Planting Seeds of Understanding - A Buddhist View on Gulen Movement

Imagine ... "a world where people are deeply grounded in a moral and ethical tradition, where humility and service are highly valued and where reason, science and technology are fully utilized for the benefit of all."[1]

Local Turkish people often asked for photos with our monastic group members

Does this sound like some sort of utopia that we would like to choose for the human race? A place where harmony reigns and suffering is diminished? From a Buddhist perspective, does it resonate with the ideal of following the middle path for the sake of all sentient beings?

These words, this dream, mirror the dedicated work of a Turkish Muslim scholar living in our modern times. His force of philosophy and concerns for peaceful coexistence among men has spawned a movement of believers around the world. His name is Fethullah Gulen.

But Buddhists, Christians, and Jews alike could voice these same words, too. This is why the connections begin, in ways to bridge the great divides that often separate us. Humanity is a shared concern, and while religions offer guidance in their doctrines, the common essences link us all in spirit. We are connected, whether we face it or not, in cooperation.

The Gulen Movement has promoted interfaith and intercultural dialogues for decades in many countries in order to encourage understanding, cultivate mutual respect and cooperation between disparate societies. Finding ways to live in peaceful coexistence are a mission. One such invitation for dialogue led a group of Buddhists to travel to Turkey this summer and discover the hosts' intent.

The Anatolia Cultural & Dialogue Center in Hong Kong initiated and arranged the intercultural visit. The ACDC mission is to share their national ethos and friendly hospitality to promote bridging in human kinship and community. The Buddhists went to learn about a country with a rich cultural and religious history that has evolved into a contemporary secular society. Metaphorically, Turkey is balanced between East and West, and Muslim faith is the dominant religion today.

'Warmth of hospitality' abundantly springs to mind when travelling within Turkey as a visitor. Laughter, teasing, and friendly people greet you in all manner of casual encounters. They gleefully shouted "Japon" and "Kung Fu" in the direction of our Chinese appearance trying to make connection with labels that they knew. It was innocent and endearing. The monastic clothing of the monks and nuns in our group was a magnet for the curious. We became a 'tourist attraction' of sorts with Turkish locals requesting photo-ops.

It was the special month of Ramadan and the extra-holy atmosphere beheld the prayer and fasting rituals. No food, no drink in the daylight hours for the pious Muslims. We had something to learn in terms of patience on an empty stomach. While we wilted in the summer heat and cherished every meal, it was a marvel to observe our abstaining hosts in their positive repose. Although they were sometimes sleepy, their willingness to cope was an admirable display of faith.

One night in the mountains outside Bursa was a memorable dinner shared with five host couples that wanted to meet the Buddhist group. The restaurant was exceptional in that a village women's association, the first of its kind in a male-dominated society, run it and the delicious food is locally grown. The ambience was as comfortable as a private home with children running about and attentive service from the traditional ladies. The unity of breaking fast together in the evenings created fellowship and sincere appreciation for our nourishment.

Gathered over coffee in a quiet room, we all joined "sharing" that night to exchange our views. After all, wasn't that one of the reasons for our journey? Taking turns around the room, my heart beat fast to speak out loud and share the feelings hiding there. In contrast to my Asian friends, the story began with a cultural difference: "I am from New York", were the words in introduction. Only days before, I had flown from there to join the group. Sitting in the warm circle gaze of those kind Muslim people, my tears began to fall.
Still too often now, the words New York and Islam occur together with 9/11. Like other pairs: of love and hate, extreme and not, and bias and intolerance. My tears sprang from a deep well of emotions – a place of misconceptions. I felt for the Americans who struggle to comprehend why these events took place. Terrorism spoils the amity and confounds the well-meaning people. Why is there so much hatred?

We met these sincere and gentle Turkish people who revere their Muslim faith. Their willingness to listen, and engage with other backgrounds, defies the negative perceptions. How I wish that life could be this way, with both sides reaching out in trust and conversation. The questions about religion and the mysteries of fear... make any of us vulnerable when facing strangers. There was compassion in that room and concern for making change.

That night taught me a lesson, to remember what is possible. The sincere efforts of our hosts reminded me of the goodness in human nature. When we laughed and dined together, the values of their community and humble service were clear. I reflected on this during the rest of our trip, and thought about my own connections with others. How do I reach out generously, and try to make a difference for harmony in the world?

In both small steps, and big strides, the Gulen movement spreads outwards with patience and, in many ways, common sense. Through faith, education, communication and humanitarian assistance – these grass-roots communities strive to make the world a better place. For me, to meet these people is an encouragement to make my own contribution. To imagine what can happen next and in the future for our children.

