Thought & Practice Series: Gülen on Dialogue

This publication is about the thought and practice espoused and practised by Fethullah Gülen and the Hizmet movement. Fethullah Gülen is one of the most important Muslim scholars of our time for whom dialogue is not just about overcoming problems of the globalising world but is necessitated by the essence of humanity and the spirit and teachings of Islam. Therefore, dialogue is an ever-present and underlying theme for Gülen in addition to being a particular area of thought and practice that he seeks to promote and develop. What is significant about Gülen, however, is that he is not just a scholar and thinker but also a doer who has inspired millions to think and act alongside him in what has now emerged as a civil society movement known as the Hizmet movement.

This publication provides a short biography of Gülen’s life in relation to his dialogue efforts and then goes on to study the main features and characteristics of his dialogue thought such as: love, tolerance, empathetic acceptance, positive action, and humility. It then explores how Gülen’s notion of dialogue, dialogically developed and practised by the Hizmet movement, is now being put into practice in different parts of the world. The section on practice concludes with a list of the twelve ‘dialogue principles’ extrapolated from Gülen’s teachings and the Hizmet movement’s practice.

Source: Center for Hizmet Studies

Rumi Forum Chapters and ATFA Dialog and Friendship Dinners 2013

Rumi forum and American Turkish Friendship local branches hosted dialog dinners in Hagerstown MD , Charlottesville VA, Richmond VA, Baltimore MD, Wilmington DE, Blacksburg VA and Norfolk VA.

 

Dinner In Richmond

 

Dinner in Charlottesville

Dinner in Baltimore

 

Dinner with friends and colleagues in Blacksburg.

Dinner with friends and colleagues in Blacksburg.

Hagerstown MD

 

Senator Tom Carper in Wilmington DE

 

Statement from Fethullah Gulen Condemning Boston Marathon Attack

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 17, 2013

Statement from Fethullah Gulen Condemning Boston Marathon Attack

“I am deeply saddened by the tragic bomb attack at the Boston Marathon that cost the lives of innocent people and injured many more. I express my absolute condemnation of this senseless act of violence that accomplished nothing more than the infliction of unbearable pain on innocent people. I send my sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased and my prayers for a speedy recovery of the injured.

On this sad occasion, I reiterate my condemnation of all forms of terror, which can never be justified by its perpetrators or their stated purposes. I hope that the perpetrators will be swiftly brought to justice and steps will be taken to prevent such horrific acts in the future. In difficult times such as this, I believe we must reaffirm our shared values of peaceful dialogue and mutual respect.”

About Fethullah Gulen

Fethullah Gulen is an Islamic scholar, preacher and social advocate, whose decades-long commitment to interfaith tolerance and altruism has inspired millions in Turkey and around the world. Described as one of the world’s most important Muslim figures, Gulen has reinterpreted aspects of Islamic tradition to meet the needs of contemporary Muslims. He has dedicated his life to interfaith and intercultural dialogue, community service and providing access to education. He was the first influential Muslim public figure to publicly condemn the 9/11 attacks and express sympathy for the American people.

About Alliance for Shared Values

The Alliance for Shared Values is a non-profit organization serving as a centralized platform for

collaboration and a unifying voice for cultural, civic, and service organizations associated with the Hizmet social movement in the United States.

SOURCE: 

 http://www.afsv.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Statement-from-Gulen-on-Boston-April-17.pdf

ANNOUNCEMENT Fethullah Gulen, Rumi Forum Honorary President, named in 2013 TIME 100 list

We were delighted to hear today that Mr. Fethullah Gulen, an inspiration for many of our volunteers and donors, was named as one of TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2013.

Being named on the TIME100 list is recognition we see befitting of Mr. Gulen, who has dedicated his life to interfaith tolerance and peaceful coexistence with people of all faiths and backgrounds. His reinterpretation of aspects of Islamic tradition not only meets the needs of contemporary Muslims, but also inspires millions in Turkey and around the world to promote community service, intercultural dialogue and education.

The 2013 TIME 100 includes other noted world leaders such as President Obama and Pope Francis . In the past, TIME has honored global leaders such as the Dalai Lama, Pope Benedict XVI and Aung San Suu Kyi in their TIME 100 list. Last year, TIME’s honorees in education were Salman Khan and Cami Anderson.

TIME recognized Gulen for “preaching a message of tolerance that has won him admirers around the world.” As you may know, Hizmet volunteers over the years have been involved in building schools, dormitories and tutoring centers, teaching college preparatory courses, mentoring students, and providing financial aid to those in need. With a focus on science, math, literature and multicultural understanding, its award-winning schools have been established around the world, including Indonesia, Congo, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, South Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

To read more about Mr. Gulen’s and Hizmet’s efforts in education, please visit the Alliance for Shared Values at www.afsv.org. The Rumi Forum is a member organization of AFSV.

To read more about Rumi Forum,  please visit  www.rumiforum.org

You can also follow us on

Facebook:        http://bit.ly/rfFACEBOOK

Twitter:             http://twitter.com/rumiforum

Blog:                http://rumiforum.blogspot.com

Thank you all for your continued support  and service to Rumi Forum

Best,

Emre Celik

President

Rumi Forum

Ethnic Diversity and Ethnic Tolerance in Montenegro - His Excellency, Ambassador Srdjan Darmanović

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... 



