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| '''M. Fethullah Gülen''' is a former Islamic preacher, and the foremost leader of the "Nur" movement in Turkey. His supporters hail him as an important Islamic scholar with liberal ideas, while detractors accuse him for illegal activities aimed at undermining the secular republic and replacing it with an Islamic state. His followers are commonly referred to as ] (Supporters of Fethullah), while they choose to refer themselves as "Hizmet Insani" (Those devoted to service to others). His influence extends over much of ] and ]. | |||
| '''M. Fethullah Gulen''' is an ]ic ] and ], a prolific ] and ]. He is trained in the ] by several ] scholars and also studied the principals and theories of ] and ]. | |||
| Mr. Gulen is known as the idealogue of ] (especially ]) among different communities, ]s and nations, ], and appreciation of ] versus ]. He puts a strong emphasis on ] of the new generations, in the direction of creating an athmosphere based on ], and accepting 'the other' as s/he is. Mr. Gulen's influence through his ideas extends over much of ], ] and recently over ] and ]. | |||
| He has over 30 books and many articles published in different journals and magazines written on different themes from social to ] issues, and from ] and ] to ], ] and ]. He is fluent in Arabic and Persian and can communicate in English and French. He hasn't been married. | |||
| ==Biography== | ==Biography== | ||
| Born in ], in eastern ], in ]. He did not have a formal education, completed primary education at home, and instead focused on an Islamic education |
Born in ], in eastern ], in ]. He did not have a formal education, completed primary education at home, and instead focused on an Islamic education. In ] was awarded a state preacher’s license (in ]). In ] he was moved to a post in ]. It was here that Gülen's recurring themes began to crystallize and his audience base began to expand. He also traveled around the provinces in ] and gave sermons ]s, town meetings and coffee houses among other places. From Izmir on, he placed a special emphasis on promulgating his ideas to high school and college students and recruiting them for the movement he was heading. | ||
| The range of his speeches was more versatile than that of other Islamic preachers; he talked about ], ], ], the ] and ]. More broadly, he envisoned a society of devout Muslims who nevertheless would adopt methods and technical knowledge that led to West's superiority over the Muslim world |
The range of his speeches was more versatile than that of other Islamic preachers; he talked about ], ], ], the ] and ]. More broadly, he envisoned a society of devout Muslims who nevertheless would adopt methods and technical knowledge that led to West's superiority over the Muslim world. His popularity was aided by the emotional intensity of his sermons; at the climax he often burst into tears and had emotional fits, an act usually associated with the mystical tradition. His sermons were taped and distributed by a network of followers at a time when Islamic activities were viewed with suspicion and proved instrumental in raising money for the movement. | ||
| Gülen retired from formal preaching duties in ]. Later, between ] and ], he gave a series of sermons in popular mosques of major cities. His long career had made him a well know figure in Islamic circles, and in particular, within the moderate islamic movement, however, it was the apolitical activism for a better education system in the 90s that made him a public figure. | |||
| ==His Philosophy and Activities== | |||
| ⚫ | ==Recent Controversies== | ||
| Gülen is well-known for his ardent endeavor to strengthen bonds among people. He maintains that there are more bonds bringing people together than those separating them. Based on this belief, he works for a sincere, strong ] and ]. He was a founder of the Journalists' and Writers' Foundation, a group that promotes ] and ] among all social strata and has received a warm welcome from almost all walks of life. He regularly visits and receives leading ] and international figures: the ]'s Ambassador to Turkey, the ] of the ] ] community, the ] of the ] Armenian community, the Chief ] of the ] ] community, as well as leading journalists, columnists, television and film stars, and ]s of varying views. Fethullah Gülen asserts that if you wish to control masses, simply starve them for knowledge. They can escape such tyranny only through ]. He believes that the road to ] ] is paved with adequate, ] ], for only this will give people sufficient understanding and ] to ] the rights of others. To this end, he has encouraged ]'s elite, community leaders, industrialists, and business leaders to support quality ] for the needy. | |||