Buddhism is a journey of self-discovery and development of moral virtue. As individuals, we do not live in isolation. I have always felt that departing from one's comfort zone is an excellent way to gain an understanding of different people, places, and things – and our connections to one another. With this in mind and working on awareness, how can we learn to help each other? We begin with ourselves, and make improvements to lead by positive example.

What I brought home from Turkey was inspiration. My heart has opened up. The dialogue arose, and the disparities explored. We learned about each other and probed the ways for peace. In so doing, the seeds of hope were planted and fertile ground was sown. We may be different in cultures and religion, but the sun shines on all of us as equals.


Source: Buddhistdoor International Monday, 15 October 2012
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http://gulenmovement.com/published-works/books-by-fethullah-gulen
http://gulenmovement.com/fethullah-gulen


[1] Bruce Eldrige, "The Place of the Gulen Movement in the Intellectual History of Islam, Particularly in relation to Islam's Confrontation with Post modernism". Page 526, Gulen Conference, Dec. 4 – 6, 2009, Los Angelos, CA. http://gulenconference.net/


Note: The Anatolia Cultural & Dialog Centre in Hong Kong (ACDC) invited and hosted two delegations from HKU - Centre for Buddhist Studies Alumni Association (CBSAA) during July and August this summer, 2012. The ACDC is a non-governmental Turkish cultural organization that promotes cultural & interfaith dialogue exchange to promote understanding between different communities. The Buddhist groups toured cities in Turkey, visited historical monuments, schools, media offices, charitable foundations, and private homes. The local Turkish hosts shared their hospitality, cultural heritage and Muslim practices of daily life in this secular modern society. Numerous discussions were shared throughout the travels, and reciprocally the Turkish people learned more about Buddhism and Chinese values.

Buddhists and Muslims both came away with new appreciation of common virtues, shared human kinship, and mutual desire for peaceful societies in the world today. Above is one of the reflective essays on the experiences in Turkey from the Buddhist perspective.

Fethullah Gulen's book translated into Belarusian

Fethullah Gulen

A book by renowned Turkish-Islamic intellectual and scholar Fethullah Gulen, which has previously been translated into many languages, is now available in the Belarusian language.

Titled “Ölçü veya Yoldaki Işıklar” (Criteria or Lights of the Way), the book has been printed in Belarusian by the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, becoming the first book in Turkish to be translated into the Belarusian language.

The book and its Belarusian version were recently introduced to Belarusian academics and scholars at a conference titled “Dünya Edebiyat Sürecinde Türkiye ve Belarus” (Turkey and Belarus in the Course of World Literature). Sergey Garanin, deputy head of the Language and Literature Institute at the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, spoke at the conference and said Belarusian readers are now able to access a book containing Gulen's teachings. “There is no doubt that Belarusian and Turkish people have stronger harmony and friendship after the translation of Gulen's book into the Belarusian language,” he stated.

Garanin also defined Gulen as a scholar who wishes to build bridges between different religions and cultures through dialogue. “Fethullah Gulen's efforts are aimed at creating an atmosphere of tolerance in the world,” he added.

Fethullah Gulen has written many books on a variety of religious and Islamic topics that attract a large number of readers from all around the world. In order for the books to reach even more readers, they have been translated into a variety of languages, including Spanish, Russian and English. Fethullah Gulen has also pioneered educational initiatives in a number of countries, along with efforts to promote intercultural and interfaith activities around the world.

One of the world's most influential Islamic scholars, Gulen topped the list of “The World's Top 20 Public Intellectuals” of Foreign Policy and Prospect magazines in 2008.

Source: http://www.gulenmovement.com/latest-news/157-fethullah-gulens-book-translated-into-belarusian

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Book on Fethullah Gulen's teachings to be taught at Belarus universities

A group of academics from Belarus were in İstanbul on Tuesday for the presentation of the book “Social and Philosophical Aspects of the Teaching of Fethullah Gulen: The Look of Belarusian Intellectuals,” which will be used in the county's universities as a course book.

The academics, who are experts in the fields of philosophy, sociology, political science and philology, compiled the book, which is dedicated to the ideas and published works of respected Islamic scholar and intellectual Fethullah Gulen.

Anatoliy Rubanov, the dean of Belarusian State University's faculty of philosophy and social sciences, noted that the country has started to learn about Turkey in the last 20 years. Rubanov stated that Muslims and Christians live peacefully in Belarus, saying: “Muslims are always very tolerant and gentle. If somebody in Belarus says that Muslims are violent and aggressive, nobody believes him. Fethullah Gulen shows us the value of tolerance.”

