Fethullah Gulen: "Neither Now, Nor in the Future Should Our Friends Have Any Ambition for Government"

This is a part of an interview with Fethullah Gulen by Mehmet Gundem of Milliyet Daily in January 2005.

Have you written a will?

I had written a will a long time ago. In this, I requested to be buried wrapped in my robe, and with my turban (the traditional garment of a Muslim scholar). The money in my wallet now will suffice to pay for my shroud and funeral expenses. I don't want the copyright money to be used for matters of burial; I am not sure whether it will be correct. I don't want it to be paid for by my pension, which would mean the state is paying for it, either; this is why I keep this money for my funeral. I bought some of my books with my pension; I regard them as being bought by the state; some of my books were presented to me by some publishing houses, for I am a scholar. They did this because of my position. Therefore, just as I keep the presents sent by people in my collections and present them back to the nation again, I have willed my books and personal belongings to be donated to the establishment in which they are found.

There used to be some friends who paid for the tea they drank or the food they ate. I mentioned them in my will or if they're not alive, their families; I hope that they will be pleased by being given of what I have left behind. Before I came here, I wrote that if I died somewhere away (from Turkey), there would be no need to undergo extra expenses in taking my body back to Turkey, but I am not easy about this decision. I wish to be buried in Turkey next to my father or mother.

As for the movement; neither now, nor in the future should our friends have any ambition for government, they should not be engaged in politics, even if all the power and pomp of the world is laid at their feet; my friends who love me and heed my advice should not show a moment's hesitation to push all this away with the back of their hand. I had made similar statements at other times; even if others do not understand, let them seek good pleasure of God, let them strive sincerely in the path of glorifying the Name of God without a moment's lapse. Now I want to write a new will and clarify the details of such points.

You have been in the USA for six years [as of 2005]. How do Americans look on you?

I am not a well known person here. I haven't met anybody, other than a few people whom I had to accept for courtesy's sake.

Why don't you meet people?

When I came here in 1997, I met some people, for example those who worked in Turkey as diplomats, envoys, academicians, and priests. I came here due to my illness. Then when the storms (i.e., The June 1999 cassette conspiracy against Fethullah Gulen) broke out in Turkey, I thought it would be more appropriate to continue my treatment here. It was obvious that I would not be able to bear the events in Turkey with the health problems of my heart, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. I was in America , but I stayed away from America . There were rumors like the green belt claims, and they made an association with us and America 's projects. I did not meet anybody, for I did not want to prepare ground for improper claims, I did not accept any of the offers to give conferences at universities.

My place is in my country with its earth and stone, among my nation. Recently, the Turks here have started carrying out some activities here, and expressing themselves. In this way some people have gotten to know me through some of my books. These were people who accepted Islam for the sake of our friends and said, "Muhammad is the Messenger of God." I have met some people from the intellectuals and academicians who were curious about the movement.

How have the years in America affected you?

If we express it in the terminology of Islamic Jurisprudence, my staying here was choosing the better of two evils. I did not want to come here at all, but Dr. Sait insisted, and he stated that my health could not tolerate any neglect. Even if it was hard for me, I had to either be away from my country and my people, in a foreign state, or—as one of our statesmen said—I had to consent to face a new conspiracy everyday, where they made mountains out of molehills. After having consulted with my friends, I consented to bear homesickness in order not to witness the evil that was happening and to be offended by our own people. Although I knew the conspiracy (the montage tapes) beforehand, I saw some of it when it was broadcast. I did not read what the supporters of the conspirators wrote, in order not to hold a grudge against them.

How did you know about it beforehand?

A friend from the business world had come to visit me. His phone rang. Somebody called him and said "there are a sack-full of tapes, we are making a montage. The guys here said, 'don't let him know, you will lose your job' but anyway, I wanted to call." He also said things like "I hope you will not forget this favor of mine and you won't let me down." In a way, it was blackmail.

What is it that you miss most?

I miss everything from Turkey . Traveling, having a tea-break at the cafés on the way, everything (even) the way our people dress. It may be good, it may be flawed- but I miss our architecture. The sky-scrapers here may seem majestic, but our ground-scrapers seem more attractive to me.

