Dr. Anthony Bartlett, Wood Hath Hope, New York

What I think about Fethullah Gulen, I think that in every age and every time God raises up men and women to do a special job for him, to bring God’s message which is a message of peace, and a message of forgiveness to the world. And this person, man or woman can come from any place and they do. Gandhi is a great example. He came from India. He was not a Christian but God raised him up, I believe. I think God raised up Fethullah Gulen to preach and to spread His word, His message in a real, very authentic way. Gulen tries to instill in people a desire to serve others.

What I have seen is that the people who do that, who respond to him, do not seek power. That is crucial because you can serve others, you can do things for other people but then because you become important power can become involved. And that is always a corruption. They always fail once power comes in to the equation. I see that Gulen has effectively managed to communicate the people a desire to serve, without seeking power. And now I think it is the most authentic religious thing you can do. I think it is God’s message you know, to seek to serve without power or without violence. Anyone who does that is a real servant of God. I mean, that is my belief, and I see and feel that in the community of Hizmet Movement that Gulen has started. So, I think, Fethullah Gulen takes his place alongside of wonderful gallery of God’s heroes, should we say, like Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, Oscar Romero of Nicaragua, and the woman in Burma, Aung San who is leading a nonviolent movement there as well. I think, these are all great messengers and I think Fethullah Gulen is one of them and deserves to be known and will be. I am sure he will be. His reputation will continue to increase.

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