Professor Svetlana Vinokurova, vice rector of the Belarusian State Academy of Arts, said that the name of the book has a special meaning for the academicians. “I do not know what “to look” means in Turkish, but, in the language of Belarus it means love and liking at first sight. When Belarus intellectuals looked at Fethullah Gulen, they liked his teachings. It is not possible to appreciate the teachings of Gulen immediately as he is a deep intellectual, philosopher and wise person,” added the vice rector. Vinokurova also noted that Gulen has established indestructible bridges between Turkey and Belarus, and she gives high praise to Fethullah Gulen for his contributions to world peace.

“When I first learned about the teachings of Gulen, I saw that the ideas of Gulen are notions that might draw the attention of every person. It was impossible for us to ignore his teachings. The most significant reason for compiling such a book was to acquaint others with the valuable ideas of Gulen and help people in our country learn about his teachings,” continued Vinokurova.

According to Professor Marina Tenyanko, the book is not compiled through the eyes of a journalist or some citizen, it is a synthesis of results obtained from scientific research. Saying that Gulen has demonstrated what can be achieved though tolerance, mutual respect and love, Tenyanko added: “Gulen's thoughts make mutual interactions [between people] inevitable. Interactions can result in peace or war. Thus, people should understand each other to maintain good interactions.”

Published on Today's Zaman, 10 October 2012, Wednesday

The Gulen Movement-Inspired Schools Effect: Muslims and Christians connect for peace

Fountain Magazine held a conference recently, titled "Peacebuilding Through Education", in New York in cooperation with the Peace Islands Institute. Some institutions were honored with the best practice award, as they have served the peacebuilding under difficult conditions. Among the honorees was The Filipino–Turkish Tolerance School (FTTS), Zamboanga, The Philippines. Below is an article about this school serve peacebuilding. The article also includes a story about some Kurdish youth in South Eastern Turkey.

Filipino-Turkish Tolerance School

By Suat Erguvan for Silent Heroes, Invisible Bridge

Most children of the picturesque city of Zamboanga in the Philippines' troubled south are groomed to be cautious in making friends believing in a different religion.

Zamboanga Peninsula, the sixth most populous region and the third geographically largest in the Philippines, is home to 70 percent Christians and 30 percent Buddhist and Muslim people.

The peninsula has been in the headlines for Moro Islamic Liberation Front's militancy against security agencies. The Muslim outfit brands its actions as 'freedom struggle' which has taken heavy toll on civilian lives over the past two decades.

The Christian and Muslim communities have adapted to live in a tense equilibrium, with fire fights and bomb blasts claiming precious lives on one hand, and soaring number of unconstitutional disappearances on the other.

Wherever the two enraged communities live side by side, traffic on the roads dividing them becomes litmus test for peace or unrest in the vicinity.

While compatriot tourists visit the country's southern peninsula exercising caution, some foreigners are seen calmly working in a Zamboanga school.

Since 1997, Turk educationists are sowing the seeds of tolerance and co-existence through the Filipino-Turkish Tolerance High School located in the heart strife-torn region.

With humble beginning of 89 students, the institution today has boarding and teaching facilities for over 1,000 students. The school gets equal attention of Christian and Muslims parents and their offsprings.

"It also has one of the best dormitories not only in Zamboanga, but in Mindanao. The Filipino-Turkish Tolerance School, considered one of the best in the region, has produced a number of students that topped in many international competitions and were even cited for their excellent educational skills," noted The Mindanao Examiner newspaper in one of its story in 2007.

Encouraged by the vision of a Turkish Muslim scholar, M. Fethullah Gülen, over 1,500 non-governmental Turkish educational institutions have spread to almost 115 countries worldwide.

The schools, also working in collaboration with local businessmen, strive to provide students with a learning environment to "make them acquire solid competencies in critical thinking, creative problem solving, consensus building, informed decision making and technical literacy."

Fr. Thomas Michel, Ph.D, Secretary General of Interfaith Dialogue Council in Rome, Italy, visited the Turkish tolerance schools in 1995, in Zamboanga.

"The Turkish and Filipino staff's proud claim was a stunning reality for me as Muslims and Christian students were getting education with true spirit of a culture of dialogue and tolerance," Fr. Michel shared these remarks with gatherings around the world.

He noted that children befriended their class fellows regardless of religious divides, thus their parents not only started communicating with each other but also eventually cooperate for children and community's future both.

