“Hizmet is rooted in the culture of dialogue” says Dr. Marcia Hermansen

Victor Edwin, who attended the lecture on Hizmet Movement at Indialogue Foundation, New Delhi on 7 March 2012 wrote what he learned about HM on his blog. The lecture was presented by Dr. Marcia Hermansen, the Director of the Islamic World Studies Program and a Professor in the Theology Department at the Jesuit Loyola University Chicago. “What impresses me most about Fethullah Gulen is that he is a moral exemplar. His words and deeds inspire followers towards action for the transformation of society through service to the less privileged. Read rest of the story

Book Review: A Dialogue of Civilizations: Gülen’s Islamic Ideals and Humanistic Discourse

Review of Jill Carroll’s A Dialogue of Civilizations: Gulen’s Islamic Ideals and Humanistic Discourse. 2007. Somerset, NJ: The Light, 114pp. US $13.95. ISBN 978 1 59784 110 8.

Renewed interest in civil society movements has inspired many scholars to undertake full-time research on democratic political processes and institutions across the globe. Yet few of them have focused on the role of ideas that bring people together nowadays; even less have attempted to put those ideas in the context of the larger humanities.

Dr. Jill Carroll, in a more critical spirit than was formerly possible, delves into the intellectual world of one of the most influential thinkers of our time and carries on a constructive conversation between him and giants of Western thought. Her book, A Dialogue of Civilizations, aims to explain the points where the ideas of Fethullah Gulen, an influential Turkish intellectual and scholar of Islam, find echo in the texts of Confucius, Plato, Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill, and Jean Paul Sartre. This important study advances public knowledge of the cross-cultural religious dialogue in the twenty-first century and highlights opportunities for improved human understanding. Read rest of the story

Turkish Sites, Delights and Challenges

Moravian Seminary Professor Walter Wagner, author of Opening the Qur’an: Introducing Islam’s Holy Book, and a retired Lutheran pastor, credits much of his deep appreciation of Islam and the Qur’an to his experiences teaching at Moravian Seminary, to his relationship with leaders of the Lehigh Valley Sunni and Shi’a communities, and to his work with the Lehigh Interfaith Dialogue Center. The Center and its associates are part of the Hizmet movement. Its members are dedicated to inter-religious dialogue, education and peace. Dr Wagner, wrote about his recent trip to Turkey which was sponsored by the members of the Lehigh Dialogue Center and colleagues in Turkey. Read rest of the story

Cardinal Wamala calls for dialogue between Muslims and Christians

In another example, Fethullah Gulen‘s ideas on interfaith dialogue and respect towards one’s fellow human being have been applauded by the Cardinal of Uganda. Gulen’s ideas on tolerance and respect continue to gain main stream acceptance globally. Read rest of the story