May 18, 2012

Fethullah Gulen schools or Gulen-inspired schools?

Fethullah Gulen
First of all there no such definition as “Fethullah Gulen schools”. None of the schools have an official affiliation with Fethullah Gulen himself. There is no way Fethullah Gulen himself to involve in the establishment of such large number of schools which are scattered all over the world. And, it is humanly impossible to one person who lives in an isolated, remote region to manage the schools which are in different countries.

The missing part in this ordeal is not recognizing the influence of Fethullah Gulen in the world fast developing county, Turkey.

As the Turkish Secretary of State Davutoglu has mentioned, the biggest potential of Turkey is human capital. Turkey is not known for its everlasting natural resources. Turkey do not possess capital saving that was obtained through exploiting other nations. Turkey has not been known for its resources such as natural gas and oil as well. Nevertheless only one thing – the biggest resource of Turkey is the human capital – well-educated, young, and energetic but the most significantly human resource that is powerful belonging to their country, history and nation.

Fethullah Gulen has been extensively emphasising the importance of working hard to bring the society on to the higher levels of prosperity. In his book Pearls of Wisdom;
“Laziness and attachment to ease are among the major reasons for deprivation and humiliation. Inactive people who have abandoned themselves to (indolent) comfort one day will fall so low that they will expect even their basic necessities to be supplied by others.

For a human being, change and decay are usually slow and silent. Sometimes even a little heedlessness, a slight straying from the “caravan,” can cause a complete collapse and a total loss. However, because those who have fallen see themselves as still on the same line and in the same situation, they do not realize that they have plunged to the bottom of a deep well from a minaret-like peak.

Some people who leave the line of exertion and struggle with a feeling of guilt, which every fugitive and truant is bound to feel, are likely to defend themselves and criticize their friends who continue to serve. It is almost impossible for such people to escape their deviation and return to their original line.”[2]
People who were inspired by Fethullah Gulen have achieved autonomy from state power and has been able to play a significant role in society, the main characteristics of civil society organizations. Turkey is also a country which has undergone an economic transformation in recent years. And, the influence of Fethullah Gulen cannot be underestimated on this aspect of the Turkey’s economic growth.

In his book, Fethullah Gulen writes: “Those who want to reform the world must first reform themselves. If they want to lead others to a better world, they must purify their inner worlds of hatred and jealousy, and adorn their outer worlds with virtue. The words of those who cannot control and discipline themselves, and who have not refined their feelings, may seem attractive and insightful at first. However, even if they somehow manage to inspire others, which they sometimes do, the sentiments they arouse will soon wither.” [2]

In addition, thanks to the Turkey-EU Customs Union which came into force in 1996, Turkey has enjoyed customs-free exports to a market of over 500 million people. Apart from EU integration, Turkey is playing a leading role in several international bodies, such as the World Trade Organization, OECD, and Black Sea Economic Cooperation. Turkey has been promoting peace, stability, democracy and economic welfare in its region and beyond. Turkey is one of the three standalone countries, which was declared by the African Union as a strategic partner, after China and India, in January 2008. So far, development projects in 37 African countries have already been conducted. [3]. Turkey is a success story when the majority of the developed countries suffering from the economic turmoil. Today, Turkey is a secular state with no Islamic reference. It offers an open political space that allows for all political ideologies to compete free. [1]

Fethullah Gulen has been trying to encourage generations to come to improve themselves to better people to make their positive impact to the world around themselves.. Fethullah Gulen wrote “ the generation who aim to give a better shape to the world should be equipped with mathematical thought. Mathematical thought implies a comprehension of the enigmatic connection between creation and the ‘laws’ of mathematics, and a discovery of the mysterious world of numbers. Without mathematics, it is not possible to perceive the mutual relations between man and things; it is mathematics which, like a source of light, illuminates our way along the line from the universe to life and shows us the depths of the world of possibilities beyond human imagination, thus enabling us to attain our ideals” [4]

[1] http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Turkey-a-success-story-of-tripartite-coexistence-30181222.html
[2] http://en.fgulen.com/
[3] Mr Zafer Çağlayan, State Minister for Foreign Trade. http://www.biz-works.net/index.php5?&fl=y&pgid=ar&art=1001_08
[4] Towards the lost paradise

Published on fethullah-gulen.net, 13 May 2012, Sunday

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