“Hizmet is rooted in the culture of dialogue” says Dr. Marcia Hermansen

Victor Edwin, SJ

Prof. Marcia Hermansen

Dr. Marcia Hermansen, the Director of the Islamic World Studies Program and a Professor in the Theology Department at the Jesuit Loyola University Chicago, presented a lecture on Hizmet Movement (here after HM) at Indialogue Foundation, New Delhi on 7 March 2012. Dr. Hermansen teaches courses in Islamic Studies and the academic study of religion. In the course of her research and language training she lived for extended periods in Egypt, Jordan, India, Iran, Turkey and Pakistan. Her personal contact with the followers of HM made her lecture personally attractive. I am grateful to Ali Akiz and Ahmet for inviting me to this program. I was also given the happy opportunity to moderate the session which was enriching.

In this short article, I will spell out what I have learnt about HM and its founder. HM is a global movement that is inspired by the Turkish Muslim thinker and activist Fethullah Gülen. He stresses that ignorance, poverty, and conflict are the three greatest enemies of humanity. He encourages his fellow citizens to root out these evils from the human family. The followers of Gülen in the HM through education and dialogue tackle these vices and work for a more humane society.

Fethullah Gülen denies ‘groundless’ Stratfor claims of pressure on AK Party

Today's Zaman

Fethullah Gülen (Photo: Cihan)

Well-respected Turkish intellectual and scholar Fethullah Gülen has denied recent media reports based on leaked e-mails from security analysis company Stratfor that said members of his movement were putting pressure on the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in order to control the party.

Gülen said through his lawyer, Orhan Erdemli, on Wednesday that the allegations are totally groundless. Turkey’s Taraf daily reported on the leaked e-mails on Wednesday.

A set of email correspondence between two colleagues at US-based intelligence agency Stratfor, which provides geopolitical analysis to paying subscribers, was released by the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks as part of a massive leak of the company’s correspondence. In one of the e-mails, analyst Emre Doğru claims that there was a conflict between the AK Party and the Gülen movement.

New Yorker Magazine’s article raises questions about its journalistic objectivity and impartiality

fgulen.com

An article published in the March 2012 issue of The New Yorker Magazine is more than disappointing to us at fgulen.com, the official website representing M. Fethullah Gülen. Written by Dexter Filkins, “Letter from Turkey: the Deep State” article is compromising The New Yorker’s and Filkin’s reputation in quality journalism and objective reporting as it reports biased accusations to Fethullah Gülen.

The article extensively uses unverified and misleading information about Fethullah Gülen’s thought and work, and quotes almost exclusively from individuals who apparently vary from antagonistic to hostile towards him. One would expect from an award-winning journalist like Mr. Filkin a rather more objective reporting both on Turkey’s democratization and on the opinion leaders, one of whom is certainly Fethullah Gülen. Similarly, we hope that the New Yorker Magazine’s editorial board would be considerate enough to ensure that its distinguished readers hear the other side of the story. Otherwise, the Magazine would inadvertently become part of a defamation campaign, which has apparently been waged by some marginalized groups against Fethullah Gülen and millions of people who appreciate his thoughts and work.

Turkish schools organize the biggest science olympiads of Indonesia

Cihan News Agency

The biggest science olympiads of Indonesia organized by Indonesian Turkish schools get huge attention. 980 projects around the country were submitted to the olympiads for the competition, but only 178 of them made it to the finals. 356 students who made it to the finals received as much attention for their colorful attires as they did for their projects.

Indonesian Science Project Olympiads (ISPO), the biggest olympiads among high school students in the country, was opened yesterday, for the fourth time, with a great ceremony. The final of the competition is currently being held in Jakarta University's campus in Jakarta. The preparation for the olympiads were made months ago. 980 projects were submitted in January and after a very competitive elimination, 178 projects and 356 students made it to the finals. Those projects are currently on display.

Abant Platform to discuss framework of new constitution

Today's Zaman

 

The prestigious Abant Platform, which has tackled pressing issues facing Turkey since its establishment in 1998, will aim in its next meeting to contribute to the shaping of Turkey's new constitution.

 

The 26th Abant meeting, which will be held from March 9 to 11 in Turkey's northwestern province of Bolu, will bring together a wide spectrum of intellectuals, lawyers, political leaders and journalists to discuss the problematic areas of, and propose solutions to, the constitutional drafting process. Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek will be among those attending the meeting.

Community service in the Gülen Movement vs. Political action

fgulen.org

What questions does the Gülen Movement answer for participants?

The Gülen Movement does not answer participants questions for them. Instead, in the Gülen Movement the participants look for answers to the questions all people living in complex modern societies face.

These questions center around how to develop humane qualities, good behavior, love for others, enthusiasm for self-improvement, and an active desire to serve others, make a difference in the world, and to persevere in this desire in the face of setbacks and failures.

Allocation of resources in the Gülen Movement

fgulen.org

Are the resources of the Gülen Movement allocated among the social movement organizations (SMOs) by a central authority?

No. No single individual in the Movement or in any SMO has the right to distribute power or resources.

However, that does not imply that there are no authority structures within SMOs and institutions. The distribution of administrative power can vary within the SMOs, but the local and decentralized control of resources means that resources are not and cannot be reallocated among the collective actors of the Gülen Movement by any central authority.