children.

In schools, good manners should be considered just as important

as other subjects. I they are not, how can children grow up

with sound characters? Education is dierent rom teaching.

Most people can be teachers, but the number o educators is

severely limited.



44

Good morals and sound conscience, and good manners

and virtues, are like a currency universally acceptable and

which is not afected by changes in the values o other

means o exchange. Tose provided with such qualities are

like merchants with the highest credit who can do business

wherever they want.

Tose who want to reorm the world must rst reorm

themselves. I they want to lead others to a better world,

they must puriy their inner worlds o hatred, rancor, and

jealousy, and adorn their outer worlds with virtue.

Humility is like a key to all other virtues. One who is humble

may have all other virtues, whereas one who lacks humility

usually is deprived o other virtues as well.

Tose who value their parents and regard them as a path

to God’s mercy are the most prosperous in both worlds.

Since its appearance on the earth, humanity has ound

true peace and happiness in religion.

Religion is the best school a most blessed institution ounded to



45

Religion is the best school, a most blessed institution ounded to

inculcate in people good moral qualities. It is open to everyone, rom

the youngest to the oldest, and only those who attend it attain peace,

satisaction, and reedom.

Science and technology are benecial to the degree that they

guarantee human happiness and help us attain true humanity. I

they are developed to harm humanity, they become devils blocking

our road.

Ignorance is the worst riend, whereas knowledge is the most aithulcompanion.

Art is the spirit o progress and one o the most important means

o developing emotions. Tose who cannot make use o this means

are unortunate indeed, and live a numbed, diminished lie.

rue knowledge shows itsel through art. I a person has never

produced anything in the name o art, how can we say that he or

she knows very much?

Civilization does not mean being rich and putting on ne airs,

nor does it mean satisying carnal desires and leading a luxurious,

dissipated lie. What it really means is being civil and courteous,

kind-hearted, proound in thought, and respectul to others.

Civilization means more than scientic advancement, modern means

o transportation, ships, and living in large cities with skyscrapers.

While such things may be adjuncts to civilization, it is olly and

ignorance to identiy civilization with them.

Culture is an important resource that must be used by those seeking

to develop their community in the most benecial and appropriateway. Tere is a vital link between the cohesion and strength o a

community’s direction and the authenticity o its cultural resources.

A woman’s inner depth, chastity and dignity elevate her higher than

angels and cause her to resemble an unmatched diamond.

A good woman is the one who speaks wisdom, has a rened spirit,

and whose behavior inspires admiration and respect.

Freedom allows people to do whatever they want, provided that they



46

Freedom allows people to do whatever they want, provided that they

do not harm others and that they remain wholly devoted to the truth.

Democracy, in spite o its many shortcomings, is now the only

viable political system, and people should strive to modernize and

consolidate democratic institutions in order to build a society in

which individual rights and reedoms are respected and protected,

and equal opportunity or all is more than a dream.

It is not possible or democracy to take root in a place where there

is no tolerance. In act, advocates o democracy should be able to

accept even those who do not share their views, and they shouldopen their hearts to others.

Good administration and politics are characterized by acknowledging

rights, the rule o law, and consciousness o one’s duty.

Islam does not propose a certain unchangeable orm o government

or attempt to shape it. Islam has never ofered nor established

a theocracy in its name. Instead, Islam establishes undamental

principles that orient a government’s general character. So, politics

can be a actor neither in shaping Islam nor in directing Muslims’

acts and attitudes in Islam’s name.

Were I told while entering Paradise that the East and West have come

together and combined by keeping their own values and respecting

each other, I would consider this as one o the greatest glad tidings

given to me in my lie. Perhaps I would preer not entering Paradise,

because there are many things I would like to tell regarding the

coming together o the East and West.

Protecting the environment, conserving and looking ater the

ecological balance are among the principal duties o a Muslim.

Goodness, beauty, truthulness, honesty, and being virtuous are the

essence o the world. Whatever happens, the world will one day nd

this essence, or no one can prevent such an event.

Quotations, with a couple o exceptions, are rom Pearls of Wisdom by Gülen



47

Te Gülen Institute



The Gülen Institute, established in October 2007, is an

independent, non-proft organization and a joint initiative

o the University o Houston Graduate College o Social

Work and the Institute o Interaith Dialog. Te main goal o the

Institute is to promote academic research as well as grass roots

activity towards bringing about positive social change, namely the

establishment o stable peace, social justice, and social harmony

by ocusing on the themes o education, volunteerism and civic

initiatives. Te Institute organizes academic and public events,

such as conerences and luncheon orums, publishes scientic

and popular works, provides student scholarships and aculty

research grants, and organizes cultural exchange trips.