During a visit to Turkey in September 2009, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroy expressed need for increase in the number of Turkish schools to help "strengthen mutual relations". She vowed to learn from Turkey's experience "in helping the people of different faiths in our nation to accept one another."

Last October, Philippines' Ambassador to Turkey Pedro Chan said his country wanted to open honorary consulates in Turkey's northern province of Samsun and northwestern province of Bursa.

The Philippines is not an exception in strengthening bilateral relations with Turkey after fruitful contribution of schools. Many African nations saw following the Turkish embassy years after the voluntary Turkish schools made their mark.

Recollecting his experiences in the Philippines, Ahmet Yamakoglu, former Principal of the Phillipines-Turkish Tolerance School, recalls a meeting of Kayseri philanthropist businessmen with Governor of Zamboanga Mrs Maria Clara Lobregat.

Ahmet quotes the governor as saying, "You have changed the misconceptions formed in our minds owing to the unfortunate clashes between the Muslims and Christians, and you made us love Muslims and Islam."

On occasion of the Philippines National Day, Ahmet recollects, "When our students were parading before her, she stood up and announced to the public: And now my new children are passing out before us!"

This success did not come in platter for the Turkish educationists. Long after submitting papers for opening schools in Manila, the Turks received no results owing to the deep-seated suspicions of the central government about Muslims.

Only in 2001, the final decision for opening the school was passed; however then slow-moving bureaucracy still had question marks about presence of Muslims educationists in the conflict zone. Until Mrs Maria assigned her parliamentarian son Celso Lobregat to facilitate her Turkish friends with the processes, hopes were dim.

Celso Lobregat told his politician colleagues, "We fought with Muslims for many years in the Mindanao region. There might have been no bloodshed in the south if we had them many years ago."

Thus, the Turkish NGO got permission in style to open more branches back then.

Before dying Mrs Maria bequeathed her wish to Celso Lobregat to be the beneficiary of the Turkish schools in the Philippines. Lobregat became the Governor of Zamboanga and Turkish school quietly spread their message of co-existence and tolerance.

Such experiences have borne fruit in Turkey as well where Kurdish militants are attacking civilian and security personnel indiscriminately, alleged at the behest of external factors.

Abdullah Aymaz, a Turkish educationist, recalls a touching incident involving two Kurdish-speaking students who went on rampage in school 15 days after enrolling and lodging in the school.

Realising sensitive nature of the region, the principal treated the students with affection.

One of the students, whose name has been kept anonymous, is quoted as saying: "We were told so many negative things about you that we hated you and we came to burn the school, but we couldn't."

In another incident, a student from Cizre - a Turkish town near the Syrian border - wrote to the principal, "Until recently, I used to see Turks as our sworn enemies but now I loved you all. If you had come here earlier, terrorism might not have been here." The youngster regretted about his uncle who has adopted Kurdish guerilla lifestyle in the mountains.

The bar of expectations from the Turkish schools' peacebuilding role is rising world over as many Muslim and non-Muslim geographies, too, long for tranquility and peaceful coexistence.


Published on Silent Heroes, 04 October 2012, Thursday

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Is the Gulen Movement opposed to the political, governmental or democratic system?

Fethullah Gulen

No. The fact that, as a thoroughly civic, autonomous initiative, the Gulen Movement is situated entirely outside the conventional channels of political representation – party, government, state, etc. – does not mean that it therefore stands in some way against the political, governmental or democratic system.

The non-profit-oriented management of its educational and cultural institutions distinguishes the Gulen Movement sharply from political actors and formal state institutions and agencies. Its forms of collective action do not contend for space with or in government or state institutions or agencies. They deal with human beings individually in the public space through independent, legally constituted civic organizations.

The Gulen Movement’s origin, source and target is the individual human being in the private sphere. The Gulen Movement’s approach is “bottom–up”, transforming individuals through education to consolidate a peaceful, harmonious and inclusive society as a result of an enlightened public sphere. It is not the “top–down” approach characteristic of state or government agency.

This reflects Fethullah Gulen’s rationale for the primacy of education among the Gulen Movement’s commitments: “As the solution of every problem in this life ultimately depends on human beings, education is the most effective vehicle, regardless of whether we have a paralyzed social and political system or we have one that operates like clockwork.”


