M. Fethullah Gülen is a Turkish opinion leader and preacher emeritus who has been living in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania since 1999.

Gülen embraces an inclusive and peaceful understanding of Islam. His commitment to dialogue and altruism has inspired the Hizmet Movement, a transnational social initiative active in education, interfaith dialogue and humanitarian aid activities.

Mr. Gülen and Hizmet participants are known for their commitment to peace, democracy and non-violence, and oppose turning religion into a political ideology.

In 1994, Mr. Gülen had said “from now on, both in Turkey and in the rest of the world, there will be no return from democracy.”

Gülen is well-known with his statement “a true Muslim cannot be a terrorist and a terrorist cannot be a true Muslim,” published in The Washington Post after 9/11 attacks.

He was named as ‘The World’s Top Public Intellectual’ by Foreign Policy magazine in May 2008, and made it onto TIME100 list of the most influential people in the world in 2013. He is the recipient of Manhae Peace Prize in 2013 and Gandhi-King-Ikeda Award for Peace in 2015. He is also the recipient of New York-based EastWest Institute’s 2011 Peace Award.

Fethullah Gülen: A Muslim scholar, preacher and social advocate

Hizmet movement is a social movement that cherishes each and every human being as a unique creation of God while striving to achieve three overarching goals: (a) advocating…

Gülen flatly rejects the totalizing ideology of Islamism

Gülen is well aware that generally speaking Islamism is a reactive and reactionary ideology that is formed by contemporary human and social needs rather than what actually religion…

Fethullah Gulen on Islam and Democracy

On the issue of Islam and democracy, one should remember that the former is a divine and heavenly religion, while the latter is a form of government developed…