STATEMENT on Boston Bombings - Rumi Forum - April 16, 2013

The Rumi Forum condemns the actions of those responsible for the horrific incidents in Boston yesterday. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the victims and their families, the wider Boston community and all Americans. Terror, violence and the killing of innocent people can never lead to beneficial results. The Rumi Forum believes that dialogue is the most important way to bring people together to discuss differences and plays the utmost important role of overcoming prejudice and ignorance.




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MEDIA: Gülen Institute awards student essay winners in Washington

The Rumi Forum was honored to co-organize with the Gulen Institute the Awards Ceremony on Capitol Hill.

Gülen Institute awards student essay winners in Washington

Student essay winners and US Representatives pose for a group photo on Wednesday night after the award ceremony at the House of Representatives' Rayburn House Office Building in Washington. (Photo: AA, Mehmet Toroğlu)

11 April 2013 /TODAY'S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL

The University of Houston's Gülen Institute on Wednesday bestowed awards on 30 young people for their winning essays on the subject of immigration and evacuation, in Washington, D.C.

Nearly 600 compositions written by students from 40 countries and 30 US states had been entered into the Gülen Institute's international essay competition. The awards ceremony was held at the House of Representatives' Rayburn House Office Building. US Congressmen Scott Peters, Al Green, Andy Barr, Susan Brooks, Gene Green, Pete Olson and Pete Gallego attended the ceremony.

Praising the Gülen Institute for its cultural and educational activities, Green said he has witnessed how the institute brings people together in Houston.

The first place prize of $3,000 went to George Abraham from the US state of Florida. Gawoon Shim from South Korea took second place, while Vaishnavi Rao of California received the third place award in the essay contest.


The congressmen in attendance awarded the 35 young students with certificates of recognition from Congress and congratulated them on behalf on their constituencies.

The winners were also given a three-day excursion in Washington. During this sponsored tour, students had the opportunity to visit various tourist attractions, meet with members of Congress and community leaders and participate in discussions.

Green, US representative for Texas's 29th congressional district, praised the Gülen Institute for its role in strengthening Turkish and American relations during his speech at the awards ceremony, stating that the Gülen Institute helps people understand better Turkey-US relations.

Brooks, the US representative for Indiana's 5th congressional district, said she was very pleased to attend the ceremony and added she took a pride in delivering an award on behalf of the Gülen Institute. Stating that the students studied hard to be able to succeed in the competition, Brook told the students that she was very impressed with their work.

Olson, US Representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district, thanked the Gülen Institute for organizing such a competition during his speech in the ceremony.

Gülen Institute Chairman M. Sait Yavuz said they started holding the essay writing competition four years ago, adding that the students handle the problems in the world with purer and clearer intentions than the adults.

Established in October 2007, the Gülen Institute is a non-profit research organization dedicated to the promotion of peace and civic welfare.


SOURCE: http://www.todayszaman.com/news-312300-gulen-institute-awards-student-essay-winners-in-washington.html

RESPONSE Eurasianet- Turkey: How Durable is Gülen Movement?

Below is a response to the Eurasianet article that we placed on this blog a few days ago. The source article is on Justin Vela's blog.

A response to Turkey: How Durable is Gülen Movement?

Today, a member of the Gülen Movement e-mailed regarding my recent article “Turkey: How Durable is Gülen Movement?”

He gave permission for me to post his response, asking to remain anonymous because his words are not an official position of the movement.

And I saw your piece on the Movement.

I understand that you are trying to give a balanced view but I am kind of having hard time understanding if it is a necessary to reduce something down to weak and shaky although it is doing far better than that. Anyway it’s your discretion and I respect that.

 I have some points about Mr. Yavuz’s arguments;

“The movement dies with the leader….” Yes if it the leader is more of a carismatic figure rather than someone creating the paradigm and institutionalising it…and the followers rationalising and internalizing the perspective as a way of life.

The level of institutionalisation is far more avanced than those Nur movements. The consensus was limited to “what is right” in that movement back in time. But now it is more like there is a consensus about “what is right, how to promote it and with which tools” and this consensus is working almost perfectly around the globe. An organisation that big, you can’t run on only the carisma of the opinion leader. It already became a way of life. Comparing it to political parties is a huge mistake for an academic figure like Mr. Yavuz. These are two distinct and uncomparable entities.

The relations with Ak Party;

Ak party convinces the participants and symphatizers of the movement on some issues and can’t do that on some other. The analysis that movement is too close to Ak party is just picturing the times the gov’t has convincing arguments. The question here is “Why does it have to be an either/or question?” The people in the movement support the gov’t on some issues and don’t on some others. Why can’t it be that clear?

And about Mr. Gulen getting skewed news; he is not a naive person, nothing needs to be said on that. It is possible of course but it is an extreme possibility. Of course he is not running any of the Hizmet institutions but so far these institiutions have not gone astray from the perspective of Hizmet. If he sees a deviation from the principles of the movement he kindly reminds those principles and that would be received with great sensitivity.

SOURCE: http://justinvela.wordpress.com/2013/04/13/a-response-to-turkey-how-durable-is-gulen-movement/

EURASIANET: Turkey: How Durable is Gulen Movement?

Turkey: How Durable is Gülen Movement?

 
Justin Vela

Turkish spiritual leader Fethullah Gülen, 72, has long been rumored to be in a precarious state of health. But well-informed followers offer assurances that the international network of schools, businesses, media-outlets, and civil-society organizations that his movement has built is prepared for a stable transition.