Published on www.fgulen.com, 04 October 2012, Thursday

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Fethullah Gulen's message to the conference entitled "Peacebuilding through Education"

Fethullah Gülen 

Thank you for your kind invitation to the Peacebuilding through Education conference, and I regret being unable to join you today. The theme you cover in this conference is a very dear one, and I feel very honored to be a part of it through The Fountain magazine that continues to publish my essays. I have been penning my humble writings with hopes for a contribution, as much as an essay can go, to a greater good of our world, to a better understanding of the meaning of our lives, to a greater appreciation of being human – the best of creation – and to the promotion of mutual respect and tolerance among nations, and all the other values and high goals The Fountain aims to uphold in its pages and cherished not to a lesser degree by the co-sponsors of this conference.

I wholeheartedly commend The Fountain magazine, Peace Islands Institute, the Baruch College, Quinnipiac University, New York Institute of Technology, Yale University, and Alliance for Shared Values for their partnership in this event. I welcome all speakers, especially those who had to cover long distances from abroad and other states. My special thanks to Hon. Armin Altamirano Luistro, the Secretary of Education of the Philippines, Hon. Shukuru Jumanne Kawambwa, the Minister of Education of Tanzania, and Hon. Rochelle Hendricks, Secretary of Higher Education of New Jersey, for sparing from their very valuable time exclusively for this event.

Fethullah Gulen

Source:  http://www.gulenmovement.com/latest-news/151-fethullah-gulens-message-to-the-conference-entitled-peacebuilding-through-education

Fethullah Gulen urges Muslims to exercise restraint over anti-Muslim movie

Fethullah Gülen. (Photo: Cihan)

Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen has called on Muslims to exercise restraint and act with common sense while expressing their outrage over an anti-Muslim film as a wave of largely violent protests has swept 20 countries.

Fethullah Gulen was responding to a question from students and a recording of his speech was broadcast in herkul.org on Friday.

Fethullah Gulen issued his strongest pleas against resorting to violence by citing examples from the companions of the Prophet Muhammad, trying to defuse Muslim anger over the film on Friday when new attacks on US and Western embassies left at least eight protesters dead.

He rejected violent protests against offensive attacks by non-Muslims as “exorbitant behavior” but said remaining indifferent and silent in the face of insults and offenses against Muslims and Islam is also wrong. He urged Muslims to act in a delicate balance and move in the “correct direction” in appropriately responding to such offenses.

The protests across the Middle East were sparked by a once-obscure, amateurish movie called "Innocence of Muslims," which ridicules the Prophet Muhammad. A 14-minute "trailer" for the movie, dubbed into Arabic, was posted on YouTube.

Fethullah Gulen said insulting Islam and the Prophet Muhammad through a movie is a “violation of all Muslims' rights” and said these kinds of attacks happen frequently for provocation.

Fethullah Gulen added that Muslims need to be cool-headed and cautious in seeking ways to answer such attacks and said violently killing diplomats and setting buildings ablaze are far from the right response to the situation.

US Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three other embassy employees were killed after a barrage of small arms, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar fire tore into the consulate buildings in Benghazi on Tuesday, setting the buildings alight.

The Turkish Islamic scholar also offered self-criticism, blaming Muslims for largely failing to appropriately explain the true nature of the Prophet Muhammad to non-Muslims. Fethullah Gulen lamented that there are people who commit violence and suicide bombings, emphasizing that they don't know Islam well. He said suicide bombings are actions tantamount to barbarism and are not related to Islam.

Fethullah Gulen also described the killing of four US diplomats in Libya as “savagery” and “inhumane.” He said the diplomats were innocent and not related to the movie and that those who killed them have no idea what Islam is. He also blamed supporters of those who killed the diplomats and stormed US embassies across the Middle East, saying that they are wrongly “committing crimes in the name of Islam.”

Fethullah Gulen also said he believes killing diplomats could be an orchestrated plan of “intelligence services,” without elaborating what intelligence services he is talking about. “Even if this is the case,” Fethullah Gulen said, “Muslims should not be trapped.” He said Muslims are easily trapped in games like this thanks to “group psychology.”

He also slammed the Saudi grand mufti, without mentioning his name, and said his call to destroy churches in the Gulf region is not “friendly and humane.” He said this is an open invitation to non-Muslim countries to ban “mosques and minarets.”

Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al al-Shaikh had issued a fatwa, or religious order, against churches in May, prompting protests from Christian bishops across Europe and provoking a storm on Christian websites around the world.

Saudi Arabia does not allow churches on its territory, citing a saying of the Prophet Muhammad that there cannot be two religions on the Arabian Peninsula. But neighboring Gulf states have long had churches and some allow new ones to be built.

Fethullah Gulen also condemned burning churches in Africa in retaliation to an attack on a mosque and said, “This is not the way Muslims should behave.”