You miss Turkey so much, but you don't return, why?

After a certain age, your body just can't handle it. As an Arab poet expressed, I keep away but prefer being there with my heart and conscience; nothing prevents me from feeling close. Let me tell it through a simile. In Sufism, there is a certain station above that of lovers. Those who reach that station even do not want to unite with the beloved (return to God). Namely, they say let me burn inside, let me always moan with the pain of separation, but I don't want union. I feel that such a pleasurable longing, a delightful pain of separation is deeper, more faithful, and more heartfelt.

Does this mean that you will not return?

There is no legal obstacle to my return. I have never given up thinking about returning to Turkey. I have had this inquired about from people in some important positions in Turkey. They said, "There's nothing wrong, he can come." But from the way they said "he can come," I sensed that I might give them a headache if I return.

You mean some people from the state?

Yes, someone asked the question "What does his return mean to you" to a person who had retired from an important position. He smiled but said "it would be better if he didn't." It is probably thought that my return may trigger some things. Like some people will provoke others to fill the streets, and cause unrest. I do not want to open a door that will lead to the present stability in Turkey being disturbed.

There are also those who worry that you will return like Khomeini.

Even if I return, I will return like myself, the son of Ramiz Gülen who served as an imam at a Mosque in Edirne for three years. It may sound funny to you, but I wonder whether they would let me serve as an imam at that mosque again, whether I could stay there in a corner as I used to. . . or if they even do not let me be the head of a Qur'an course in the Kestane Pazari, I wonder whether they would let me stay in a wooden cabin as I used to. Another thought that passes through my mind is, with all sincerity, that there is a guest house in my village which was built in a field belonging to my grandfather; I say let me go and stay there, and die like a villager in the village where I was born and grew up.

You say you wish to go to the village in which you were born, and to die there. Will you just go to the village and keep quiet?

I did not have expectations, but I had concerns in the world. I will just keep chanting the same concerns; whatever the conditions are, I will encourage those who value my words to eagerly go to corners of the world to pursue educational activities. Even when I am being put in the grave, if I can, I will say "go establish schools, don't give up striving to make Turkish a world language.

I will tell our businessmen to go all around the world as (fresh) shoots, and be trees, to constitute lobbies, and to support Turkey. I will keep on saying that it is impossible for Turkey to be detached from the world and to stand on its own. Even if they make a special law and seal my mouth, then I will write it with my hands or feet; again I will say the same things. I have already said all these openly in my sermons in mosques, as an employee of the state. Not to my "disciples," as they say. Not like other hodjas, I may have said "Develop Turkey, let the voice of the Turkish people be heard everywhere."

In my opinion, (genuine) nationalism can only be carried out in this way, not by paying lip service to the issue. The cause of Turkey is a great one. I will keep on saying the whole nation should back it, like it did the War of Independence. I don't know any laws that will silence me in this, nor not allow me to speak so. I will keep on saying these as a debt of faith to my nation.

Source: http://en.fgulen.com/press-room/mehmet-gundems-interview/1934-gulen-qas-for-the-movement-neither-now-nor-in-the-future-should-our-friends-have-any-ambition-for-government

HUFFINGTON POST Joshua Walker: Celebrating the Spirit of Ramadan from Turkey to America

 JOSHUA WALKER

Growing up the son of a protestant pastor and valuing the role that my Christian faith plays in my own life, it often comes as a surprise to my friends when I tell them that Ramadan is among one of my favorite religious holidays. While Christmas and Easter are seminal to my faith tradition and represent some of my fondest memories growing up, they are one-day celebrations that in the American modern era sometimes lack the communal feel that the holy month of Ramadan offers in the Muslim world.

My first real experience came during "Ramazan" in Turkey which happened to overlap with the American Thanksgiving tradition during my Fulbright year in Ankara. Living in a Turkish university dormitory, my roommates invited me to join in for my very first iftar, or breaking of the fast. After that first night or seeing how everyone else was fasting and having the tenants explained to me, I decided to join in and experienced my first sahur at 3am the next morning before dawn when I was barely hungry.