| Gulen became a highly controversial figure in 1997, when a number of videocassetes with his sermons were broadcast on TV. While he was always viewed with suspicion among certain secular groups, it was the accesible nature of the tapes that made the controversy reach the general public. In the tapes, allegedly distributed exclusively among his supporters, he tells those present that if revealing their commitment to the movement will jeopardise their official post then they should shun away from this. In justifying this, Gulen comments if the true of the movement is revealed before garnering sufficient support, the movement might suffer the fate of Islamists in Algeria. Gulen encourages capturing key posts in the judiciary, administrative and military institutions as stepping stones to a broader plan to further the goals the movement . Most controversially, Gulen makes deragatory remarks about the founder of the secular Turkish republic, Mustafa Kemal, such as "concerete Mustafa", an allusion to his statues in provincial towns. Shortly before the tapes surfaced, Gulen left Turkey and settled in the US, allegedly for health reasons. Within weeks, he was charged with conspiring against the republic, but he did not attend the trials. In 2003, the trial was postponed, subject to reprocessing if he is indicted with a similar crime in the following 5 years. Gulen has since been living in the US, but his popularity among his supporters has not waned. | |||
| His efforts have begun to bear fruit, as graduates from private ] in ] and ], established by private donations and run as trusts, have taken top honors in university placement tests and consistently finished at the top in International Knowledge Olympics. They have produced several world champions, especially in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology. | |||
| ⚫ | The authenticity of the tapes |
||
| Gülen maintains: "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of ], it expects what never was and will never be." He has inspired the use of mass media, notably television, to inform those without a ] of pressing ] matters. "As a political and governing system, ] is the only alternative left in the world," he maintains. In spite of its many shortcomings, he states that no one has yet designed a better governing system. We must make it work. People shall always demand freedom of choice in their affairs, especially in their expression of ] and ] ]s. | |||
| ⚫ | Gulen's appeal to various ideological strands in Turkey differs. His supporters probably constitute the most influential Islamic movement in Turkey both for its human and financial capital. Various other shades of the Islamic movement and conservative segments of society are generally sympathetic to him. His detractors are mostly in the nationalistic wing of the secularists, critical of his alleged affinity for a theocratic society and his ties to the US. For the elites, the ranks are broken by certain liberals, who point out that Gulen's group |
||
| There is a mutually supportive and perfective relation between an individual's actions and inner life. He names it a "virtuous circle." Attitudes like determination, perseverance, and resolve illuminate such a person's inner conscience; the brightness of one's inner conscience strengthens one's will-power, and one's resolve stimulates one to higher horizons. | |||
| ⚫ | Specifically worthy of mention is the ongoing tension between the Turkish army and Gulen's supporters. Due to its spearheading westernization and secularization since the late ] era, and later founding the secular republic under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal, the army has always viewed Islamic movements with suspicion and since the 1980s has identified Gulen's group as |
||
| "Do not despair in the face of adversity, and do not yield to those without direction", he emphasizes, lest we give up hope. He views hopelessness as a quicksand that buries human progress and kills the will to succeed, a noose that chokes and drowns people. With his acute perception, Gülen perceives that the world's ] climate is undergoing a positive change. He envisions a twenty-first century in which we shall witness the sprouting of a ] dynamic that will revive the now-dormant ]. He envisions an age of ] and ] that will lead to cooperation among ] and their ultimate fusion into one body. The ] ] shall triumph in the form of an intercivilizational ] and a sharing of values. Gülen tries to bridge the past with his image of the future. His deep desire to find solutions for ] ] problems reflected in his works. | |||