Source:  http://www.gulenmovement.com/latest-news/150-fethullah-gulen-urges-muslims-to-exercise-restraint-over-anti-muslim-movie

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Fethullah Gulen Strongly Condemns Mindless Violence

Turkish Scholar, Fethullah Gulen devotes his life to inter-faith dialogue. He is reacting to the death of the U.S. Amassador in Libya, as well as mass protests in the Arab world. He sent a message on the recent attack in Libya.
 

 

"I have learned with sadness about the attack on the US Consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi which resulted in the deaths of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, consulate personnel and several others.

I strongly condemn this heinous attack which targeted Ambassador Stevens who was representing his country in Libya and thus was a guest of Libyan government and people.

On this sad occasion I reiterate my condemnation of all forms of terror regardless of its perpetrators and the purposes for which it is carried out.

I sent my sincere condolences to those who lost loved ones in the tragedy, to the United States Government, to American people and especially to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton under whom the ambassador and his staff have been serving.

I share their pain in my heart and pray for the fast recovery of those who were injured."

Fethullah Gulen

Source: http://www.gulenmovement.com/latest-news/149-fethullah-gulen-strongly-condemns-mindless-violence
Video Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUkpkPHkPIE

You may learn more about Mr. Fethullah Gulen at http://www.gulenmovement.com/fethullah-gulen

Can the West believe in Islamic progress?

(ILLUSTRATION: ORHAN NALIN)

While the West has been largely indecisive about its position on the several recent experimental and violent renegotiations of Islam and power in the Middle East, its feelings on Islamic power have been rather clearly demonstrated over the years: The acquisition of power by Islamic entities is a cause for concern. By the same token, the Islamization of a powerful entity is also a cause for concern.

In Turkey’s case, the Western perception of the latter scenario has dominated the language of experts and journalists who are expressing worry by filling their assessments of Turkey’s political path in general, and the influence of the Gulen movement in particular, with sinister overtones. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government is viewed as facilitating a “takeover” in which Islamic powers in Turkey have seized control of previously secular state institutions. The association of Turkey’s Islamization with depictions of aggression and radicalization has been boosted by the alarm sounded by Bernard Lewis, one of the most influential historians of the Middle East, who describes Turkey’s movement as “re-Islamization,” thus emphasizing a return to darker days and a form of rule that does not rule out future Iranization.

This movement, as viewed through Western eyes, presents what appears to be a baffling paradox, especially in light of Turkey’s economic growth: Turkey’s financial progress is coinciding with the ideological retreat of its secular identity. How on earth can more wealth be leading a country to become less Western? No wonder the West is bewildered.

Using Hegel to understand Turkey

It is here proposed that a helpful way to resolve the West’s Turkish cognitive dissonance is by employing one of the West’s own interpretive methods: the Hegelian dialectic. This philosophical technique was designed and developed by European thinkers in order to reconcile seeming contradictions similar to the one posed by modern-day Turkey’s tension between Islam and secularism. In such a framework of thought, Islam, in its original form in the Ottoman days, is likened to a thesis negated by its antithesis in the form of secularism, leading to the subordination and assimilation of the negation, resulting in a synthesis: an Islam that is self-reflective and self-conscious for having seen itself through the mirror of secularism and, hence, of an elevated degree of compatibility with the West. In other words, Turkey’s Islamization is not regressive, but progressive, motioning, as reason does, through the integration of contradictions into a more comprehensive unity.

This dialectic movement forward in Turkey is primarily propelled by the Gulen movement, which sprang in bottom-up fashion from Turkey’s Anatolian bourgeoisie, comprising Muslims who identify their social class in Western terms. These are Muslims who promote and optimize Turkey’s civil society through Western sensibilities. For instance, headscarves, which were previously banned in Turkey’s secular antithetical stage, are now not forced upon anybody, but simply allowed in the public space. In other words, the true Muslim wishes of key elements in Turkish society are no longer denied while at the same time Western constitutional freedoms are respected.

The political scientist M. Hakan Yavuz, whose fascinating upcoming book “Toward an Islamic Enlightenment: The Gulen Movement” I was privileged to preview, considers the movement to constitute a genuinely Protestant Islam. This means the movement’s Islamic core is intertwined with an internalization of Western Weberian and Calvinist worldviews, highlighting the interconnectedness of religious principles and economic applications, believing, in the spirit of Capitalism, that socioeconomic prosperity is the most favorable way to bring about and reflect God’s pleasure. This is the main aspect of many other avenues in which the movement expresses a cognizant dialogue with Western thought and belief. Yavuz, a Turkish scholar in the United States, puts the movement under the magnifying glass of academic scrutiny, identifying both its promise and the stumbling blocks ahead. His earnest analysis of the movement’s subtleties does not offer predictions of the movement’s future, but sends an echoing message that has been overlooked: The Gulen movement is still in motion.

