Tag Archives: Hizmet Movement

Seminar underscores need for Hizmet Movement

A seminar held recently at University of Technology Malaysia (UTM), discussed the influence and positive impact of the teachings of Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen. The seminar, under the theme of “Religion Inspired Private Foundations and Educational Development: The Case of Hizmet Movement of Turkey”, focused on understanding the underlying values, philosophy and dynamics of the Movement which is inspired by M. Fethullah Gülen. 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

Turkish Sites, Delights and Challenges

trip-to-turkeyMoravian 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

Gulen paranoid

paranoidAn interesting column appeared in the newspaper today that explains the unfounded fears that some ‘enemies of democracy’ are spreading to further their own cause. Mr Gulen and the Hizmet Movement that has evolved around his ideas. Some with their own vested, material and political interests whose near sightedness allows them to barely see beyond their noses have developed a habit of spreading falsehood. This column tells it how it is. Read rest of the story

“Kimse Yok Mu” rushed to Japan to help victims of deadly earthquake

kimse-yokmu-japanAftermath the Japan’s deadliest earthquake Kimse Yok Mu was one of the first humanitarian aid organizations which rushed for help. Kimse Yok Mu, which represents ideas and aspirations of Gulen Movement aka Hizmet (Service) movement, organized the campaign of collecting monetary donations to support victims of this disaster. Apart from this, the organization immediately sent its rescue team consisting of 5 people to the area. People of the team distributed food and medicine to victims of the earthquake. To note, Japan was one of the first countries which rushed for help when Turkey was hit by its biggest earthquakes in 1999. Read rest of the story

Following Gulen Movement’s Footsteps to Cope with Social Stalemates

fethullah gulen movementWorldwide public awareness regarding M. Fethullah Gulen and the movement he inspired (Hizmet Movement) increases day by day. Scholars around the world discuss his ideas at academic conferences, journalists publish long stories about him and authors pen in books analyzing the movement. But what are the lessons to be learned from the success this admiring social movement that started in a tiny country and sprinkled all around the world? Given the turmoil in Muslim majority countries, what does Hizmet have in hand to offer millions who desperately look for an exit strategy out of their social stalemates? Tarek M. T. Ezzat, Managing Editor of Reading Islam, sought answers of these questions and prepared a recipe to those who wants to follow the footsteps of the Hizmet Movement:  ‘Avoid political confrontations, prioritize education, be constructive, foster social solidarity and enhance intercultural dialogue’ Read rest of the story

Kimse yok mu is constructing a hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

kimse-yokmuKimse Yok Mu is a humanitarian aid organization representing the Gulen Movement aka Hizmet movement with its mission of helping people of all races, ages, religions and social statuses in order to spread kindness around the world. Kimse Yok Mu has been especially active in the areas of the world hit by natural disasters or torn by conflicts. After being devastated by the deadly earthquake Haiti has been receiving a lot of aid from Kimse Yok Mu. Recently Kimse Yok Mu has decided to go for a great new project – constructing a medical facility in Port-au-Prince in order to fight against prolonged cholera epidemic and other health issues resulting from a devastating earthquake. The hospital will be constructed on 6.5 acre land provided by the Mayor’s office of the Croix des Bouqets. The estimated cost of the project is $1,500,000. Read rest of the story

Civic engagement, success and the Gulen movement

In his article, “Civic engagement, success and the Gülen movement”, Muhammad Cetin explains most eloquently the vital aspects of engaging civically in one’s society, and focusing specifically on the how the Hizmet Movement (also known as the Gulen Movement) continues to provide a model of success for engaging in civil society.

Çetin writes, “The recent extraordinary interest in activities by and related to the Gulen movement leads many to think about civic engagement and its efficacy and success.”

“Civic engagement is extremely vital for improving and enhancing conditions in any contemporary democracy. It means promoting the quality of life in a community through both political and non-political processes. It means working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities. It develops a combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference. Read rest of the story

‘Neither Turkish nor Muslim, but Inspired by Fethullah Gulen’

Gulen Conference Chicago 2010When wrapping up the recent International Gulen Conference that’s been held in the University of Chicago, Dr. Scott Alexander, Chair of the Catholic Theological Union’s Department of Intercultural Studies, said he’s been very much inspired by M. Fethullah Gulen. “I am neither Turkish nor Muslim but still a member of the movement” stated Dr. Alexander.

Dr. Ihsan Yilmaz’ of Fatih University has written an article in Today’s Zaman titled ‘Towards the Conference-I Kamil’ passing all the details regarding the conference.

Those who attended the conference have had the opportunity to listen to a bunch of distinguished speakers. Tough all papers presented in the conference worth perusing, Dr. Dogan Koc’s article titled “Fethullah Gulen’s Strategic Defamation: Turkish vs. English.” was the most interesting among them. In his quantitative study, Koç shows that there are two common but contradicting pictures of Gulen in the harsh claims raised against him. While on the one hand he is portrayed as a CIA/Mossad/Vatican agent in Turkish language pieces, on the other hand, the pieces in English claim that he is an anti-Semitic, anti-Western Khomeini. Koç argues that these claims are not random and that there is a common strategy followed in certain languages. By running a time concurrency test, Koç reaches the conclusion that these efforts at defamation happen in a campaign manner, not randomly.More interestingly, Koç shows that these totally contradicting pictures of Fethullah Gulen are depicted by using same sources and each other. Read rest of the story

Addressing Global Needs and Respecting Local Environments

Gulen Movement has demonstrated a prominent activity by establishing a worldwide network of businesses, schools, foundations, institutions and media outlets. Despite of the cultural, economical, political and social differences among  countries, activity of Gulen Movement has been equally successful everywhere and in various spheres. The fair question is “What constitutes global popularity of Gulen Movement despite all political, cultural, linguistic, economic and social barriers?” Many factors can be brought to attention to explain the reason of such success. However, I would like to tease out the most important ones looking from theoretical point of view. One of the key factors that can be brought to attention to explain the reason of this success is the fact that Gulen Movement has always tried to adapt to the local environments by showing humane respect and appreciation to local culture. Read rest of the story