| "Today's men and women are searching for their ] and the purpose of their creation", Gülen contends. He tries to give practical, convincing answers to such questions as: Why was I born? What is the purpose of my living? What is the meaning of death, and what does it demand from me? In his speeches and writings, one encounters statements like: "] has come to a crossroads: one leads to despair, the other to salvation. May ] give us the wisdom to make the right choice." His works represent a search for the truth. He does not believe that there are any material shortages in the world, and sees no justification for starvation. Inequitably distributed wealth should be channeled through private charities to the needy. He has spearheaded the establishment of many charitable organizations to do that. As a ], Gülen has synthesized the positive ]s with ], reconciling all "apparent" differences between the two. In his writings and oral presentations, he brings the ideologies and philosophies of ] and those of the ] closer together. | |||
| "As for getting others to understand your ways", Fethullah Gülen claims that, "the days of getting things done by brute force are over. In today's enlightened world, the only way to get others to accept your ideas is by persuasion and convincing arguments. Those who resort to brute force to reach their goal are intellectually bankrupt". In their daily lives, people must maintain the delicate balance between ] and ] values if they are to enjoy serenity and true happiness. Unbridled greed must be guarded against. As a ] of ] (traditions concerning the ]'s life), ] (]ic commentary), and ] (]ic ]), as well as ] and ], Gülen occupies important place among his contemporaries in the ] ]. | |||
| ⚫ | ==Recent Controversies== | ||
| Gulen became a controversial figure in 1997, when a number of video cassettes with his sermons were broadcast on TV. Not only Gulen, but many other journalists and thinkers with democratic intentions were blamed by some groups who have some ties to the army and supported by them. This era ended in a few years by the new administration of the army, as they stopped disinformation of the public through media using their excessive power over the media. | |||
| ⚫ | The authenticity of the tapes is debated. Some of Gulen's supporters claim they were fabricated by montages of video segments taken out of context. Gulen himself explained that the footage in question was completely taken out of context; that the advice he was giving was to a group of official employees who felt marginalized by other groups within the state system that wanted them gone. Gulen explained that he advised them that they should not relinquish their careers and posts out of religious fervour but that they should remain in order to do good for the people, even if this meant not practicing their religion in the open. | ||
| ⚫ | Gulen's appeal to various ideological strands in Turkey differs. His supporters probably constitute the most influential Islamic movement in Turkey both for its human and financial capital. Various other shades of the Islamic movement and conservative segments of society are generally sympathetic to him. His detractors are mostly in the nationalistic wing of the secularists, critical of his so called alleged affinity for a theocratic society and his ties to the US. For the elites, the ranks are broken by certain liberals, who point out that Gulen's group, has proven to be most willing to evolve and has no antidemocratic intentions. | ||
| ⚫ | Specifically worthy of mention is the ongoing tension between the Turkish army and Gulen's supporters. Due to its spearheading westernization and secularization since the late ] era, and later founding the secular republic under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal, the army has always viewed Islamic movements with suspicion and since the 1980s has identified Gulen's group as a threat to the republic. In 1986, a military court claimed that Gulen's supporters had infiltrated the military academy and the group was purged. Since these decisions by military court out of democratic control, they are considered highly suspicious by the general public. From then on, the army has repeatedly alleged Gulen tries to infitrate its ranks and pressured politicans to take action against Gulen. In response, Gulen has explaind his intensions repeatedly, praised the army publicly various times and attempted to allay its fears about the group's intentions. Recently after Turkey applied for becomeing a member of Europian Union, new administration of the military restricted itself to more democratic ways and as a result the tension fades. | ||
| ==Works== | ==Works== | ||
| Line 28: | Line 47: | ||
