Published by Gulen Chair at Leuven University in Belgium, this new book is a selection of some of Fethullah Gülen’s essays on violence, just war, terrorism and Muslims’ responsibility.

As tragic and violent events have occurred in different parts of the world, questions about jihad and Muslim terrorists have arisen and persist at the heart of the public debate on Muslims and Islam. In everyday and academic discourse it is now almost impossible to ignore the preoccupation with different religious facets of conflict in various parts of the globe. Yet it is also clear that there is confusion on the substance of jihad, radicalization, extremism, and terrorism, about their scope, their relations and their implications. In this environment there is a need to rethink the meaning of jihad and violence. This work therefore aims to clarify the terminological confusion on violence, terror, and jihad through critical examination. This is an attempt to extract a heuristic analysis from Fethullah Gülen’s writings and speech. It is significant to examine his works because of his consistent stance against the use of violence with religious justification and his experience of living peacefully through a period of history in Turkey in which the use of violence for political ends was all too common.

The extracts in this booklet have been selected according to the current volume’s theme from among Gülen’s books already published in Turkish. Some of them have been translated into English before but most of the extracts have been translated into English and arranged into different chapters in the present volume. Some of the texts are revised and altered by Fethullah Gülen himself. 

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How does Fethullah Gülen view suicide bombings?

No one can be a suicide bomber. No one can rush into crowds with bombs tied to his or her body. Regardless of the religion of these crowds,…

Interview with Fethullah Gülen on the coup, his relationship with Erdoğan

My teaching has always been to act within [the] law and in an ethical way. If anybody who follows my works acts illegally or unethically, or if they…

Fethullah Gülen and the Concept of Responsibility

In all this Gülen remains rooted in tradition but offers a view of responsibility that goes beyond simple adherence to codes or ethical principles. The significant principles are…