The path of the Gulen movement might not be perfect -- old contradictions are always replaced by new ones in humanity’s quest for betterment -- but it is nonetheless a road paved by a commitment to progress. The movement’s innovations in teaching must be continuously coupled with openness to learning even from its obvious detractors within Turkey. In particular, issues concerning freedom of expression and the judiciary have increased the number of the movement’s doubters, but doubt offers the best possible stage on which to show that perceived contradictions may be reconciled. The stage for showing the movement’s commitment to progress is also set outside Turkey, as tangible improvements in the lives of many Muslims would be readily noticeable. If this Turkish movement’s constructive focus on science and technology as well as love and community service could inspire the Arab world, then there would be hope of lessening the destructive worship of struggle in the region. Turkey’s ideological and actual fight against terrorism does not leave any room for comparison with Iran’s top-down, terror-sponsoring Islam.

The foreign Muslim Turk

Nonetheless, the portrayal of Turks in Western media is dominated by suspicion and alienation. The underwhelming reception of Islamic prosperity, especially of the kind that is not grounded in oil rigs but in economic ingenuity, is somewhat frustrating: While the West is adamant about stirring Islam away from violence, it is not terribly thrilled to see it flourish. Furthermore, the Armenian lobbies are trying to perpetuate Turkey’s defamiliarization in Western eyes by projecting past tragedies on Turkey’s modern-day image. The attempt to hold the current Turkish government accountable for Talat Pasha and the late Ottoman rule is as sensible as holding the Obama administration accountable for Jefferson Davis and the agenda of the Confederate States of America in the Civil War. The mere existence of such pressure is a banner of anti-Islamic double standards in the world today, standing atop unnecessarily highlighted divides between Muslims and Christians.

The recent article by Maximilian Popp in the popular German weekly Der Spiegel epitomizes the ethnocentric chauvinism that is bent on defamiliarizing the progressive Turk. Unfortunately, that article, which will likely be read by many, is based on the erroneous belief that the author’s preferred secular culture sets the universal norm; the author’s own culture, upon its own preferred categories, is followed as if it were the exclusive determiner for judging other cultures. The article reveals an intention to take what volunteers of the movement feel are familiar standards, and give them a strange and unfamiliar appearance. This type of defamiliarization, which looks to present another culture through an aggressive biased devotion to one’s own cultural beliefs, should be rejected outright for its use of exaggeration, pretense objectivity and maneuvered context. In fact, it has already been criticized and even mocked by responsible anthropologists for quite some time now. Horace Mitchell Miner’s brilliant satirical essay “Body Ritual among the Nacirema” from 1956 shows that even American culture can be defamiliarized if such is the author’s intent as, for instance, brushing one’s teeth is described as a private mouth ritual and dentists are holy-mouth-men.

Specifically, when Popp defamiliarizes the Gulen-inspired schools by highlighting the authoritative role of the elder brother and the restrictions on watching TV, listening to music or reading books that are not approved, he is trying to depict the movement as an adversary of freedom, failing to recognize that the concept of discipline is not so foreign, or exclusive to these schools, but rather is common in many quality private schools, professional sports or military academies. However, Popp will not be defamiliarizing the English Eton College, the FC Barcelona youth academy or the US Marine academy for their different emphases on discipline. Similarly, the article defamiliarizes a religious group’s right for self-preservation. If Der Spiegel finds it strange and newsworthy that volunteers of the movement are encouraged (or “pressured” as Popp puts it) to marry other volunteers, does that mean that the magazine is culturally uncomfortable with other religious or social groups who do the same, and even in a more explicit manner, such as the Jews? Furthermore, the endeavor to align one’s religion with science is not an invention unique to Gulen, but rather a continuation of efforts over centuries by Islamic mutakallimun, Jewish thinkers and Christian theologians. Correspondingly, Gulen does not deny scientific facts, as the article states, but rather he concedes that the survival of Islam is dependent on a successful assimilation of scientific theories into the faith. Indeed, the article defamiliarizes religion, as it even considers the long practiced and biblically sanctioned concept of tithing to be “murky finances.”