| Gülen contributes to a number of journals and magazines owned by his followers. He writes the lead article for the ''Fountain'', ''Yeni Ümit'', ''Sızıntı'', and ''Yagmur'', leading Islamic and philosophical magazines in Turkey. He has written more than forty books, hundreds of articles, and recorded thousands of ] and ]. The videocasettes played a crucial role in promoting his ideas in his early years. Some of his books have been made available in ] translations, such as, ''Muhammad: The Messenger of God'', ''Questions and Answers about Faith'', ''Pearls of Wisdom'', ''Prophet Muhammad as Commander'', ''The Essentials of the Islamic Faith'', ''Towards the Lost Paradise'', ''Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism''. A number have also been translated into ], ], ], ], ], and ]. | Gülen contributes to a number of journals and magazines owned by his followers. He writes the lead article for the ''Fountain'', ''Yeni Ümit'', ''Sızıntı'', and ''Yagmur'', leading Islamic and philosophical magazines in Turkey. He has written more than forty books, hundreds of articles, and recorded thousands of ] and ]. The videocasettes played a crucial role in promoting his ideas in his early years. Some of his books have been made available in ] translations, such as, ''Muhammad: The Messenger of God'', ''Questions and Answers about Faith'', ''Pearls of Wisdom'', ''Prophet Muhammad as Commander'', ''The Essentials of the Islamic Faith'', ''Towards the Lost Paradise'', ''Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism''. A number have also been translated into ], ], ], ], ], and ]. | ||
| == Critical Views of Gulen== | |||
| In other works, mostly in Turkish and published before the 90s, he has promoted more controversial and fundemantalist ideas. The excerpts from these books have been published in the recent court case against him . Accordingly, "War against the infidels, ] is bound to continue until the Apocalypse, because no matter how tolerant we act there will always be infidels that insist on being sinners... Those engaging in jihad will either lose their lives and attain eternal happiness, or stay alive, but that's only better, as then they will attain happiness both in this world and the other." Controversy also followed when in 2004 he announced he equated a murderer to an atheist. Overall, these writings contrast starkly with the public statements by the group, and have led a number of researchers to claim Gulen's public efforts in the 1990s do not represent his real intentions . | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| Line 36: | Line 53: | ||
| *] | *] | ||
| *] | *] | ||
| *] | |||
| == Official Web Site == | |||
| ⚫ | *http://en.fgulen.com/ (most uptodate) | ||
| ⚫ | == |
||
| ==Indictment of the prosecuter of the Fethullah Gulen Trial (in Turkish)== | |||
| *http://www.belgenet.com/dava/gulendava.html | |||
| *http://www.milliyet.com/2003/03/11/guncel/gun10.html | |||
| *http://www.milliyet.com/2003/01/21/siyaset/siy01.html | |||
| ==Supporters== | |||
| ⚫ | *http://en.fgulen.com/ ( |
||
| *http://www.biu.ac.il/SOC/besa/meria/journal/2000/issue4/jv4n4a4.html | |||
| *http://www.religioscope.com/info/articles/007_fetullahci.htm | |||
| ⚫ | *http://www. |
||
| ==Critical== | |||
| *http://www.geocities.com/fettosh/index.htm | |||
| ⚫ | *http:// |
||
| ⚫ | *http://www. |
||
| ⚫ | == Additional links == | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ⚫ | *http://www.fgulen.org/ | ||
| ] | |||
| ⚫ | *http://en.fgulen.com/ | ||
| ] | |||
| ⚫ | *http://www.mfethullahgulen.com/ | ||
| ] | |||
Revision as of 21:47, 10 January 2006
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M. Fethullah Gulen is an Islamic scholar and thinker, a prolific writer and poet. He is trained in the religious sciences by several Muslim scholars and also studied the principals and theories of social and physical sciences.
Mr. Gulen is known as the idealogue of dialogue (especially interfaith dialogue) among different communities, cultures and nations, tolerance, and appreciation of diversity versus crash of civilization. He puts a strong emphasis on education of the new generations, in the direction of creating an athmosphere based on mutual respect, and accepting 'the other' as s/he is. Mr. Gulen's influence through his ideas extends over much of Central Asia, Caucasus and recently over Europe and United States.
He has over 30 books and many articles published in different journals and magazines written on different themes from social to religious issues, and from art and science to music, sports and politics. He is fluent in Arabic and Persian and can communicate in English and French. He hasn't been married.
Biography
Born in Erzurum, in eastern Turkey, in 1941. He did not have a formal education, completed primary education at home, and instead focused on an Islamic education. In 1959 was awarded a state preacher’s license (in Edirne). In 1966 he was moved to a post in Izmir. It was here that Gülen's recurring themes began to crystallize and his audience base began to expand. He also traveled around the provinces in Anatolia and gave sermons mosques, town meetings and coffee houses among other places. From Izmir on, he placed a special emphasis on promulgating his ideas to high school and college students and recruiting them for the movement he was heading.