Over the course of the month I fasted 18 of the 30 days of Ramadan in Turkey and experienced a holiday like I never had before. Celebrations always involve feasts regardless of the religion or occasion, therefore the dichotomy between fasting during the day and feasting at night was truly exhilarating. Trying to remind oneself of the virtues like charity, compassion, and forgiveness while avoiding vices of selfishness and dishonesty listed in the Quran is best achieved when focused on one's life given the need to keep the mind pre-occupied from the hunger pangs experienced during the first few days of fasting. Unlike the Christian tradition of fasting which tends to allow drinking water, the strict observance of not allowing anything to pass one's lips was particularly difficult for me. However I experienced and learned more about Turkish culture and hospitality that month than any other time in Turkey.

Since leaving Turkey over a decade ago, I've continued to celebrate Ramadan with my Muslim friends through invitations to iftars here in the United States and many other places around the world. I've always been amazed how Muslims in America can fast while everyone around them drinks and eats. This year in particular I've been blessed to be a part of several iftar celebrations that have reminded me once again of the joys of Ramadan. The simple act of sharing a meal and traditions such as meditating on the call to prayer may seem natural to Muslims, but to most Americans like myself it represents rare acts of genuine hospitality where nothing is expected in return.

Even to this day I can remember the final days of "Ramazan Bayram" in Turkey which are official holidays where families visit one another similar to the American tradition of Thanksgiving. The strength of communal and familial bonds I experienced with my Turkish roommates as they took me back to their homes and we shared in feast after feast, made me realize the true value of holy days and months throughout the year that allow us to contemplate the supernatural that can transcend the mundane worries of life all around us.

As the world continues around us and we come to the end of Ramadan, I hope we each can reach back to our own moments of calm reflection and serenity to contemplate the broader connections we share as human beings first and foremost. Whether we are Christian, Jews, Muslims or any other religion, we can celebrate the spirit of Ramadan by sharing fellowship with those around us.
I'm grateful to Turkey and my Turkish friends for first introducing me to Ramadan and to my many Muslim friends for continuing the traditions that I have come to love dearly. Ramadan Kareem!



SOURCE: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joshua-w-walker/celebrating-the-spirit-of_1_b_3691266.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

HUFFINGTON POST: Can Washington Ever Welcome a Nonviolent Muslim? (Fethullah Gulen)

Michael Shank

U.S. Vice President, Institute for Economics and Peace

Can Washington Ever Welcome a Nonviolent Muslim?

Posted: 06/04/2012 2:42 pm  

CBS News' 60 Minutes recently produced a show about Turkish Muslim scholar Fethullah Gulen, spurred by concern about the so-called Hizmet movement's alleged connection to a growing network of high performing and nationally ranked charter schools in the U.S. These schools rank in Newsweek's top ten miracle schools in America and have a waiting list of 30,000 students, a testament to their academic rigor and reputation.

So what's wrong with these schools and what in the world would merit investigative journalism on this topic? Could it be because Fethullah Gulen is a Muslim scholar, the movement is historically comprised largely of Muslims, and Turkish Muslims built and teach at the charter schools in the U.S.? I'd say yes. CBS would likely say no, citing public concern about potential for Islamic teaching in the classroom, Turkish teachers taking American jobs, and a Muslim scholar who was disinclined to be interviewed.

Despite CBS host Leslie Stahl's attempt to show both critique and compliment -- and in most cases, to her credit, she walked a fair and balanced line -- the script was loaded with innuendos,describing Gulen as a "personality cult", "wizard of Oz" and "prophet."

Why is this troublesome? And why do I feel compelled to write about this a second time, having written on it once before last year? It's problematic because there's a trend here. When the West finds a Muslim scholar that preaches tolerance, nonviolence and education -- which Gulen does ardently --- it immediately becomes skeptical. You would think the west would welcome such a nonviolent Muslim witness.

