The Gülen movement is a group of volunteers engaged in interfaith and intercultural dialogue inspired by the ideas of Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish Islamic scholar well known for his teachings promoting mutual understanding and tolerance between cultures. Now residing in the US, Gülen has pioneered educational activities in a number of countries, along with efforts to promote intercultural and interfaith activities around the world.
The signing day, organized by the D&R bookstore, was held at ANKAmall. There were long queues of readers in front of the bookstore as thousands headed to the mall to have the book signed. The bookstore also had a hard time meeting demand for the book.
Ebaugh said she was very surprised to see the crowd when she came to the shopping mall, noting that she was particularly surprised by young people’s interest in her book. She wrote the book for people in Western countries who do not know about the Gülen movement and said what attracted her to the movement was the protest raised by Gülen in an article published in The Washington Post in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
Noting that she has some students within the Gülen movement, the professor said she had the opportunity to pay visits to educational institutions of the movement during her visit to Turkey.
Published on Today's Zaman, 18 January 2011, Tuesday