The Challenge of the Empty Chair: Fethullah Gulen

Schools vs Mosques

Forging an Islamic democracy

John L. Esposito and Ihsan Yilmaz book on Fethullah Gulen and movement - amongst other books that are a must read to understand such a global civic and social movement involved in peace building and education

The Rumi Forum is part of a global civic movement motivated by the ideas of Fethullah Gulen. Though global in nature through various types of organizations - including schools, dialogue centers, media, health and welfare organization - little is know of the movement or the ideas of Fethullah Gulen. Some new books both by Gulen and about Gulen (and the movement) are mentioned below to acquaint you with Gulen's ideas.

Each of these book are a must to better understand the contributions of an important civic movement on the global scale...


NEWSEST BOOK by John Esposito:

Amazon.com: Islam and Peacebuilding: Gulen Movement Initiatives (9781935295075): John L. Esposito, Ihsan Yilmaz: Books

The exploration of the contributions is made with regards to the title in hand by the thought and practice of the global movement associated with the Turkish Muslim scholar Fethullah Gulen. The importance and distinctiveness of teaching of Gulen and the practice of the movement is that it is rooted in a confident Turkish Islamic heritage while being fully engaged with modernity. It offers the possibility of a contextualised renewal of Islam for Muslims in the modern world while being fully rooted in the teachings of the Qu'ran and the Sunnah of the Prophet. It advocates the freedom of religion while making an Islamic contribution to the wider society based on a commitment to service of others.




Amazon.com: Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism Vol.4 (Emerald Hills of the Heart) (9781597842136): Fethullah Gulen: Books

Concluding a textually long but spiritually endless journey toward insan al-kamil?the perfect human?this fourth volume approaches Sufism through the middle way, an approach that revives the legacy of the Prophet Muhammad. With an awareness of the social realities of the 21st century, concepts such as tranquility, the truth of divinity, life beyond the physical realm, the preserved tablet, the glorified attributes, and the beautiful names are delicately explained. (3 previous volumes are also available)

Amazon.com: The Gulen Movement: Civic Service without Borders (9781935295082): Muhammed Cetin: Books

This book seeks to develop an appropriate discourse for studying the Gulen Movement and phenomena like it. The established discourse concerns itself with social movements as protest, as challenge to the System, as contentious actors looking to alter or even overturn existing structures and/or policies in some field, usually political or economic. Approaching the matter from social movement theory and taking an insider's perspective, the author argues that the Gulen Movement is, as it has always been, non-contentious' it is not a marginalized actor working on the System from the outside. On the contrary, it has always worked within the System - within the boundaries of the laws and public norms that obtain in the different local and national settings where it has set up institutions.

Amazon.com: Toward a Global Civilization of Love and Tolerance (9781932099683): M. Fethullah Gülen: Books

This book has a double purpose. On the one hand, it is a call to Muslims to a greater awareness that Islam teaches the need for dialogue and that Muslims are called to be agents and witnesses to God's universal mercy. On the other hand, the book is an invitation to non-Muslims to move beyond prejudice, suspicion, and half-truths in order to arrive at an understanding what Islam is really about.

Amazon.com: A Dialogue of Civilizations (9781597841108): Jill Carroll: Books

Writer Carroll states in the introduction that prior to a trip she made late in 2004 she was unaware that the organizers of the Institute for Interfaith Dialog based in Houston, Texas as well as the organizers of the trip itself were members of a community of people inspired by the notions of Fethullh Gulen, a Turkish Islamic scholar. Reading further we find Carroll's intent in this book is to 'place the ideas of Fethullh Gulen into the context of the larger humanities. Chapter titles are 1: Gulen and Kant on Inherent Human Value and Moral Dignity, 2: Gulen and Mill on Freedom, 3: Gulen, Confucius, and Plato on the Human Ideal, 4: Gulen, Confucius, and Plato on Education, 5: Gulen and Sartre on Responsibility. Kant's belief was that humans have inherent value, Gulen spoke of the transcendent value of human beings. Mills' assertions that the tyranny of the majority must be met head long was presented from his viewpoint of the nineteenth century Briton. Gulen avows that 'freedom allows people to do whatever they want, provided they do not harm others and they remain wholly devoted to the truth.' A Dialogue of Civilizations: Gulen's Islamic Ideals and Humanistic Discourse presents the query 'what is the level of resonance between Islam and the West?' That the twenty-first century has become an episode of heretofore unnoticed quandary is obvious. Up until 9-1-1 few worldwide really gave much thought to anything other than their own viewpoint. Writer Carroll finds significance can be gleaned an awareness of the theoretically divergent views of Gulen, Turkish Muslim scholar and those of Immanuel Kant, Confucius, Plato, John Stuart Mill, and Jean Paul Sartre regarding critical hypothesis including intrinsic ethical pride, creature significance, learning, autonomy, and accountability. The reader may be surprised to find out these figures who are separated by centuries in time, as well as oceans or continents have a propensity toward speaking the same language.

Writer Carroll's attentive writing style has produced a judicious and timely work, she is knowledgeable, presents her thesis in readable manner and holds reader interest. Not for everyone, if you are looking for a lighthearted, 'story' book for a quick afternoon read A Dialogue of Civilizations: Gulen's Islamic Ideals and Humanistic Discourse is not that book. If you would like to learn a little more about Gulen and his notions of education and dialog then A Dialogue of Civilizations: Gulen's Islamic Ideals and Humanistic Discourse will prove an eye-opening read.

Educational read, happy to recommend for those who are hoping to learn something of an interesting thesis. -- Midwest Book Review


More books on Fethullah Gulen:
Amazon.com: English - fethullah gulen: Books