Among the values and concerns we share are empathy, hope,

love o humanity, compassion, altruism, honesty, dignity,

trustworthiness, integrity, peaceul coexistence, social justice

and harmony, elimination o violent conicts and human

sufering, prevention o substance abuse, saving youth romsel-destruction, and protection o the earth’s resources and

habitats. Te perspectives o the Institute are inspired by the

lie and works o Fethullah Gülen.

48



Kof Annan, Secretary-General o the United Nations, 1997-2006, Nobel Peace Prize Recipient

“I think it is extremely important to have institutions like the Gülen Institute bringing people together, getting

them to understand that we all are in the same boat and in today’s world you cannot be secure at the expense o

the other, you cannot be sae and prosperous at the expense o other.” (Te Gülen Institute Luncheon Forum,

April 12, 2010)

Madeleine

Albright,

64th US Secre-

tary o State

“In a world that

lacks direction,

there can be

no doubt that

a pathfnder is

needed. It is much more likely to be ound in

the values that reside at the heart o the Gülen

Institute and this luncheon series. Tese values

include commitment to international dialogue,

an understanding o cultural diversity, support

or human justice and a love o peace.” (Lunch-

eon Forum, December 3, 2008)

Sheila J. Lee,

Member o

US Congress,

18th District

o exas

“Te inspiration

o the Gülen

Institute, who

understood

the communicating the word o God, living

or others, the spirit o devotion, sacrice,

delity and loyalty, was clearly the right path

to take.” (Annual Dialog and Friendship

Dinner in Houston, November 2009)

James Baker,

61st US Secre-

tary o State

Problems o the

world would be

easy to address

i, on the global

level, we develop

ways o sharing

respect or each other’s religious perspectives.

It is in this manner, the Gülen Institute and

those who promote shared vision o interaith

dialogue provide truly invaluable leadership.”

(Luncheon Forum, May 21, 2008)

49

Further Resources

F h d d S h l h G l M



For urther reading and inormation:

Gülen’s personal websites

www.gulen.com

www.ethullah-gulen.org

Te Gülen Institute

www.guleninstitute.org

Fethullah Gülen Forum

www.ethullahgulenorum.org

Rumi Forum

www.rumiorum.org

Te Institute o Interaith Dialog

www.interaithdialog.org

Te Journalists and Writers Foundation

www.gyv.org.tr

Conerences on the Gülen Movement

www.ethullahgulenconerence.org

www.gulenconerence.net

www.gulenconerence.nl

Some o the international conerences on the Gülen Movement:

East and West Encounters: Te Gülen Movement, December 4-6, 2009, Uni-

versity o Southern Caliornia, Los Angeles

Future o Reorm in the Muslim World: Comparative Experiences with Fethul-lah Gülen’s Movement in urkey, October 19–21, 2009, Arab League headquar-

ters, organized by Cairo University and Hira Magazine, Cairo, Egypt

From Dialogue to Collaboration: Te Vision o Fethullah Gülen and Muslim-

Christian Relations, July 15-16, 2009, Australian Catholic University, Mel-

bourne, Australia

Muslims between radition and Modernity: Te Gülen Movement as a Bridgebetween Cultures, May 26-28, 2009, University o Potsdam, Berlin, Germany

Islam in the Age o Global Challenges: Alternative Perspectives o the Gülen

Movement, November 14-15, 2008, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C

Muslim World in ransition: Contributions o the Gülen Movement, House o

Lords, October 25-27, 2007, London, United Kingdom

Islam in the Contemporary World: Te Fethullah Gülen Movement in Tought

and Practice, November 12-13, 2005, Rice University, Houston, exas

50



51



52

University o Houston237 Social Work Building, Room 417 | 4800 Calhoun Rd. Houston, X 77204 – 4013

el: (713) 743-8135 | Fax: (713) 974-4445www.guleninstitute.org | [email protected]

D e s i g n e d b y H e l i x D e s i g n a n d P r o

d u c t i o n / w w w . h e l i x p r o d u c t i o n . c o m

Date post:	05-Apr-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	hizmetmovement
View:	243 times
Download:	0 times

Fethullah Gulen - Biography

Documents