Malaysian Seminar on education discusses ideas and teachings of Fethullah Gulen

Seminar on religion-inspired educational establishments and foundations was held this week in Malaysia. The seminar was organized by the Center for Advanced Studies on Islam, Science and Civilization (CASIS), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and the Malaysian Turkish Dialogue Society (MTDS). The seminar focused on discussing the ideas and teachings of Turkish scholar, intellectual and preacher Fethullah Gulen and the system of education inspired by him. Read rest of the story

Spiritual Bankruptcy and the Recovery

When people run out of financial resources, they are forced to declare financial bankruptcy. But when people run out of moral resources, they typically don’t declare moral bankruptcy.

We have been living in a society in which materialism overwhelms moral commitment. Market fundamentalism has eroded any sense of community and has led to rampant exploitation of unwary and unprotected individuals. Read rest of the story

“Real Life and Real Humanity”, M. Fethullah Gulen

In this article, Fethullah Gulen explains the necessities of living a righteous and just life, a real life, and in order to do so one must gain knowledge and disseminate it, be spiritually driven and existing in a state of utmost humility. Mr. Gulen writes, “Since “real” life is only possible through knowledge . . . We were created to learn and to communicate what we have learned to others . . . Humility is a sign of virtue and maturity, whereas haughtiness and self-conceit indicate an imperfect, low spirit . . . Read rest of the story

“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

“Literature”, M. Fethullah Gulen

In his writing on Literature, Mr. Gulen highlights the importance of the subject to facilitate dialogue between diverse members of a Nation, to solidify thoughtful  ideas in a timeless forum, to sparking spiritual awaking through words that “penetrate minds, excite hearts and receive acceptance from spirits . . .”. Read rest of the story

The Journalists and Writers Foundation about Gulen Movement

The Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV) is a Turkish organization whose honorary president is Fethullah Gulen and which works to promote understanding and dialogue among people of various cultures. The members of the organization are famous Turkish writers, authors, journalists and public officials of different backgrounds and affiliations. Recently the organization has issued a message about the position of Hizmet (Gulen) Movement explaining that the movement is strictly civilian one and does not have any political agenda. Read rest of the story

His ideas and beliefs constituted the basis for the charges against him

James C. Harrington is founder and director of the Texas Civil Rights Project. He has taught at the University of Texas, School of Law for twenty-five years. Harrington wrote a book titled “Wrestling with Free Speech, Religious Freedom, and Democracy in Turkey: The Political Trials and Times of Fethullah Gülen” on the trial of renowned Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen in Turkey, which ended with his acquittal being upheld by the Supreme Court of Appeals in 2008. In his book, based on research and three weeks of personal interviews in Turkey, Harrington analyzes the course of the trial, which he describes as a political trial, and how this trial helped to greatly expand civil liberties and democracy in Turkey. Read rest of the story

“Continuous Beauty”, M. Fethullah Gulen

Everywhere is your Beauty, wherever I look, in whatever I see,
Dancing in the enchantment of Your love . . .

To see the beauty and love of the Divine in our surroundings denotes a sensitive and intense level of consciousness that raises the spirit and the heart to heightened degrees of spiritual profundity. Mr. Gulen so eloquently explains in his poem, “Continuous Beauty”, his experiences of witnessing the Divine, and his longing to be in God’s presence. Read rest of the story

A poem by Fethullah Gulen Bustling Willpower

A well-known scholar, writer, preacher and intellectual Fethullah Gulen whose thoughts and ideas inspired cross-national civil society network known as Gulen Movement is also a renowned poet. Hundreds of his poems written in Turkish and later translated to many different languages have been publish in books, journals and websites. I want to bring to your attention one of his poems translated into English. Read rest of the story

Gülen supports broader enforcement of press freedoms

Turkish Muslim intellectual Fethullah Gülen expressed on his Twitter account on Monday that he upheld broader rights in particular in the arenas of freedom of expression and freedom of the press for journalists, including those who “unjustly” accuse him of conspiring against them. “I am also in favor of their free usage of their freedoms of expression, thought and the press even if they have completely opposite views and they, unjustly, blame me for what happened to them,” Gülen said. Read rest of the story