The range of his speeches was more versatile than that of other Islamic preachers; he talked about education, science, Darwinism, the economy and social justice. More broadly, he envisoned a society of devout Muslims who nevertheless would adopt methods and technical knowledge that led to West's superiority over the Muslim world. His popularity was aided by the emotional intensity of his sermons; at the climax he often burst into tears and had emotional fits, an act usually associated with the mystical tradition. His sermons were taped and distributed by a network of followers at a time when Islamic activities were viewed with suspicion and proved instrumental in raising money for the movement.
Gülen retired from formal preaching duties in 1981. Later, between 1988 and 1991, he gave a series of sermons in popular mosques of major cities. His long career had made him a well know figure in Islamic circles, and in particular, within the moderate islamic movement, however, it was the apolitical activism for a better education system in the 90s that made him a public figure.
His Philosophy and Activities
Gülen is well-known for his ardent endeavor to strengthen bonds among people. He maintains that there are more bonds bringing people together than those separating them. Based on this belief, he works for a sincere, strong dialogue and tolerance. He was a founder of the Journalists' and Writers' Foundation, a group that promotes dialogue and tolerance among all social strata and has received a warm welcome from almost all walks of life. He regularly visits and receives leading Turkish and international figures: the Vatican's Ambassador to Turkey, the Patriarch of the Turkish Orthodox community, the Patriarch of the Turkish Armenian community, the Chief Rabbi of the Turkish Jewish community, as well as leading journalists, columnists, television and film stars, and thinkers of varying views. Fethullah Gülen asserts that if you wish to control masses, simply starve them for knowledge. They can escape such tyranny only through education. He believes that the road to social justice is paved with adequate, universal education, for only this will give people sufficient understanding and tolerance to respect the rights of others. To this end, he has encouraged society's elite, community leaders, industrialists, and business leaders to support quality education for the needy.
His efforts have begun to bear fruit, as graduates from private schools in Turkey and Central Asia, established by private donations and run as trusts, have taken top honors in university placement tests and consistently finished at the top in International Knowledge Olympics. They have produced several world champions, especially in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology.
Gülen maintains: "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and will never be." He has inspired the use of mass media, notably television, to inform those without a formal education of pressing social matters. "As a political and governing system, democracy is the only alternative left in the world," he maintains. In spite of its many shortcomings, he states that no one has yet designed a better governing system. We must make it work. People shall always demand freedom of choice in their affairs, especially in their expression of spiritual and religious values.
There is a mutually supportive and perfective relation between an individual's actions and inner life. He names it a "virtuous circle." Attitudes like determination, perseverance, and resolve illuminate such a person's inner conscience; the brightness of one's inner conscience strengthens one's will-power, and one's resolve stimulates one to higher horizons.
"Do not despair in the face of adversity, and do not yield to those without direction", he emphasizes, lest we give up hope. He views hopelessness as a quicksand that buries human progress and kills the will to succeed, a noose that chokes and drowns people. With his acute perception, Gülen perceives that the world's spiritual climate is undergoing a positive change. He envisions a twenty-first century in which we shall witness the sprouting of a spiritual dynamic that will revive the now-dormant moral values. He envisions an age of tolerance and understanding that will lead to cooperation among civilizations and their ultimate fusion into one body. The human spirit shall triumph in the form of an intercivilizational dialogue and a sharing of values. Gülen tries to bridge the past with his image of the future. His deep desire to find solutions for contemporary social problems reflected in his works.