Wording goes a long way, especially in cases of first impression. If, as the article claims, the German public knows nothing about the Gulen movement, then such articles will likely present the movement’s volunteers, Turks and Muslims as a foreign threat. The pronounced negativity of such articles is clear if one gleans the harmful words carefully placed in it to describe the movement: references to the movement being “shadowy,” “secretive,” “mafia”-like and “dangerous” lead to unequivocal and immediate vilification; describing volunteers as serving Gulen rather than serving the community leads to impressions of self-service and self-aggrandizement; saying that the movement inspires volunteers to “idolize” creates a strong sense of a blind, rather than sober, worship; suggesting that the book collection of a proud volunteer is a mere exhibition with no substance is a reflection of painfully distrusting cynicism; comparing the movement to Opus Dei and Scientology creates an association with groups perceived in Germany as being controversial, cultish, and threatening; reporting that Gulen seeks “control,” “power,” and “influence” as part of a strategy to dominate the West, is appealing to old xenophobic fears; and, most disturbingly, printing words to ascribe the Gulen movement the image of a spider that lays webs for innocent Germans, as the article in Der Spiegel does, is too reminiscent of the notorious anti-Semitic caricature in the Nazi newspaper Der Stürmer in which the Jews are represented as a spider that is about to devour the people caught in its web.

Turkey’s Islamization is an opportunity, not a concern. There are those who pin America’s low popularity among Turks on Islamization, but this rate is only as low as the retrospective approval rate of the war in Iraq among Americans themselves; others pin the conflict with Israel on Turkey’s Islamization, but when viewed without prejudice it is purely a matter of pragmatic offensive realism, as would be expected of any power in Turkey’s situation, secular or religious. Turkey’s Islamization should not be vilified, but rather appreciated for the synthesis it presents between Islam and West. Turkey’s Protestant Islam, not secularism, is a much stronger foundation for a bridge between Islam and Christianity. The current wrong assessments and under-appreciation of Turkey’s role in politics and interreligious dialogue can be smoothly corrected with adequate study and gestures by secularists and Westerners. At a time when the West is greatly tested by tumultuous developments in Muslim countries, it is not less important for it to focus on how to handle the test posed by real Islamic capitalistic success.

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Tal Buenos, an Israeli, has a master of theological studies from Harvard Divinity School (2005).

Source: http://www.todayszaman.com/news-291623-can-the-west-believe-in-islamic-progress-by-tal-buenos*.html

The Gulen Movement: pioneers of interfaith dialogue

Churches Together in England

The most populous Muslim presence in the UK has its roots in the Indian subcontinent, and the nature of Islam in Pakistan, especially, has coloured British understanding of and approaches to Islam. This is to ignore the diversity of Islam, not only theological, but also cultural and geographical.

A very different model of Islam can be seen in the movement around Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish Muslim scholar,opinion leader and peace activist. Fethullah Gulen topped a 2008 poll of one hundred most influential public intellectuals (Foreign Policyand Prospect magazines). He has inspired a worldwide civil society movement to invest in intercultural dialogue as the basis for lasting peace. There are schools, universities, dialogue centres and charitable organisations across the world, which have been inspired by Fethullah Gulen’s philosophy. He teaches that we are human first, and only then Muslim or of any other religion and culture. He supports democracy, diversity, human rights, freedom of belief, and argues, unsurprisingly, that ‘No Muslim can be a terrorist and no terrorist a Muslim’.

Fethullah Gulen is an Islamic preacher and scholar, and author of over sixty volumes. Professor Paul Weller (Continuum, 2009) noted that ‘Fethullah Gulen does not teach a “liberal” or “modernist” version of Islam. Rather, his teaching offers a robust renewal of Islam that is engaged with the contemporary world. It is rooted in a deep knowledge of authentically Islamic sources.’

The Gulen movement has a presence in various centres across the UK, not least in London and West Yorkshire. The principal point of contact is through an educational charity, the Dialogue Society, which is always open to exploring partnerships with other institutions. The London base of the Dialogue Society hosts a variety of cross-cultural lectures and round-table discussions; the West Yorkshire presence includes a girls’ school in Bradford and a set of Ph.D. students in Leeds.

For Christian churches struggling to relate to Islam, the Gulen movement is a breath of fresh air. Here are deeply committed, prayerful, intelligent Muslims, wanting to dialogue, to listen as well as proclaim, promoting human values and engaging thoughtfully yet critically with Western society. This is Islamic bridge-building, seeking mutual understanding and, through understanding, making peace.

Clive Barrett, CEDO, West Yorkshire Ecumenical Council

Source:  http://www.gulenmovement.com/latest-news/146