Western audiences often criticize Islam -- and this is particularly the case post-9/11 -- for not producing more imams that preach and teach nonviolence, despite their prevalence globally. Even CBS's Stahl recognized that Gulen's movement evokes a "seems too good to be true" response -- i.e. that a Muslim scholar is encouraging education, science, nonviolence and tolerance. Yet Stahl went further, seeking confirmation that Gulen wasn't the Osama bin Laden-variety Muslim. Remarkable that this was her point of reference.

Having written about other nonviolent Muslim leaders like Khan Abdul Gaffer Khan -- who hailed from northwest Pakistan's tribal areas and who promoted and practiced nonviolence to the point of imprisonment and ultimately death -- I've experienced this cynicism and skepticism before among western audiences. One critic went so far as to categorically disbelieve and discredit Khan's efforts.

With Gulen, the treatment has been little different. I found the same critique among disbelieving congressional staffers, with whom I traveled to Turkey last year, after meeting multiple Gulen supporters. It felt like they were looking for a conspiracy; they wanted something nefarious to emerge within the Gulen network.

When in Turkey as part of this congressional staff delegation, the scrutiny laid on Gulen by fellow congressional staffers seemed unusually harsh, as does the CBS portrayal of Gulen at times. Where is the scrutiny about charter schools that have Christian prayer in the schools and bury creationist thinking within science curriculum? In none of Gulen-connected Charter schools is there any religious teaching, at all. Where is the scrutiny about business projects in the U.S. that recruit from a specific immigrant group and coordinate with the home country to bring more of the same? This is happening in myriad circumstances already (although there's no need to castigate any group here in defense of another), but arguably flies largely under the skeptic's radar because the immigrating population is not Muslim.

Or where is this scrutiny about transparency in other taxpayer-funded endeavors? Gulen gets criticized for not being more transparent about his connections, whether in Turkey or Texas. Yet, these same critics, some of whom are Hill staffers who traveled with me to Turkey, are silent about the pervasive corruption in the defense community, as disclosed by the inspectors general in charge of monitoring funds spent by Pentagon and defense contractors in Afghanistan and Iraq. I, too, support calls for transparency and accountability -- but to highlight one and overlook another is equally nontransparent.

It is hard not see all these inconsistencies as indicative of something more endemic, that of an anti-Islam bias. Not possible? Not true. CBS News' 60 Minutes show comes on the heels of news that New York City Police Department engaged in systematic and widespread discriminatory practices, and that the U.S. Defense Department engaged in equally discriminatory anti-Islam training among its military cadets.

Discrimination and prejudice is quite possible in the U.S. and it seems ever apparent in all things arguably related to Fethullah Gulen. It is time for a clear-headed approach to this. America should be welcoming a Muslim scholar promoting secular education, science, tolerance and nonviolence -- not castigating him.

Michael Shank is in the PhD Program at George Mason University's School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, an Associate at the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict, and serves on the board of the National Peace Academy. Follow Michael on Twitter.

Follow Michael Shank on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Michael_Shank

SOURCE: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-shank/can-washington-ever-welcome_b_1568380.html

Fethullah Gulen and the 60 minutes 'web extras' - CBS News

If you saw CBS's 60 Minutes report on Fethullah Gulen and missed the 'web extras' then be sure to watch them here, below. These definitely provide necessary info that didn't make the main piece.

Read Rumi Forum's official response here


*More links to media articles on Gulen - New York Times, The Economist, Foreign Policy, PBS, Wall Street Journal, The New Republic, Prospect Magazine, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, Reuters... 



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VIDEO - Beyond Sacrifice, Rethinking Religion and Violence in America with John Pahl

In his famous Riverside Church Speech of April 1967, "Beyond Vietnam," the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. identified America as the "greatest purveyor of violence in the world today." How has this changed, or not, since 1967? And how has "religion" factored into the problems of episodic and systemic violence in America? Drawing on his book Empire of Sacrifice: The Religious Origins of American Violence (NYU, 2010), Professor Jon Pahl suggests some necessary rethinking of the categories of "religion" and "violence" in American history, with an aim to move the nation in its domestic and foreign policies beyond "sacrifice." Such a move may in fact already be underway, toward what Pahl calls, in the working title of his next book, A Coming Religious Peace.