Gülen, who is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential Turkish theologians of his generation, has lived a quiet existence on a rural estate in the US state of Pennsylvania for the past 14 years. He is known to have diabetes, problems with the nerves in his knees and a weak immune system. "Any small sickness could have a big influence on him," said Mustafa Yeşil, the head of the Istanbul-based Journalists and Writers Foundation, one of the movement's most prominent organizations.

Yeşil, who meets with Gülen in the United States about once a month, said the movement's founder rarely goes outside. "Even this change of weather could be risky for him."

However, Yeşil insisted that neither Gülen's current condition nor his death would have a major impact on the movement he has assembled, a network that now extends far beyond Turkey’s borders. "His passing away would definitely have a negative influence in terms of motivation,” Yeşil said. “But the projects would still be carried out, and administration-wise, it would not be affected by his death."

While there is no designated successor, Yeşil said that there are individuals within the movement's organizations who have internalized Gülen's teachings and who are capable of providing guidance following his death. He cited two organizations -- the Istanbul-based TUSKON trade organization and the Journalists and Writers Foundation -- as potential sources of leadership.

Fevzi Bilgin, the head of the Rethink Institute in Washington, DC, another Gülen-linked organization, said the movement was mature enough to survive without Gülen. "We wish hocaefendi a long life," Bilgin said, using an honorific title for Gülen. "We want him to be around. We get constant inspiration from him. At the same time, I think most organizations are pretty much established right now. They are not really getting directives from him."

He pointed out that the movement now has third-generation adherents who are steeped in Gülen’s philosophy. "Since they were little kids they were probably going … to the weekend schools,” Bilgin said. “They grew up in it. They believe this is the way to go."

Some outside observers aren’t so sure that the movement can endure without its founder. One such skeptic is M. Hakan Yavuz, the author of the book Toward an Islamic Enlightenment: The Gülen Movement. "When the leader dies, the movement dies with it, but it influences the next movement, it shapes the next Muslim movement," Yavuz contended.

Yavuz cited several precedents that could apply to a Gülen Movement transition. One occurred in 1993, when former Turkish prime minister Turgut Özal died, and his Motherland Party (ANAP) soon thereafter became politically irrelevant. Another dates back to 1960, when Turkish Islamic leader Said Nursî died and a group of elders tried to keep his Nur Movement alive for a time. Ultimately, the Nur Movement split apart, with one faction evolving into the Gülen Movement. "Later, there were major tensions between the elders," Yavuz noted. "And it fragmented into different parts. I think the same thing will happen to the Gülen Movement."

Yavuz described himself as an admirer of Gülen's teachings, but a critic of what the movement has become in Turkey. With Gülen having largely withdrawn from day-to-day decision making, the movement is already showing signs of strain, especially in Turkey, he said.

A group of "elders" within the movement is guiding it, he said. Under their watch, the movement’s image as an apolitical force has been compromised in Turkey, Yavuz stated, adding that the movement is now widely seen as working in tandem with the Islamist-BASED Justice and Development Party (AKP) government. "They are part of the political struggle in the country," he said. "They are too close to the AKP. They want power I would say."

But he doubted Gülen himself is fully aware of the shifts that have occurred. "When someone is tightly controlled … you need to raise questions about what type of information that person receives," he said. "I think it is more likely that he receives skewed information, not the entire picture."

As an example of the way the Gülen movement has changed in Turkey, Yavuz pointed to Samanyolu TV, a Gülen-affiliated media outlet. He said the tenor of the channel’s news coverage had grown “accusatory” of late, adding that he doubted Gülen would be supportive of the trend.

The movement's actions in Turkey are a sign of what will come once Gülen is gone, Yavuz predicted. “Unfortunately, the movement could not distance itself from political parties," he said. "It is not what it used to be."

Editor's note: 

 Justin Vela is a freelance reporter based in Istanbul.

SOURCE:  http://www.eurasianet.org/node/66814

VIDEO - His Excellency Kairat Umarov - Kazakhstan's Role in Promoting Inter-Faith Dialogue

 Dr. Umarov was appointed as the Ambassador by the President of Kazakhstan on Jan 4, 2013. He is one of Kazakhstan's finest diplomats and is expected to help further strengthen the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and the U.S. This critical relationship encompasses such crucial priorities as nuclear non-proliferation, energy, trade and investments, agriculture, science and technology and people to people contacts. Over his distinguished career in the foreign service, he has held various important posts at the Foreign Ministry and Presidential Administration, including Minister Counselor at the Kazakh Embassy in Washington D.C., Ambassador-at-Large at the Foreign Ministry, and Chief Inspector at the Foreign Policy Center of the Presidential Administration. From 2004-2009, he served as the Ambassador to India. During his tenure there, bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and India grew significantly and a strategic partnership between the two countries was formally established. While in New Delhi, he also was a concurrent Ambassador to Sri Lanka. From 2009 to January 2013 he was a Deputy Foreign Minister overlooking bilateral relations with the United States, Kazakhstan's engagement with international organizations and was responsible for raising international awareness about Kazakhstan. He co-chaired the Kazakhstan-United States Strategic Partnership Commission, the main bilateral cooperation mechanism, and served as a Sherpa for Kazakhstan at Nuclear Security Summits in Washington D.C. and Seoul.

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