Dialogue
Dr. Saribay: Fethullah Gulen clearly shows that Islam can have different interpretations. In the coming days, there is going to be a settling of accounts between populist and radical Islam. I believe that the first group’s victory will enable democracy to develop more evenly. Cerrahoglu: Is the Refah Party (RP) using politics as a tool? […]
Education
Below is an interview by Nuriye Akman with sociologist Elisabeth Ozdalga about Fethullah Gulen and religion/secularism issues in Turkey. Akman interviewed Ozdalga in June 2003. Akman: Why are you more interested in sociology of religion? Ozdalga*: During the first half of the 1970s, there were important developments for the left in Turkey, and people had […]
Democracy, Dialogue
LEONID R. SYKIAINEN* Compatibility between Islamic and modern democratic liberal values is not more than theoretical ground to combine the both for success of political reforms in the Muslim world. It will be possible only through the dialogue of different cultures and civilizations. In this respect Fethullah Gülen underlines that for centuries the civilizations of […]
Fethullah Gülen
Dr. Ihsan Yilmaz* Until the late 1970s and early 1980s, a relatively widespread consensus had existed in the sociology of religion discipline over the privatization of religion. Some scholars such as Jose Casanova have argued that during the course of the last few decades, a process of “de-privatization” of religion has taken place in the […]
Democracy, Fethullah Gülen
LEONID R. SYKIAINEN Explaining the meaning of this principle for the modern Muslim world, Fethullah Gülen states that for the Muslims of today, consultation (shura) is a vital attribute and an essential rule, just as it was for the first Islamic generations. According to the Qur’an, it is the clearest sign of a believing community. […]
Democracy
LEONID R. SYKIAINEN* Fethullah Gülen stressed that when comparing Islam with democracy, we must remember that democracy is a system that is being continually developed and revised, on the one hand. It also varies according to the places and circumstances where it is practiced. On the other hand, religion has established immutable principles related to […]
Islam
Leonid R. Sykiainen In a number of his publications Fethullah Gülen analyses in a short but very deep manner the present situation in the Muslim world. He agrees that during a long period of time the Muslim societies have been witnessing a multidimensional political, social and cultural crisis. On one hand, this crisis embraces the Islamic thought […]
Gülen movement
Dr. Alp Aslandogan I would like to begin by thanking the Center for Strategic and International Studies for hosting this presentation and in particular Dr. Aliriza for his invitation and organizing this gathering. I also have a couple of disclaimers: First, I will not be speaking on behalf of any institution. The views presented here […]
Fethullah Gülen
Gulen never separates love of God from living a moral life. Sufism isn’t just for an elite; it’s for everyone. Gulen believes that Sufism offers a vision of how people of good will should and must act. He doesn’t want Sufism to be understood as a form of mysticism, as if the goal is to bask in God’s love without any implications for engaging in good works. Sufism entails constant self-renewal and self-purification that in Gulen’s words involves, among other things, Trying to eradicate injustice and support justice and what is right”
Fethullah Gülen
From Gulen’s perspective; belief will lead to eternity. With belief, humans become an ocean while they are drops, they become whole while they are parts, they become a part of universe and then s/he becomes the heart of universe. Not only part of human beings but becomes part of universe, subsequently looks at all creation including environment as same thing who shared the same existence and birth like brothers and sisters. Then Muslims have strong conscious of looking after their own part/whole. This is also exemplified in one of the poets in Anatolia, Yunus Emre, he said ‘we love the created because of the creator’. Being a believer in God enforces Muslims to look after the environment.