"Today's men and women are searching for their Creator and the purpose of their creation", Gülen contends. He tries to give practical, convincing answers to such questions as: Why was I born? What is the purpose of my living? What is the meaning of death, and what does it demand from me? In his speeches and writings, one encounters statements like: "Humanity has come to a crossroads: one leads to despair, the other to salvation. May God give us the wisdom to make the right choice." His works represent a search for the truth. He does not believe that there are any material shortages in the world, and sees no justification for starvation. Inequitably distributed wealth should be channeled through private charities to the needy. He has spearheaded the establishment of many charitable organizations to do that. As a social reformer, Gülen has synthesized the positive sciences with divinity, reconciling all "apparent" differences between the two. In his writings and oral presentations, he brings the ideologies and philosophies of East and those of the West closer together.
"As for getting others to understand your ways", Fethullah Gülen claims that, "the days of getting things done by brute force are over. In today's enlightened world, the only way to get others to accept your ideas is by persuasion and convincing arguments. Those who resort to brute force to reach their goal are intellectually bankrupt". In their daily lives, people must maintain the delicate balance between material and spiritual values if they are to enjoy serenity and true happiness. Unbridled greed must be guarded against. As a master of hadith (traditions concerning the Prophet's life), tafsir (Qur'anic commentary), and fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), as well as Sufism and philosophy, Gülen occupies important place among his contemporaries in the Islamic sciences.
Recent Controversies
Gulen became a controversial figure in 1997, when a number of video cassettes with his sermons were broadcast on TV. Not only Gulen, but many other journalists and thinkers with democratic intentions were blamed by some groups who have some ties to the army and supported by them. This era ended in a few years by the new administration of the army, as they stopped disinformation of the public through media using their excessive power over the media.
The authenticity of the tapes is debated. Some of Gulen's supporters claim they were fabricated by montages of video segments taken out of context. Gulen himself explained that the footage in question was completely taken out of context; that the advice he was giving was to a group of official employees who felt marginalized by other groups within the state system that wanted them gone. Gulen explained that he advised them that they should not relinquish their careers and posts out of religious fervour but that they should remain in order to do good for the people, even if this meant not practicing their religion in the open.
Gulen's appeal to various ideological strands in Turkey differs. His supporters probably constitute the most influential Islamic movement in Turkey both for its human and financial capital. Various other shades of the Islamic movement and conservative segments of society are generally sympathetic to him. His detractors are mostly in the nationalistic wing of the secularists, critical of his so called alleged affinity for a theocratic society and his ties to the US. For the elites, the ranks are broken by certain liberals, who point out that Gulen's group, has proven to be most willing to evolve and has no antidemocratic intentions.
Specifically worthy of mention is the ongoing tension between the Turkish army and Gulen's supporters. Due to its spearheading westernization and secularization since the late Ottoman era, and later founding the secular republic under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal, the army has always viewed Islamic movements with suspicion and since the 1980s has identified Gulen's group as a threat to the republic. In 1986, a military court claimed that Gulen's supporters had infiltrated the military academy and the group was purged. Since these decisions by military court out of democratic control, they are considered highly suspicious by the general public. From then on, the army has repeatedly alleged Gulen tries to infitrate its ranks and pressured politicans to take action against Gulen. In response, Gulen has explaind his intensions repeatedly, praised the army publicly various times and attempted to allay its fears about the group's intentions. Recently after Turkey applied for becomeing a member of Europian Union, new administration of the military restricted itself to more democratic ways and as a result the tension fades.
Works
Gülen contributes to a number of journals and magazines owned by his followers. He writes the lead article for the Fountain, Yeni Ümit, Sızıntı, and Yagmur, leading Islamic and philosophical magazines in Turkey. He has written more than forty books, hundreds of articles, and recorded thousands of audio and videocassettes. The videocasettes played a crucial role in promoting his ideas in his early years. Some of his books have been made available in English translations, such as, Muhammad: The Messenger of God, Questions and Answers about Faith, Pearls of Wisdom, Prophet Muhammad as Commander, The Essentials of the Islamic Faith, Towards the Lost Paradise, Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism. A number have also been translated into German, Russian, Albanian, Japanese, Indonesian, and Spanish.
See also
Official Web Site
- http://en.fgulen.com/ (most uptodate)